Friday 28 July 2017

Friday

.It was a usual July Friday morning - teaming with rain of the thundery kind - as we went in for our morning coffee with friends.   I had to call at the Sorting Office for a package - still pouring with rain but only a short distance from car to door - and then friend W pulled up at the door of the shop for me to do a last little bit of shopping for my lunch party tomorrow.   My grand-daughter and her husband and their baby daughter, Ula, are coming to stay for the week-end with my son and I am entertaining them for lunch.

With the exception of my daughter in law and me the rest are all vegetarian, which makes for a rather more complicated menu.   Also, because almost everything that I possess is packed ready for my move, I am not even sure that I have five of everything; I know I have no salad bowls out so shall be making the salads in whatever dishes I can find. 

We are having jacket potatoes (a very easy option with an Aga) with a selection of butter,grated red Leicester cheese, baked beans in tomato sauce or coleslaw as a filling.   I shall serve this with a selection of salads - all new and slightly experimental, so I hope they work.

The first is for French beans - lightly cooked and then quickly cooled - baby plum tomatoes roasted for a short while at the top of the oven - black olives scattered through and then the whole with a dressing of olive oil and white wine vinegar and finally a scattering of Parmesan.

My second I shall make up as I go along.  I shall cook some Giant cous-cous a la risotto using vegetable stock and maybe a drop of white wine and when it is cool I shall mix it with tomato, cucumber, spring onion, all chopped small and then a scattering of mint and a honey dressing.

The third will be little gem lettuce with halved hard boiled eggs arranged around the plate along
with pieces of chopped pineapple.

Pudding will be a fruit salad with cream - so far I have strawberries, raspberries, black cherries, apricots, pineapple and melon - I shall cut them up small and leave them to marinate (not in wine as my great grand daughter is only eight months old and really into eating solid food!)

I will report back on the success of the salads at a later date!

25 comments:

Joanne Noragon said...

What fun to serve up in catch as catch can. It will be a lovely lunch--good food, loved guests, happy time.

Wilma said...

Sounds like it will be beautiful as well as delicious. What time did you say we should come? ;-)

Librarian said...

Wow - this sounds like a rather elaborate lunch, I'd love to try it all! We eat cold cous-cous salad (calling it tabouleh) a lot here in Germany, but although parsley and chopped mint leaves are mandatory, I have never tried it with honey.
Not many people would entertain a group for lunch when they have already nearly everything packed up for moving!

Rachel Phillips said...

I'll go for a hard boiled egg without the pineapple but with salad dressing and a baked potato and butter. Sounds like a nice get together at leisure.

jinxxxygirl said...

You are much more the chef than i Pat.. If i were you in the midst of a move i think they would get sandwiches and be glad for it... or.. we'd all go out for lunch.. lol Sounds wonderful though.. I hope all turns out well. Hugs! deb

Simon Douglas Thompson said...

Sounds very tasty!

Terra said...

You are preparing quite a feast.

Gwil W said...

I hope they've got enormous appetites!

Your news reminds of an old lady who went to live in a care home in Burgenland which is in the east of Austria. When they asked her what she would like to eat she proudly announced: "I'm a vegetarian!". After a few weeks we went to visit and asked her how she was settling in. She said: "It's very nice but they only give me vegetables to eat." Of course we went to see the manager and she looked at her records and said: "Mrs D told us she is vegetarian." I said she tells everybody that but she's not. She means she doesn't eat meat. Her favourite foods are sardines, eggs and tuna pizza!

Mac n' Janet said...

It all sounds good and summery. Really like the sound of the green bean one.

Bonnie said...

Sounds delish.I am pinching the couscous recipe 😁

justjill said...

That sounds fantastic. Two of my daughters are vegetarian, one went vegan for a while. Nightmare. I love the name Ula. Where did that come from. I am sure all will be successful. Well done!

thelma said...

All sounds delicious. especially the green bean salad

Sue said...

I shall have to steal some of these ideas. My vegan daughter is coming to stay in September for three weeks and I'm trying to organise some tasty meals for her. Unfortunately I can't use any dairy products like eggs, butter or cheese.

Sue in Suffolk said...

Those salads sound delicious. Have a lovely weekend

Frances said...

I am so impressed with your menu, especially as you are ' packed". I am not impressed that I have had to click on about 12 separate pictures of road signs to get this to go to you !! You might want to change that a bit ! I have had this problem before and often give up !
Lots of love to you Pat...it's not your fault I am sure. XX

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Your lunch plan sounds delightful. I hope it all goes well.

However, I took exception to this remark - "Pudding will be a fruit salad with cream". Not on your nelly! I shall be a train driver or England's centre forward.

Derek Faulkner said...

Wow, that will be a real triumph to prepare and produce such lovely food with most things packed away. Pat yourself on the back Pat.

angryparsnip said...

Oh My Goodness I so wish I could be at your lunch.
Everything you are making sounds so wonderful.

cheers, parsnip

Penny said...

Sounds pretty yummy Pat. Such interesting salads.

Anonymous said...

What a lovely menu and so nice that you have made a real effort and put a lot of thought into it even when packed. Both me and OH are vegetarians and we sometimes have very strange meals offered to us including fish but as I point out to people we are the real thing and fish is not part of a vegetarian diet. When we go to a restaurant and ask about vegetarian options we always seem to be shown to the fish section! However I have been vegetarian since childhood and am used to these fashions coming and going. At one time during the 70's to get a cheese salad option on British Rail (when they served High tea in the restaurant car from London) the chef had to come out and look at you first as it wasn't on the menu and he must have wondered what a vegetarian looked like - then he would remove the ham from the ham salad and replace it with a one pound block of cheddar cheese! Have a lovely meal.

Heather said...

Your menu sounds absolutely delicious and will be much appreciated no matter on what bowls or plates you serve it. It will be a lovely family gathering. I have packed all but four bowls and plates of two sizes, just in case!

Jill said...

That menu sounds lovely. I struggle to pull together a simple item or two and you're planning multiple. I'm impressed!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks everyone. The meal took very little preparing and was a great success even served from a selection of odd crockery and cutlery. Now they have gone, the dishwasher is whirring madly and I am ready to put the photographs on my Saturday post.

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