is elegant, yet simple to prepare.
Planning what to make for dinner can become a burden. It is so simple to fall into the trap of eating the same five or six things over and over, either because they are quick to prepare, they're inexpensive or they're the only thing the kids will eat. Sometimes we need to break out of this rut and prepare something fantastic for a special occasion, to impress a guest or just because we want to express our inner Julia Child.
Romantic Fondue
Most romantic dinners are dinners for two, which gives you the opportunity to try something more elaborate than you'd make for an everyday dinner. A sensuous fondue dinner is tasty and lets you do all of the preparation in advance so that you can concentrate on your guest during the meal. Buy or borrow three fondue pots so you can make all three kinds of fondue. Dip bread cubes and blanched vegetables in cheese sauce for the first course. Serve chunks of meat and chicken next, with a hot-oil fondue; offer several dipping sauces for the meat. Finish up with marshmallows, small cookies and cut-up fruit dipped in a chocolate fondue.
Picnic Dinner
Enjoy a change of scene by taking your dinner on the road. Prepare foods that are packable and easy to handle. Cold fried chicken is far more interesting than sandwiches. Or, assemble cooked Polish sausage and rolls ahead of time and wrap them in aluminum foil and a towel to keep them warm. Put hot soup in an insulated bottle, then pour it into insulated cups to serve. Fill sealable plastic bags with sliced bell peppers, baby carrots and grape tomatoes; pour some dressing into a snap-lid plastic container for dipping. Bring cupcakes; tuck a caramel-filled chocolate kiss into the batter before baking for a sweet surprise.
Outdoor Cooking
Many cooks turn to the barbecue when they want something smoky and delicious, but there are lots of things to cook outdoors besides hamburgers and steaks. Bake a pizza on the grill by cooking one side of the crust to toasty perfection, flipping it, adding your favorite toppings and letting it cook until the cheese is melted and the crust is finished. Grill corn in the husk directly over a hot fire, turning often until the outer husk is charred; this takes about 10 minutes in high heat, longer if you put the corn on a cooler part of the grill. Finish the meal with grilled pineapple. Cut fresh pineapple into 1-inch rings, coat both sides thickly with cinnamon sugar and grill for 2-3 minutes.
Fancy Feast
Some dinners look elegant but are actually quite straightforward to prepare. Quiche Lorraine is a famous French dish that is basically scrambled eggs, bacon, onion and cheese in a pie shell. Serve it with crusty French bread, steamed green beans and a green salad made interesting with canned chickpeas, dried cranberries and dry-roasted sunflower seeds. Offer a choice of dressings, or toss the salad with vinegar-and-oil mixture. For a fancy dessert, dribble a spoonful of raspberry sauce over a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some poached peaches for Peach Melba.
Tags: Quiche Lorraine, your favorite