Lunch Ideas Needed

[reAllytee]

Well girls i need your help !
Im trying to come up with some ideas for a lunch im having Easter Monday as im stumped besides going the good old roast route & thats fine but i want something a little different guess i could try a fancy type roast deal but we will see.
We will have 6 others here so i need something that will be easy enough to make so i dont spend all my time in the kitchen.
So if anyone has some ideas & recipes pleeeeeeeeeease share ! :D
There are only a few things that need to be steered clear of which are pasta ( darn it cause that would be soooo easy LOL ) & seafood !
My MIL will be here so i so have to make her eyes pop LOL.
So please please please be generous & helpful heheheheh :D

[Mamaduke]

This is a recipe from Jamie Oliver for roast chicken...with a twist.
It is absolutely divine! Fattening, but divine nonetheless.
Ingredients...
Large chicken
Parma ham
Fresh thyme
1/2 stk butter
Lemon rind
Potatoes
1 clove garlic
Lemon
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Chop up parma ham, thyme, garlic & lemon rind. Put into mixing bown & add butter (at room temp).
Mix together with hands.
Carefully put into chicken between skin and breast (easier if you enter from the tail end of the bird).
Score thighs and pack mixture over and into the thigh meat.
Slice and put remainder lemon into chicken cavity.
Par boil potatoes and put into mixing bowl with 4 to 5 cloves (whole) of garlic, pieces of thyme and a little olive oil, then mix.
Put into roasting dish with chicken & cook for 2 hours at 200 degrees.
Serve with salad or vegetables.

The chicken is so moist and full of flavour.
You could get all of the prep done beforehand and just put it into the oven when you need to.
If you're having a few people around you could make 2 chickens...best to have too much than not enough I say!

[fee's]

Do you have a bbq? if so we often get a large butterfly leg of lamb our butcher sells them marinated in yummy stuff like coriander and pine nuts or mint and rosemary and mustard seeds etc and we cook it on the bbq and serve it up with mediterainian roast vegies - just cut up as many different vegies you can think of (the green ones too) and throw into a baking dish with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper and any fresh herbs, cover with alfoil and bake in a hot oven for 1 1/2 hrs. Easy when you need to feed a few people.
have a great easter. :chef:

[Nickster]

I can also highly recommend Mamaduke's chicken, or in fact anything by Jamie Oliver.

Can you just have a BBQ? Or does it need to be more formal than that? I find barbies are great 'cos DH does the cooking (and the men love the associated male-bonding-holding-beers-standing-around-the-BBQ) - I just do the salads & pop a potato bake in the oven - gives me plenty of time to talk to guests and keep drinks flowing!

[lukaelmo]

Ooo I agree with the bbq idea, it is the only time that men will shove you out of the way to do the cooking :laughing: .

I have done the vegetables that Fee suggested, I usually do that sort of thing if I am asked to bring a plate to a party. Too easy and lovely filling and nutritious :D .

[reAllytee]

We dont have a barbie :eek: :crying:
Hopefully one day !!!!! ARRRRRGH !!!! Hopefully sooner than later LOL !

Hrrmmmmz maybe the chicken is the way to go !

Anything else girlies ???????
Cmon im sure there is more :p

[elissas]

This is one that I've made a few times when I have a crowd. It's like an Aussie chicken dish, with bacon, pineapple and mustard marinade, oven baked. I make a couple of baking dishes full, and it'll go around 8 people, with seconds for a couple of the guys. It's surprisingly easy, coz you can do all the preparation well before people are arriving and have it slow baking in the oven (so when they arrive you're not running around stressed in the kitchen). I serve it with a green salad.

INGREDIENTS:
• 4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced down the centre horizontally
• 2 teaspoons seasoning salt
• 6 slices bacon, cut in half
• 1/2 cup prepared mustard
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Tin of sliced pineapple
• 2 cups shredded tasty cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
________________________________________
DIRECTIONS:
1. Rub the chicken breasts with the seasoning salt, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until crisp. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the mustard, honey, corn syrup, mayonnaise and dried onion flakes. Remove half of sauce, cover and refrigerate to serve later.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the breasts in the skillet and saute for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until browned. Remove from skillet and place the breasts into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Apply the honey mustard sauce to each breast, then layer each breast with pineapple and bacon. Sprinkle top with shredded cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and chicken juices run clear. Garnish with parsley and serve with the reserved honey mustard sauce.

[mrsrobo]

in the latest Woman Days their a recipe lemon,garlic and oregano roast chicken