Mexican and then Some Menu

Hosted a welcome back dinner for J and M. Kept it small (12 people) and due to rain, indoors as well. Made most everything ahead of time - only cooked the beans and the chicken during the party and had people help chop the fajitas toppings. Makes for a good summer menu since many of the dishes are chilled.

• Tortilla Chips and Mango Salsa
• Millet Tabbouleh
• Fajitas/Burritos/Tacos
• Tortilla Wraps/Taco Shells
• Fajitas Chicken - regular and mild
• Refried Beans
• sour cream
• chopped tomatoes, lettuce
• stir fried red peppers + onions
• shredded cheese: mozzarella, cheddar
• mango salsa
• Dessert
• chocolate chip cookies
• Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese frosting
• Mango Ice Cream and Sorbet
• Drinks: Pina Coladas

Brunch Menu

Had 4 people over for brunch today. There were so many dishes I wanted to try, I ended up making a little too much. G brought some almonds, fig confiture and strawberry jam to complement the meal.

• Deviled Eggs
• Baked Mashed Potatoes
• Starches
• Mjwaffles
• Belgian Waffles (in a waffle iron, borrowed from C)
• French Toast
• White Bread II (leftover from French Toast) and Golden Egg Bread (untouched)
• Strawberry Syrup, honey
• Fruit Salad (honeydew, pineapple, gala apples, strawberries, banana) with a yogurt sauce (yogurt+honey+vanilla)
• Drinks
• Fresh Squeezed OJ
• Strawberry Banana Smoothie (strawberries, banana, yogurt, milk)
• milk, tea, hot cocoa, water

6 course meal

Saturday was my first time preparing a 6 course meal. It turned out quite well as far as guests commenting on the taste and my own feelings about effort and stress for putting it together. I started with ingredient shopping at 9 am, and had the first appetizer on the table at 6pm. It was not rushed at all and I had time to do other things in between prep work. Very doable! Don't forget to clean as you go.

Menu

1. Salmon Roll Ups (cold)
   
2. Stuffed Mushrooms (hot)
   
3. Salad with Cherry Dressing (cold)
   
4. Spicy Carrot Soup and Herb Bread (hot)
   
5. Farfalle with Chicken Parmesan (hot)
   
6. Apple Galette with vanilla ice cream (cold)
   

Preparation

1. Prepare the salmon roll ups and refrigerate.
2. Prepare the galette dough and refrigerate.
3. Prepare the mushroom filling and refrigerate.
4. Bread the chicken and refrigerate.
5. Use the bread machine to make the herb bread (done in 3 hours).
   
6. Prepare the soup and blend (refrigerate or set to the side).
7. Make the salad.
8. Bake the galette.
9. Cut the roll ups and serve on plate.
   
10. Bake the mushrooms. [Serve 1]
    
11. Reheat the soup. [Serve 2]
    
12. Bake the chicken (as soon as you remove the mushrooms)/cook the pasta. [Serve 3]
13. [Serve 4]
14. [Serve 5]
15. [Serve 6]