I'm having 2 other couples over on Sunday evening for dinner. Both of the males in the couples are VP/C-level people in big companies, who I may some day want to work with. In other words, I need to impress!

What do you make for dinner when you need to impress someone? Do you have a fancy recipe that you dust off? Something that always works?

Can you please clue me in?

Thanks for any help.

__________________
Life is too short not to love and be loved....preferably multiple times in one night.

I think men talk to women so they can sleep with them and women sleep with men so they can talk to them. ~ Jay McInerney

Any chance there will be couples sex? :lol:

<----still obsessed.

But seriously, I believe a really good meal says it all. Everything just so and clean as a whistle is a great way to go.

I would suggest a light meat like fish or chicken and plenty of veges. Also, fresh fruit adds a real exotic feel to a formal dinner.

Hope that helps a bit.

I love to cook but have not really had any formal dinner parties. This is also based on what would be available to me.

my suggestions:
hor dourves
blue cheese stuffed tomatoes and mushrooms
gorgonzola and carmelized onion bruschetta

salad
spinach with fresh oranges, dried cranberries, green onions and raw sunflower seeds ( candied walnuts are good too)
baby greens or torn romaine, finely chopped artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, black olives, fresh thick shavings of good romano

main course
dilled salmon

orange glazed pork loin

horseradish encrusted beef tenderloin

starches
cous cous with peas and sherry

roasted sweet potatoes

herbed new potatoes roasted with a balsamic glaze

veggies
asparagus

veggie stuffed baked patty pan squashes

green beans or carrots with slivered almonds

Dessert
I'd pick up some specialty desserts (like fancy cookies or pastries) and a great dessert wine or I make a great strawberry cake but it's too casual for this I think.

__________________

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Good heavens!

Anything I follow that up with will look like the omelettes, blue soup & marmelade Bridget Jones served!

My only suggestion is to verify particular eating preferences. Vegetarian vs carnivore? Wife's allergic to shellfish?

__________________
Though I am different from you,
We were born involved in one another.

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.

Complete surrender should not just come at moments in which one faces overwhelming odds, but in the calm when it seems one is personally in complete control of one's life.

Pasta is difficult to fuck up, if you aren't the world's best chef...similar to yours truly.

cocktails and a platter of finger sized pastry hor'dourves, or just a few upscale cheeses, olives, crackers, etc. on a board, for an appetite teaser. (i always prefer appetizers that you don't have to sit and eat. just something that can be nibbled while everyone chit chats and i can munch while i finish preparing dinner)

veal (or chicken if you are worried about the baby cow thing) marsala or a francaise with a nice lemon sauce and capers, asparagus with hollandaise and lump crab meat, spring baby greens with a raspberry vinaigrette (or just o and v) and roasted red potatoes with herbs and parm cheese.

key lime pie with a chocolate crust, topped off with freshly whipped cream for dessert


good god that ^^^ sounds fattening. and i'm hungry.

__________________
Trees give peace to the souls of men * Nora Waln

The forest would be very quiet if no other birds sang than those who sing the best * Henry van Dyke

some fairly sordid tales, rambles, and anecdotes
Hypothetically Speaking * Something More * Cammy Interrupted * An Experimental Vacation * Masked * so..damn..hot * Thank You * My toy, his idea * no.19 Maple Lane * I Have A Surprise For You * Yesterday * In a Quiet Kitchen * help me decide * untitled prose * more untitled prose

You are all great! Thanks for the wonderful ideas.

Now I need to make a trip to the store and see what looks fresh...veggies are hit or miss this time of year as the crops down here finish up early.

__________________
Life is too short not to love and be loved....preferably multiple times in one night.

I think men talk to women so they can sleep with them and women sleep with men so they can talk to them. ~ Jay McInerney

I'm making chicken marsala tonight! It's tradition...I always make it for myself the first night Mrs. WI is away. lmao

__________________
Though I am different from you,
We were born involved in one another.

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.

Complete surrender should not just come at moments in which one faces overwhelming odds, but in the calm when it seems one is personally in complete control of one's life.

Can I have your recipe for chicken marsala? I am looking for something different to add into my repertoire!

__________________
Life is too short not to love and be loved....preferably multiple times in one night.

I think men talk to women so they can sleep with them and women sleep with men so they can talk to them. ~ Jay McInerney

__________________

Does this mean 'brats and brew' are not on the list?

Naah....just some Schlitz. Or some Boone's Farm. Both will be the highlight of the party.

__________________
Life is too short not to love and be loved....preferably multiple times in one night.

I think men talk to women so they can sleep with them and women sleep with men so they can talk to them. ~ Jay McInerney

Chicken Marsala is such an easy meal to make.

I usually use dark meat because it's more moist, but you can use boneless & skinless breast as well.

Pound it to about a half inch thick & slice into manageable pieces. Nothing less glamorous than trying to maneuver a giangantic slab of meat. Uh...so I hear.

Once pounded, dredge your breasts in flour (both sides, of course). Then dredge the chicken.

Sautee the chicken in a combo of a tsp each of EVOO & butter, until slightly browned & crunchy, then remove from pan & set to drain on a warm dish (so they don't cool off, or they'll get rubbery when reheated)

Please use fresh mushrooms, and when doing so...slice them thin & put them in the pan now. Sautee until they start to get tender.

Now add some Marsala wine to the pan and deglaze the carmelization. Put the chicken pieces back in & simmer about five minutes.

Some people prefer to thicken the sauce but I prefer it a little runny.

I also serve it over steamed brown rice.

Simple and delish.

__________________
Though I am different from you,
We were born involved in one another.

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.

Complete surrender should not just come at moments in which one faces overwhelming odds, but in the calm when it seems one is personally in complete control of one's life.

Why am I not surprised...

__________________
Plug me into somethin'

If the theory does not conform to the facts, then the facts must be discarded.

No good deed ever goes unpunished

Never argue with an idiot. He'll drag you down to his level, & beat you with experience.

I' assuming you were asking WI, osuche, and my recipe is similar but i'll share my variation anyway.

i dredge the chicken/veal in flour (that has s&p in it), then dip it in beaten egg, then dredge it in flour again.

i've also been known to add cream of tartar to the sauce if i have no wine. i know it sounds weird, but i accidentally added it to some chicken broth while deglazing a pan once and it gave the dish a yummy tangy flavor.

then again, it is a by product of wine making so maybe not so weird after all.

__________________
Trees give peace to the souls of men * Nora Waln

The forest would be very quiet if no other birds sang than those who sing the best * Henry van Dyke

some fairly sordid tales, rambles, and anecdotes
Hypothetically Speaking * Something More * Cammy Interrupted * An Experimental Vacation * Masked * so..damn..hot * Thank You * My toy, his idea * no.19 Maple Lane * I Have A Surprise For You * Yesterday * In a Quiet Kitchen * help me decide * untitled prose * more untitled prose