I've got 2 friends coming for dinner this coming Saturday, in order to
celebrate the 50th birthday of one of them (this is not the lot who are
coming for the Chinese meal the following week!). DH has requested that I
keep food spending to a minimum (because we seem to have a lot of dinner
parties lined up!), so I'm looking at cooking up something from the contents
of my feezer, plus some fresh stuff bought on the day. Trouble is, I can't
decide what to cook, so that's where you come in - can anyone suggest
something impressive (I don't mind spending 2 days cooking, if that's what
it takes!) that could be made from any selection from the following:

a turkey
2 loins of lamb
2lbs of stewing beef
2 lbs of stewing lamb
4lbs of pork ribs
8 mackerel
2 duck breasts
a free range chicken

I also have access to free mussels, and DH wouldn't object to 1 lobster,
crab or a few scallops being bought. We are currently overwhelmed with eggs
(got chickens) plus I make bread every day, so have various flours (strong
white, strong wholemeal, granary, rye, gram) to hand. There's also frozen
puff, shortcrust and filo pastries in the freezer, plus some vol au vent
cases. Growing in the garden are peas, fench beans, nasturtiums, mangetout
and radishes, plus the usual herbs. I have a huge spice collection, but no
access to Penzey's mixes. I can buy most veggies that grow in temperate
climes (plus some that don't!). Got rice, got cous-cous, got polenta, got
noodles.

The weather is cool, and I don't expect that to change before the weekend,
more's the pity. Ideally, I'd like a 3 or 4 course sit-down-but-casual meal
which takes some time and effort to prepare. No 'packet' type ingredients,
please - Kraft Mac 'n Cheese won't do!

Please help, because all I can think of doing is Christmas dinner in July,
and I'm not sure that's a good idea! In return, I promise to report back on
recipes used, problems encountered, and results achieved! Oh, in case anyone
is thinking of suggesting the loin of lamb thing I posted elsewhere, I can't
do that, cos these guests have been fed on it before.

I don't need full recipes (can always find them if I have to), just an
outline of the dishes. The birthday boy is teetotal, but the rest of us are
definitely not!

Thanks tons to anyone who takes the time to answer this, as I know I'm
asking a lot, but my mind is a bit of a blank (just for a change!). For
once, I'm ignoring all the DH's fussinesses, cos it's not his birthday, and
he'll just have to be adaptable! The only other 'fussiness' is that one
guest hates fresh figs!

So come on, do yer worst!

Jo



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