Thursday next week I'll turn 30, and the following Saturday I've
invited some friends over to celebrate it, but I can't think of
something to cook, which omnivores will enjoy too, especially since
some of the people I've invited aren't too keen on vegetables.

Ideas will be appreciated.
--
Nikitta. ICQ# 251532856
This .sig is temporary.
"She's a witch! Let's... offer her a cup of tea."
Ancipital (Sheddie)

On 2004-09-21, Nikitta Riber > wrote:

> Thursday next week I'll turn 30, and the following Saturday I've
> invited some friends over to celebrate it, but I can't think of
> something to cook, which omnivores will enjoy too, especially since
> some of the people I've invited aren't too keen on vegetables.

Perhaps they just haven't had the right vegetables. :>

I would personally suggest serving lots of food that's elegant, but also
"comfort" food... soups, stews, pasta, rice dishes (risottos / paellas,
stuffed peppers), polenta.... Keep the weird vegetables to a minimum, or
serve them on the side.

I'm a big fan of mushrooms (especially wild mushrooms) myself - not
likely to freak out non meat-eaters as much as tofu, seitan or tempeh
might, and they have a great texture. However, some people seem to hate
them, so you might want to check to make sure no one is a huge mushroom
hater.

I have a vegan paella recipe in the archives of this ng that's a pretty
good crowd pleaser; the ingredients there are just a suggestion - you
could adapt it as needed. A risotto would probably work well too. I
suggest making your own stock if you have the time.

If you eat dairy, you could serve cheese and maybe some sort of pasta
with a creamy / cheesy sauce.

For hors d'oeuvres, you could serve some bread and / or crackers with
olive tapenade, cheese (if you eat it), hummus, whole olives...

Dessert shouldn't be a problem (though if you're vegan or avoid dairy,
you might have to make your own cake if there aren't any speciality
bakeries near you).

And bottom line - don't worry TOO much about making everyone happy.
After all, it is your birthday - it's the one day where everyone else
should shut the hell up about how they hate vegetables and be happy
that they're there celebrating your birthday with you. So think first
about the things /you/ want to eat on your birthday - then maybe think
about how you can make these things paletable to your guests.

I usually go out for vegetarian Chinese food for my birthday - this is
generally a hit with almost everyone. I feel absolutely fine about
making all my meat eating friends (most of whom have no problem going to
veggie restaurants the rest of the year) go to a veggie restaurant for
my birthday party.

/w

On 2004-09-21, Nikitta Riber > wrote:

> Thursday next week I'll turn 30, and the following Saturday I've
> invited some friends over to celebrate it, but I can't think of
> something to cook, which omnivores will enjoy too, especially since
> some of the people I've invited aren't too keen on vegetables.

Perhaps they just haven't had the right vegetables. :>

I would personally suggest serving lots of food that's elegant, but also
"comfort" food... soups, stews, pasta, rice dishes (risottos / paellas,
stuffed peppers), polenta.... Keep the weird vegetables to a minimum, or
serve them on the side.

I'm a big fan of mushrooms (especially wild mushrooms) myself - not
likely to freak out non meat-eaters as much as tofu, seitan or tempeh
might, and they have a great texture. However, some people seem to hate
them, so you might want to check to make sure no one is a huge mushroom
hater.

I have a vegan paella recipe in the archives of this ng that's a pretty
good crowd pleaser; the ingredients there are just a suggestion - you
could adapt it as needed. A risotto would probably work well too. I
suggest making your own stock if you have the time.

If you eat dairy, you could serve cheese and maybe some sort of pasta
with a creamy / cheesy sauce.

For hors d'oeuvres, you could serve some bread and / or crackers with
olive tapenade, cheese (if you eat it), hummus, whole olives...

Dessert shouldn't be a problem (though if you're vegan or avoid dairy,
you might have to make your own cake if there aren't any speciality
bakeries near you).

And bottom line - don't worry TOO much about making everyone happy.
After all, it is your birthday - it's the one day where everyone else
should shut the hell up about how they hate vegetables and be happy
that they're there celebrating your birthday with you. So think first
about the things /you/ want to eat on your birthday - then maybe think
about how you can make these things paletable to your guests.

I usually go out for vegetarian Chinese food for my birthday - this is
generally a hit with almost everyone. I feel absolutely fine about
making all my meat eating friends (most of whom have no problem going to
veggie restaurants the rest of the year) go to a veggie restaurant for
my birthday party.

/w

Nikitta Riber wrote:

> Thursday next week I'll turn 30, and the following Saturday I've
> invited some friends over to celebrate it, but I can't think of
> something to cook, which omnivores will enjoy too, especially since
> some of the people I've invited aren't too keen on vegetables.

Oh dear, that's a rather broad question. First you'll have to decide
whether you want a formal dinner with n-course meal, some sort of cold
buffet with snacks, a warm buffet with various choices, a barbecue or
something else completely. Do you want to prepare all the food or are
your guests expected to bring some? How good are your cooking skills,
and how many guests do you expect?

Nikitta Riber wrote:

> Thursday next week I'll turn 30, and the following Saturday I've
> invited some friends over to celebrate it, but I can't think of
> something to cook, which omnivores will enjoy too, especially since
> some of the people I've invited aren't too keen on vegetables.

Oh dear, that's a rather broad question. First you'll have to decide
whether you want a formal dinner with n-course meal, some sort of cold
buffet with snacks, a warm buffet with various choices, a barbecue or
something else completely. Do you want to prepare all the food or are
your guests expected to bring some? How good are your cooking skills,
and how many guests do you expect?

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 23:20:44 GMT, Dr Engelbert Buxbaum
> wrote:

>Oh dear, that's a rather broad question. First you'll have to decide
>whether you want a formal dinner with n-course meal, some sort of cold
>buffet with snacks, a warm buffet with various choices, a barbecue or
>something else completely. Do you want to prepare all the food or are
>your guests expected to bring some? How good are your cooking skills,
>and how many guests do you expect?

You're right: more information is needed for you to be able to help me
out.

I'll expect approximately 7 people and I'm going to cook, myself. I'm
not going to make it fancy with starters and all, and I don't expect
the guests to arrive at the same time, as it's common here to drop by
at an approximate time, and the host having either a cold buffet, or
something kept warm. I think that a cold buffet would be the best. As
far as my cooking skills go, I can follow a recipe and maybe improvise
a bit if there's something I can't find in the shops, but I can't make
anything *too* complicated or fancy. I live in Stockholm, so many
exotic food items aren't too hard to come by.

At first I though about a paella, which I have the recipe for and
which went down well with omnivores a couple of years ago, but those
were omnivores who like vegetables, so that's different, and it might
not be the best thing to keep warm.

Dessert will be chocolate cake, no discussion there. I don't know if
I'll bake or buy, but there will definitely be chocolate cake.
--
Nikitta. ICQ# 251532856
This .sig is temporary.
"She's a witch! Let's... offer her a cup of tea."
Ancipital (Sheddie)

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 23:20:44 GMT, Dr Engelbert Buxbaum
> wrote:

>Oh dear, that's a rather broad question. First you'll have to decide
>whether you want a formal dinner with n-course meal, some sort of cold
>buffet with snacks, a warm buffet with various choices, a barbecue or
>something else completely. Do you want to prepare all the food or are
>your guests expected to bring some? How good are your cooking skills,
>and how many guests do you expect?

You're right: more information is needed for you to be able to help me
out.

I'll expect approximately 7 people and I'm going to cook, myself. I'm
not going to make it fancy with starters and all, and I don't expect
the guests to arrive at the same time, as it's common here to drop by
at an approximate time, and the host having either a cold buffet, or
something kept warm. I think that a cold buffet would be the best. As
far as my cooking skills go, I can follow a recipe and maybe improvise
a bit if there's something I can't find in the shops, but I can't make
anything *too* complicated or fancy. I live in Stockholm, so many
exotic food items aren't too hard to come by.

At first I though about a paella, which I have the recipe for and
which went down well with omnivores a couple of years ago, but those
were omnivores who like vegetables, so that's different, and it might
not be the best thing to keep warm.

Dessert will be chocolate cake, no discussion there. I don't know if
I'll bake or buy, but there will definitely be chocolate cake.
--
Nikitta. ICQ# 251532856
This .sig is temporary.
"She's a witch! Let's... offer her a cup of tea."
Ancipital (Sheddie)

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 23:20:44 GMT, Dr Engelbert Buxbaum
> wrote:

>Oh dear, that's a rather broad question. First you'll have to decide
>whether you want a formal dinner with n-course meal, some sort of cold
>buffet with snacks, a warm buffet with various choices, a barbecue or
>something else completely. Do you want to prepare all the food or are
>your guests expected to bring some? How good are your cooking skills,
>and how many guests do you expect?

You're right: more information is needed for you to be able to help me
out.

I'll expect approximately 7 people and I'm going to cook, myself. I'm
not going to make it fancy with starters and all, and I don't expect
the guests to arrive at the same time, as it's common here to drop by
at an approximate time, and the host having either a cold buffet, or
something kept warm. I think that a cold buffet would be the best. As
far as my cooking skills go, I can follow a recipe and maybe improvise
a bit if there's something I can't find in the shops, but I can't make
anything *too* complicated or fancy. I live in Stockholm, so many
exotic food items aren't too hard to come by.

At first I though about a paella, which I have the recipe for and
which went down well with omnivores a couple of years ago, but those
were omnivores who like vegetables, so that's different, and it might
not be the best thing to keep warm.

Dessert will be chocolate cake, no discussion there. I don't know if
I'll bake or buy, but there will definitely be chocolate cake.
--
Nikitta. ICQ# 251532856
This .sig is temporary.
"She's a witch! Let's... offer her a cup of tea."
Ancipital (Sheddie)

The hit at parties - also for carnivores - is my quick and simple noodle
salad:

500 g noodles (every type except spaghetti or maccaroni because of the
length)
a 400 g tin of peas
a 400 g tin of tiny carrots
200 g mayonnaise
salt, pepper and vinegar to taste

Mix all ingredients well and enjoy!

What about a large plate with nicely decorated pieces of your special
Swedish crusty thin bread (or crackers)with vegetarian sandwich spread
and/or cheese (slices or cream cheese), decorated cornichons and other mixed
pickles, pieces of tomatoes, fresh cucumber slices, red peppers, raddish?

A large bowl of Greek salad: tomatoes, cucumbers, red or green peppers,
olives, onions, feta cubes, salt, pepper, olive oil (no or only a little bit
of vinegar or fresh lemon juice)

Arabic salad "Tabouleh": Bulgur (couscous), boiled in vegetable broth and
chilled, with tiny cubes of tomatoes, cucumbers, red/green peppers, onions,
finely chopped fresh peppermint leaves, salt, pepper, olive oil, fresh lemon
juice

Regina
--
It is the compassion with all creatures
that only makes humans really human. (Albert Schweitzer)
A day will come on which men will look upon an animal's murder
the same way they look today upon a man's murder. (Leonardo da Vinci)

The hit at parties - also for carnivores - is my quick and simple noodle
salad:

500 g noodles (every type except spaghetti or maccaroni because of the
length)
a 400 g tin of peas
a 400 g tin of tiny carrots
200 g mayonnaise
salt, pepper and vinegar to taste

Mix all ingredients well and enjoy!

What about a large plate with nicely decorated pieces of your special
Swedish crusty thin bread (or crackers)with vegetarian sandwich spread
and/or cheese (slices or cream cheese), decorated cornichons and other mixed
pickles, pieces of tomatoes, fresh cucumber slices, red peppers, raddish?

A large bowl of Greek salad: tomatoes, cucumbers, red or green peppers,
olives, onions, feta cubes, salt, pepper, olive oil (no or only a little bit
of vinegar or fresh lemon juice)

Arabic salad "Tabouleh": Bulgur (couscous), boiled in vegetable broth and
chilled, with tiny cubes of tomatoes, cucumbers, red/green peppers, onions,
finely chopped fresh peppermint leaves, salt, pepper, olive oil, fresh lemon
juice

Regina
--
It is the compassion with all creatures
that only makes humans really human. (Albert Schweitzer)
A day will come on which men will look upon an animal's murder
the same way they look today upon a man's murder. (Leonardo da Vinci)

Nikitta Riber wrote:


> I'll expect approximately 7 people and I'm going to cook, myself. I'm
> not going to make it fancy with starters and all, and I don't expect
> the guests to arrive at the same time, as it's common here to drop by
> at an approximate time, and the host having either a cold buffet, or
> something kept warm. I think that a cold buffet would be the best. As
> far as my cooking skills go, I can follow a recipe and maybe improvise
> a bit if there's something I can't find in the shops, but I can't make
> anything *too* complicated or fancy. I live in Stockholm, so many
> exotic food items aren't too hard to come by.

At my own party I found that garlic bread (with and without cheese
topping) is appreciated as starter. Can be prepared in advance and put
in the oven (or gas grill) as needed.

A good stew or minestrone (Italian vegetable soup) is nice for the
hearty appetite. This too can be prepared in advance and kept on a warm
plate the whole evening.

Then I would prepare a buffet with some salats (not leaf-salats, as they
wilt too fast), a selection of different breads and may be some
bite-sized foods like filled vegetables or mushrooms. "Hamburgers" can
be made from soy-bean proteins, you should be able to get ready-made
mixtures. Just spice well.

Also nice on a buffet are different sorts of cheese, decorated with
fruit (grapes are available now and quite ideal).

For 7 people, that should be plenty already.