I think I'm going crazy!

[juliaw04]

In a moment of insanity, I suggested that we have my parents and my BF's parents come up and visit us for Father's Day! I'm excited to have our parents together and to see our house. Both of us are very proud of what we've done to it and neither of our parents have been here for over a year. HOWEVER, I have NO IDEA what I'm going to cook them for lunch and supper or what we're going to do if we run out of things to talk about! I'm from a pretty laid back family and meals are no big thing for us but the BF's side is a different story. His mother cooks a full meal for EVERY meal no matter what else she has going on that day. At my house, you make yourself a sandwich if you're hungry! I thought hot dogs or brats on the grill, beans, chips and beer sounded good enough for my family, but BF thinks I need to make something a little better at least for one meal. Please give me some ideas, any recipes are appreciated! I love to bake, but I am not good at cooking nice meals!

[cindy0721]

how about enchiladas rice beans pot salad etc?
or some brisket, chicken in the oven ?

[Patti]

Maybe some steaks on the grill and au gratin potatoes and a salad, of course I am not much help as I rarely cook. Order chinese? Try not to stress and enjoy the visit.

[Betty'sMom]

Maybe some kind of pasta or Fettucine Alfredo with a nice salad and good bread? If you make red sauce, go to Sam's and buy a bag of frozen meatball and throw them in!

[cindy0721]

how about a ham in the oven with traditional sides?

[erickajm]

When in doubt...go out! Go out for a late lunch that way everyone will be stuffed and won't want a big dinner...instead just have something light available along with some desserts (bakery) and coffee.

[sallen15]

I think cook-out food is a good idea. Hamburgers, chicken, hotdogs, brats, mets...you know something along those lines. And then make some basic BBQ side items, coleslaw, baked beans, pasta salad, corn on the cob. I would try to make the sides ahead of time and then all you have to do is bake the beans, cook the meet and corn. That could be for lunch if they usually eat larger lunches than dinner. Or that could be dinner.

For lunch, you could go out to eat. Or you could make lasagna or something. I would definitely try to make a dish that can be thrown together before hand and then just baked. That way it's not too stressful.

I don't know that's just a suggestion. As far as worrying about things to talk about, why don't you get a couple of games out to play. Like a card game or a board game that can be played in teams or something.

Good Luck.

[izzierj]

Simple: Get an all-ready cooked chicken (or 2), cut it up, serve
can of beans
frozen green beans or make it different and serve brussel sprouts
Cut up unpeeled potatoes (incl. sweet pot) put in zip-lock w/dry
onion soup and oil-shake-put on cookie sheet in oven 350 degrees
30-45 min (ck for fork-tender)
Desert: Frozen cream puffs and strawberries (all this from walmart)


This is a no-hassle and 'comfort food' meal....
And you'll be out of the kitchen in no time and time to enjoy your family and don't worry about the conversation, other people can start a conversation too and parents are very experienced at that ...! I have 4 grown children and words just come out....Your family....

[juliaw04]

Thank you so much for all your suggestions! I really am leaning towards something we can grill. His mom just needs to accept it now that I'm not one to slave away in the kitchen all day! I'm thinking I might do hamburgers, baked beans, corn on the cob, maybe pick up a watermelon or something.

On a side note, we'll have something to do in the afternoon now if we run out of things to talk about. We had an F4 tornado hit our town last night, so there is lots of damage to drive around to show the parents.