Any suggestions, please?

[Daisy]

Next Tuesday our ex-neighbours (Mum, dad, two children aged 10 and 8) are coming for lunch. They're over from Australia for a flying visit. GD2 will also be here as usual and part of Tuesday morning will be taken up going to fetch her!

Normally, I'd do most of the preparation the day before and make it as easy as I could for Tuesday morning. I want to spend time with our friends, not be tied to the kitchen. But, on Monday we're going to London for the day. I'll take Eva to GS2's the evening before and pick her up again Monday evening whatever time we get back - probably around 10 pm. So really Monday is a write off.

What I need is super-easy suggestions for a cold lunch which I can prepare on Sunday and keep in the fridge, or freeze and defrost Tuesday morning. DS2 has given me a nice recipe for a frittata which can be served cold, but I'm not sure about preparing it so far ahead. My brain is going into a tail spin trying to come up with foolproof, easy ideas that won't give us all food poisoning! I'm assuming it will still be hot. OH doesn't want to do a barbecue.

All ideas are welcome, ladies!

[Sum1Ls]

1 Get three chicken breasts, egg and breadcrumb them. Fry in a little butter and oil. Store on interleaved greaseproof paper and cover with cling film. Serve with a green salad (from a bag) and crusty bread.
2 Poach salmon steaks. Flake into a big bowl with cherry tomatoes, tiny new potatoes, snipped French beans, cauliflower florets and baby sweet corn. Dress just before serving.

For pudding a huge huge bowl of strawberries and whipped cream and, if you want, a tiramisu. If you want my Italian friend’s recipe, I’ll post it.

[Sum1Ls]

Alternatively, a salmon and asparagus terrine. That keeps very well in the fridge for a few days but will freeze.

[Enfys]

What about quiches, served with salad, potato salad and crusty bread.

[Plantaholic]

I would be heading for M&S or Waitrose, they do some lovely food.

[Shemadee]

I was going to suggest quiches! Tasty and you only need to open the box. I usually get one with ham/bacon and a veggie option. Delicious with mixed salad and new potatoes especially if this hot weather continues.

[Daisy]

What lovely suggestions, ladies. Thank you all very much.

I think I'll have to have some choices - our friends' children are pretty cosmopolitan in what they'll eat, and GD2 is fairly flexible, but for example loves chicken but not salmon. I've just had a look at Mary Berry's Salmon and Asparagus Terrine recipe, and it sounds ideal, because I can safely do it on Sunday evening and leave it in the fridge.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01tgmlg

Sum1 - I can't think why I didn't consider strawberries for pudding (that's what happens when you panic), but if you have time to post it, I'd love your Italian friend's tiramisu recipe, because the friends are going on to Italy after here, so it would be rather good to present them with a genuine Italian dish.

Enfys - I hadn't thought about quiches because GD2 is gluten-free but I bet there are GF ones in Waitrose and/or M&S!

This morning I was really worried about what to do (I'm not the world's greatest cook!), but I'm now feeling inspired. Thank you so much.

Any other suggestions would be great, too and we can keep this as a running thread for quick tasty dishes.

[Nana]

I'm with Plant😎

[Daisy]

Nana - I'm with Plant too, but I'd like to produce something home made as well!

[Sum1Ls]

Tiramisu

Pkt sponge fingers
Strong black coffee
Rum
3 egg yolks (use the whites for meringues)
3 desertspoons sugar
Large pot of marscapone
Small pot of whipping cream
Cocoa powder to dust

Make some very strong black coffe (about a half to three quarters of a coffee cup full and allow to cool. Add rum to taste (the rum can be omitted, but it’s what really makes the pudding).
Soak the sponge fingers in the coffee rum mixture and arrange on the bottom of a square or rectangular dish. If you haven’t used all the liquid just pour it over the fingers in the bowl.
In a big bowl whip the egg yolks and sugar until light and creamy. Stir in the marscapone and then add the previously whipped cream.
Put this mixture on top of the sponge fingers and smooth.
Put about a teaspoon of cocoa powder in a small sieve and dust the top of the pudding. Chill in the fridge.

This will serve a large group. For a smaller group just halve the ingredients.

[Daisy]

Sum1 - that sounds absolutely delicious. I hadn't thought about the rum, though - probably not ideal for the children, and if I'm making it I want to get it right. But it's a recipe I'm going to put in my file for future use. Thank you so much.

But to get into the Italian mood, here's a little musical tour of Italy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoyzywqGXKw

[Gemini]

Lovely suggestions, how did lunch go Daisy?

[Daisy]

Gem - it went really well, thank you.

Ladies - thank you for all your suggestions - I was really panicking about what to do. In the end I made Sum1's suggestion of a terrine - Mary Berry's salmon and asparagus really is easy-peasy and delicious. It looks as though you've spent hours preparing it, but nothing could be further from the truth! Last week DS2 had made a delicious smoked mackerel and mushroom frittata which I sampled. This was also really simple and I had no trouble making it after I had picked up GD2, and I served it at room temperature. I also baked a small gammon (the label said it would feed 9 - ha! provided they had midget appetites). I prepared it Sunday evening and it was fine and sliced really well. I hard-boiled half a dozen eggs and served them halved and just decorated with parsley from the garden. A quick tomato and basil salad, a bowl of green salad, boiled new potatoes and strawberries with cream and ice cream for pudding.

It sounds a lot for 7 people, 3 of whom are too young to vote, but we're left with a few slices of gammon for a sandwich today!!!!

We had a wonderful time and it was great to see them. Sadly I can't see them coming back to the UK in the near future. I'll tell you why in my Journal later.