Chol HaMoad lunch???

poemmom

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 1:22 pm

B"H I am having lots of non-observant relatives for lunch in the sukkah on chol ha moad Sunday. What should I serve thats easy? I am dreading another fancy meal after all the yontifs and Shabbos. Also the kids never eat the nice food anyway. I just want to make it fun for everyone but I feel a lot of pressure because its their big sukkah experience. Confused

poemmom

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 1:37 pm

You tell me! Smile

But my real oven is meat, and I only have a little convection oven for dairy so I don't think something like lasagna would work. And did I mention that half the people are very little kids who are picky eaters. The adults are a bit picky too... Rolling Eyes

Raisin

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 1:38 pm

do a dairy meal as a change - make a nice warming soup, pizza, lasagna, pasta (penne a la vodka is easy, a little fancy, and kids and adults love it) or maybe quiche. or whatever you like.

you can make the soup, quiche, lasagna, and pizza in advance to reduce work.

Tamiri

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 2:08 pm

Do you have dairy pots? Make cream of something soup. Otherwise onion soup with cheese melted on top, a light onion soup. After the soup, people will feel nice and warm and full
Bagels
Butter
Cream Cheese
Lox (if you can afford it)
Tuna
Egg salad
Sliced cheese
Big vegetable salad
Cut up veggie sticks for the kids
Fruit Platter
Coffee/Tea/Danish

Another option is a parve chili. Yum if the weather is cold. You can cook it even now, freeze, then reheat on the day of.

Shoin, a nice breakfast/brunch/lunch. If you consider all the cooking you will have to do if you are in chul: 2 days chag, Shabbat.... are you really going to want to do actual cooking for Sunday?

flowerpower

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 2:08 pm

You can get all kind of rolls, bagels... and put in a nice basket in the middle of the table. You can make two easy yummy salads like crouton and one more, then put some good drinks and ice coffee for adults, put out some spreads along with tuna salad, egg salad, avacodo, cheese... very fulling and a variety. You can warm up some cheese blintzes in your little oven too if you want. No need to kill yourself.

elf123

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 2:09 pm

Depends on how small your convection oven is...about a year ago, I bought a toaster oven that could fit a 9 x 13 pan (at least an aluminum foil one, sometimes have to "bend" it a bit), and I really use it as my milchigs oven...granted, it would probably take a long time if I had to cook a lot of lasagnas, quiches etc., but for a few things, especially stuff you could make in advance and freeze (which I would do with most of that type of stuff) it could probably work for you...penne a la vodka, by the way, you don't need to bake, it is a stovetop recipe...also, barring what I just said, could you not self-clean/kasher your fleishigs oven for the occasion? But even if not, and if your convection oven won't fit a foil pan, I would seriously consider investing in a slightly larger one like mine, there are several companies that make them, and they are not expensive and totally worth having even for weekday milchigs cooking...
By the way, I just thought of some other milchigs family-friendly stuff you can make: Tuna casserole, blintze loaf/souffle....Good luck!

poemmom

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 2:21 pm

What is the Penne ala vodka recipe?

Elf-- no self-clean on oven, so I only kasher it for pesach. Need it meat for the yontif days anyway.
Blinze souflle sounds good if easy -- I made it once with frozen blinzes. But I'm afraid to serve non-homemade to MIL... embarrassed

poemmom

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 2:27 pm

Tamiri, I love your brunch idea. I think I might do that, even though it will a bit too late in the day to call it brunch! I really want to avoid serious cooking, but am embarassed about obviously not cooking. Confused

Also I think soup will be hard to bring in and serve to so many people in the sukkah.

Tamiri

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 2:30 pm

I had exactly the same scenario, a group of non observant relatives who wanted to sit in the sukka. I did not have koach to do too much. I bought a couple of quiches (shhhhhhh), did not serve soup (this is Israel, it's usually too hot for soup in the daytime in the sukka), served bagels and what I wrote... they were thrilled. No one cares if you slaved or not, the point is that everyone enjoys your hospitality in the sukka. I probably bought the dessert as well that time. Easy shmeazy.

Seraph

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 2:41 pm

if u eat fish and dairy together, I have a recipe thats easy and yummy.
cook package of noodles, add 2 small containers of sour cream (israeli sized, I dunno what size yours are there), add a few slices of cheese, 1 or 2 cans of tuna, some soup mix (onion or chicken soup is best), salt, pepper, and a can of corn. voila. no bake tuna casserole.

chanagital

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 3:17 pm

I admit it I would go for the easiest solution... I order pizza from the closet kosher pizza market and enjoy the rest of the party. Between pizza, sodas and desserts that would do it.

ShakleeMom

Sun, Oct 05 2008, 6:47 pm

How about finger foods and a big baked ziti on a burner thing so everyone can serve themselves… have a basket of mini rolls and a huge salad bowl. I would not make a serving-type meal.

poemmom

Sun, Oct 19 2008, 2:26 pm

The lunch is today, & I'm so glad I went w/ CookieLady's deli hero idea & didn't cook -- b/c half an hour after they were supposed to come, half the people cancelled, and the other half said they would be 2hrs late!