what would you make for dinner...

if you were having the hottiest fox on the planet over...

give me ideas, guys... nothing too complicated. i kinda suck at cooking...

nothing with a high likelyhood of gunk-in-teeth (corn on the cob, spinach, etc)

Crab cakes, this crazy delicious Orzo I make, some kinda salad, Chardonnay.

Make the orzo ahead of time (it's easy) and the crab cakes. Fry up the cakes when your fox arrives. Hand them wine when they enter your place.

I can give you recipes, too.

Hot dogs and Macaroni n cheese.

Soup: Minestrone - you can buy it at the store. I recommend Progresso. Prep time: You're just heating the soup, so you can do this as the lasagna bakes.

Salad: Caesar - you can buy the mixture at the store. Prep time: Pouring it into a bowl and adding the dressing.

Meal: Lasagna and garlic-cheese bread.

Lasagna is really easy if you follow the instructions. It just takes a while to prepare. You can find the recipe on the back of a Mueller's lasagna box, or I can email my recipe. You'll need ground beef, lasagna noodles, tomato sauce (you can use spaghetti sauce), sliced mozzarella cheese, oregano, basil, salt and pepper, and garlic. Time (including mixing everything and baking): Hour and a half to two hours. Most of that is oven time, not prep.

Garlic-cheese bread can be found in the freezer area if you don't want to make it yourself. They have all types of varieties.

If you're going to do it yourself, buy a loaf of French bread and slice it in half lengthwise. Put aluminum foil on a baking pan and spritz with some olive oil. Put the bread, crust down, onto the foil. On the exposed side of the bread, spread some butter, garlic to taste, and then a mixture of parmesan, romano, and asiago cheese. If you're me, add garlic on top of that. I'm kind of like Emeril's bastard daughter when it comes to garlic and cheese. Anyway, bake it at 350 for... hmm... I never time things. Go with 20 minutes and check to make sure the bread is light-golden-brown and the cheese is melted all the way through.

Dessert: Buy a plain, "New York style" cheesecake. (New York style is the really thick, rich cheesecake you get at fancier restaurants). You won't need toppings. No prep involved. Just put it on a dish.

It's not the most healthy meal, but you'll be full, and cheesecake is one of the most sensual desserts outside of strawberries dipped in chocolate.

Total meal cost: About $20, depending on sales and quality of ingredients. Total time: Under two hours.

[Edited on Aug 17, 2004 by Sorcha]

holy cow, sorcha... switch the lasagne (lack of patience and i'd be comparing it to my dad's lasagne the whole time) with spaghetti and i'm sold. and i don't think i can afford cheesecake which is lame cause i love cheesecake... i'll probably just buy some icecream...

but i'm so making garlic bread... i love garlic a lot too...

Hahaha. Okay.

hot fudge sunday.....all over your body...that is a sure winner...

oh! and i have some squash from my grandparents garden which may or may not be still good... i'll have grilled squash on the side... sweet...

i wonder if i could actually make spaghetti sauce from scratch...

Homemade spaghetti sauce isn't too hard. You just get all mucked up from slicing tomatoes.

An alternative to spaghetti is chicken alfredo. You can buy the Pasta-Roni fettucini alfredo (really cheap and really yummy) and then bake some chicken tenders to cut up and throw into it. It would cost less than $5 for everything.

Mmm... garlic bread...

Grilled squash would be a great side dish. Veggies are good.

[Edited on Aug 17, 2004 by Sorcha]

don't forget loads of alcohol.

yeah that's his responsibility. i'm not old enough to buy the stuff...

sorcha: chicken alfredo sounds good... can you email me a recipe sort of thing for that?

all this thread has done is make me wish i was dating sorcha and make me notice that cheetos and a tootsie roll were a crappy dinner and i'm still hungry.

chinese takeout

Macaroni and cheese and steak. Gotta love that George Foreman!

Oh. This is easy.

Drive to store.
Buy a box of chicken tenders (freezer section) and a box of Pasta-Roni Fettucini Alfredo (near the mac & cheese).
Cook Pasta-Roni according to instructions (you need milk, butter, and water).
Cook the chicken tenders on a baking sheet for as long as the box specifies (usually 10-13 minutes at 400 degrees).
When everything is finished, you have two options:

Date option: Keep the tenders and pasta separate and let him mix them if he wishes.
Sorcha Being a option: Cut the tenders into bite-sized pieces and mix them into the pasta. Let the pasta sit for a couple of minutes so the sauce thickens. Dump everything onto a plate or eat straight from the pot.

That's the easy version. I could tell you how to make the real stuff from real ingredients, but it's a lot more expensive.

[Edited on Aug 17, 2004 by Sorcha]

this site still manages to surprise me on a daily basis. awesome.

If you both eat meat...you really can't go wrong with any variation of grilled chicken, a pasta dish and some vegetables.

You can also go with a little ethnic flair. One of my favorite dishes to make, and it's not too complicated, is black beans & rice, adobo chicken breast and a side of cornbread. Top that off with a little sangria or some margaritas and you've got yourself a nice dinner.

Mmmmm... I like this idea. It's a good summer meal.

frozen lasagna.

oh i am so keeping that in mind for next time. hopefully eventually i'll have a little more in the way of funds to work with... mmm...

It's actually fairly inexpensive....but if you'd like the recipe I'd be happy to email it to you.

that'd be great! thanks!

and thanks sorcha!