Help! My in-laws will be visiting this weekend (UGH!) and of course are arriving at lunchtime BUT my MIL insists that I cannot be making any food during their visit. She is super annoying about this - they came for Christmas Eve lunch with my parents and stopped by a restaurant right down the street from us to get food just before arriving. Some extended family will be visiting too and we also will have to eat so it's not an option to not serve something despite the annoying MIL.
We will not be home the day before their visit so I need something easy to prepare in the morning that I can just pop in the oven or serve cold when they arrive. I am a vegetarian and will not cook meat (but DH might be open to helping with some sort of meat option).
When we visit MIL & FIL they go out of the way to ensure I can't eat anything. Like they will make pasta and dump meat sauce over all of it. MIL clearly does not approve of me being a vegetarian and likes to make snide comments about it so I really don't mind if we only have vegetarian food. She also has a very mild allergy to pine nuts so I am tempted to serve something covered in pesto - kidding, kind of.
Please give me some ideas!
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This looks super easy to make and yummy: http://www.skinnytaste.com/spaghetti-squash-enchilada-bowls/
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Wait.... I'm confused. Why does she insist that you can not cook during their visit? That is a very weird thing to insist on.
I would make a hearty pasta salad with lots of cheese and veggies. Make it first thing in the morning and let it chill in the fridge until it's time to serve.
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It sounds like a good cold pasta salad and maybe a cheese tray with olives or grapes would be perfect.
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She won't let you make food in your own home? I don't get it.
I'd do something like a plate with hummus, veggies, and pita, or else maybe grab a pre-made veggie quiche at the grocery store that you can quickly heat up.
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What about a veggie quiche and a salad? You could make/freeze it ahead of their visit.
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@MrsKoala: Those look so yummy! I will have to see if the store still has spaghetti squash!
@Truth Bombs: I am guessing because she doesn't want to help! She has been to our house a couple times when I was trying to get dinner ready and was so annoyed so now she just says they will get something before they come - even if they are coming for a meal.
I was thinking pasta salad, which is a meal for us but I thought maybe normal people would want something more! -
@catlady: @rattles: mmm I love quiche but DH hates it. Maybe I could do that with the pasta salad and regular salad.
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Is it warm/Spring where you are? If so, I would do cold things for lunch. You can make a big pasta salad (rotini pasta, cherry tomatoes, cubed mozzarella or provolone cheese, marinated artichokes, sliced olives, some Italian dressing and big handfuls of grated Parmesan tossed together). You can easily make it friendly for meat eaters by serving an Italian meat platter on the side that you can pick up at the store - the kind with salami, mortadella, proscuitto, etc. Then I'd have a big fruit salad and maybe a cake for dessert.
If you really want to be lazy, you can do the whole thing at Costco! They sell an Italian meat platter in the cold cut aisle, they usually have some kind of pasta or quinoa salad in the prepared food case, good desserts, bowls of pre-made fruit salad in the produce section, and if you need more food than that, grab a veggie/dip tray.
Serve some sparkling cider or sparkling lemonade on the side.
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@skipra: could you do pasta salad and pick up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store?
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And I don't really know why I'm not allowed to make anything while they are here. I had to frost LO1's birthday cake one year because it was too hot to do it before and then they arrived 2 hours early before LO2's birthday party and she was pissed that I was preparing food rather than visiting with them. Everyone else seems happy with my cooking so I don't think it's just that the food is disgusting!
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What about some kind of potato and cheese pot pie?
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@skipra: bummer! I just froze a quiche this morning for my MIL's visit next week. What about enchiladas? I did a tray of spinach and mushroom ones last time we had a big group for lunch. I made the enchiladas the night before (and then just popped them in the oven that morning) and made a corn/black bean/avocado/tomato salad to have on the side before they arrived.
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@skipra: She sounds really special. Bless you.
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I would offer a cold but hearty pasta salad, maybe a regular salad, and a tray of sandwiches. Not a lot of cooking and everything can be prepared in the morning (I'd get your husband to lay out the meat for sandwiches) and just be pulled out when they arrive.
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You can also do soup, salad, and bread. Maybe a pot of minestrone, a Caesar salad, and some chewy bread? Round it out with storebought dessert.
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So many good ideas, thanks! These are much better than the lasagna that I was thinking - that just seems so heavy for a spring lunch.
I will definitely run some of these by DH. A meat and cheese platter from the store sounds like it will help with whatever else I can easily make in the morning.
Thank you all for the great ideas! -
Bless. It is incomprehensible that she insists you not cook then picks up (or makes) something you cannot eat. That's ridiculous. My SIL is a vegan, which truthfully my parents totally don't understand or get, but they go out of their way to always make sure she has options. And she is also great about bringing something with her that is vegan friendly for all to share. That's what family SHOULD do! In your case, I would definitely serve a meat-free option. Your house, your choice. Pasta salad sounds awesome. Even my meat-loving husband would be on board, so surely they would be too.
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Not sure if there's one nearby, but Whole Foods has an excellent curry "chicken" (vegetarian) salad. Could always grab that for yourself and a traditional chicken or tuna salad for the others. Slice up some focaccia bread and everyone can build their own sandwiches. A bowl of clementines on the table, and some raw veggies and hummus. Lace the napkins with pesto.
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I would do a quick stir fry that doesnt need much work, you can even get stir fry packs from the store with evertyhing pre cut and serve over egg noodles or rice noodles if you dont eat eggs
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@skipra: When I first read what you wrote, I assumed that she doesn't want you preparing food so that you're not "troubling" yourself for her. I guess I may have been too generous in my thinking?! So sorry, I totally get you on the frustrating in-law situation and the rules that are set out, even in one's own home! Sigh...
My go-to, make ahead meal, even for lunch, is an egg strata. Not sure if you eat eggs, though? This is my favorite and is easy to prep the night before, then just stick in the oven the next morning. Serve with a big green salad. http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/12/spinach-and-cheese-strata/
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What about some tapas-style stuff that you could pick up from the store? Tabbouleh, hummus and pita chips, olives, cheese, pre-cut veggie/ fruit tray. Bam. Vegetarian AND you have to make nothing.
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@mrsjd: Ha she has never brought food over. She just complains about me taking too long and not entertaining her. So for Christmas Eve lunch that we host they grabbed sandwiches (just for them) right down the street from us. Prior to that, they showed up 2 hours early to LO2's birthday party while DH, my mom and I were still preparing for it and rather than offering to help us, she sat down outside and asked me to bring her a plate of food. When we go to their house we usually plan to visit outside mealtimes! And even still they will offer food to DH only when I'm in the bathroom or something.
Sorry for the vent! DH's family makes me ragey in general. But as it turns out they will be arriving late morning and we are doing some work on the house that will need a lot of last minute cleaning so DH will not be able to help me with the food prep. Vegetarian it is! Haha.
Thank you all again for the great ideas. I'll try to remember to update after the fact
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@skipra: You're a saint. I would die if my MIL behaved like that. I get that they aren't vegetarian and maybe want to grab something else, but then they should offer to get you something (vegetarian friendly) too. It's not that hard in 2016. And it's common courtesy! My in-laws aggravate me in some ways (silly annoying things) but they're truly sweethearts.
Hope it goes smoothly!
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@skipra: That is just ridiculous. I'm sorry they are like that.
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And they are gone! The visit was fine- there were other relatives there that are actually really great so it was much better than expected!
I ended up making some veggie wraps. (This recipe if anyone is interested http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-mediterranean-chickpea-and-feta-wraps-228384?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+apartmenttherapy%2Fthekitchn+%28TK+Channel%3A+Main%29) and they were pretty yummy. MIL said NOTHING about any of the food so I'm sure it was not up to her standards but everyone else was complimentary. I also made pasta salad and just picked up some guacamole and chips and dessert from the store this morning. It was such a crazy week I didn't have a second to think about it until 7 this morning.
Thanks again for all the suggestions and moral support! -
@skipra: mm yum. Those looks really good! And your mil is insane.
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