What do your dinners look like? How many courses?

Do you start with appetizers? Do you have a pasta/rice dish before the meat/chicken/fish entree? How many sides do you have? Do you have dessert?


We used to always have a pasta/rice dish first, but with everyone watching their weight and health nowadays, now we usually just start with our meat entree with one or two veg sides, a salad... usually no bread... and fruit for dessert.

What about everyone else?

Hope my question makes sense lol...

Re: What do your dinners look like? How many courses?

At home, it is usually the main dish, a side like soup or rice, and a salad.

If I'm doing something fancy at home I'll serve an individual shrimp cocktail first as an app but that is rare!

We have chicken fajitas and I'll make mexican rice, and a fun salad.

We have baked ziti and I'll make an antipasta salad, and serve w/ garlic bread.

We have shrimp parm. pasta and I'll serve it with cheddar bay biscuits I make and a veggie like carrots.

Re: What do your dinners look like? How many courses?

OK, re-read.

Hmm, on holidays my husband's big Italian family will serve a pasta dish first -- but at dinners with lots of people or occasions. Regular basis? No, the food just gets served together.

Even on holidays, my family never really did this as we are not Italian and don't have pasta on every holiday - IE Thanksgiving.

Re: What do your dinners look like? How many courses?

dinner for me and DH?

Meat, veggie, starch and a salad. Occasionally biscuits.

dinner for a crowd? I add apps and desserts.

We be simple people.

Re:

Message edited 3/4/2010 4:19:37 PM.

Re: What do your dinners look like? How many courses?

It depends.....if we're having just a steak or a burger, I'll add a big salad and some vegetables. If we're having chicken fajitas, then we'll have just that (because I load them up with chicken & tomato/onion/cilantro & cheese)....

Re: What do your dinners look like? How many courses?

We don't do apps unless I have a dinner party or group coming by.

I usually choose a protein (meat, cheese, tofu) and build the meal around that.

I like to put colors in my meal so I actually consider what color the food is when planning! For example.. chicken, rice, and yellow squash with green salad is too bland colored. I'd probably swap the green salad out for a tomato or beet salad and replace the squash with asparagus. I can't have pizza or ziti without a green salad of some sort (lettuce, broccoli.. whatever).

I usually won't plan more than 1 starch.. but there are exceptions because I love bread and biscuits and we love Italian bread with pasta. I also will put out corn as a choice for tacos or Frybread sandwiches. Sometimes I put corn in my chili AND serve cornbread too.

Re: What do your dinners look like? How many courses?

Just 1 course... dinner. And there's usually a veggie and potato/rice/noodle thing happening too.

Nothing fancy in our house. No time for multiple courses since I get home kind of late, plus DH is a picky eater.

Message edited 7/2/2009 2:53:05 PM.

Re: What do your dinners look like? How many courses?

Usually I will make a pasta (or soup in the winter) first, then a meat w/veggie next....
a typical dinner for us in the summer ( we eat a bit lighter) would be whole wheat pasta with broccoli,
then grilled chicken, sweet potato and salad...( i will marinade the chicken in the same dressing i make for the salad)
dessert? only if we have company (which is a few nights a week) always coffee/espresso aft dinner.

Message edited 7/6/2009 11:39:37 AM.

Re: What do your dinners look like? How many courses?

for holidays?

we serve pasta in the kitchen, and then clean up those plates

and then the meat goes out with all the sides and gets cleaned up

then fruit and nuts go out and gets cleaned up

then coffee and dessert

and then if we are feeling fancy some champagne or fancy liquor

weekdays?
meat, rice or pasta, vegetable and sometimes biscuits LOL

Message edited 7/7/2009 7:26:20 AM.