What would you serve with a pastie (pasty to some) dinner?

[cheri222]

No vegatarians, but deal with the gluten and lactose free family. Some ideas I like to use.

Maple glazed winter squash or baby carrots
steamed fresh beans with almonds
marinated grilled veggies
twice baked potatoes
cranberry relish salad
haluski?sp cabbage and noodles
creamed peas and potatoes with baby onions

 

[bigmike&nan]

I'm really into pastys (or pasties). Too bad you have to walk on eggshells and not serve something too "like" what she is doing...
What you need for YOUR PARTY is stuff that is light, colorful and tasty to act as a foil to the pastys. Here's a couple of recipes really worth trying.
Just serve the stuff and don't worry so much about it looking "like" something she may have served some time. Geez

a really bright and colorful salad of sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, vidalia onions and red bell peppers with FRESH mint and a yummy asian dressing - it screams CHRISTMAS.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=409905

Also a very well executed Caesar's Salad is a real winner, with homemade croutons and some fresh grated parmesan on top it's the best:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=173514

This cold green bean salad has the color and crunch to stand up to anything:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=172943

This asian slaw was a dish one of the ladies in my congregation always brought to pot luck (vegetarian church) - we'd eat our share of it before it went out on the pot luck line, soooo good

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=164420


Of course a simple antipasto platter too would work great: slice salami, assorted olives, cut up celery, carrots and bell peppers and some chopped romaine all arranged artfully, drizzle with some bottle italian dressing. Viola
Over and over I was taught "your eyes tell you something tastes good before your mouth does" so artfully arrange whatever you serve.

 

[Hillsvale]

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I always make a gravy for the fellows but mango (or a fruit) chutney works really well for me... I make my own.

 

[Hillsvale]

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I read a veggie pasty at first... I almost

sacrelidge .... then I read again... whew.

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

Cherie222 Those are really good suggestions also! Thanks.

BigMike&Nan
Thanks for the suggestions, I have been leaning towards a nice Caesar salad, the cucumber sound good also!
I know that sounds really pathetic about my MIL, but in order to keep the peace I tend to try to avoid the who's was better than who's dishes (YES she is that BAD!) And it probably took her 6 months of begging better cooks to come up with her salad because she is NOT a good cook.

Oh Hillsvale I know my Grandma would think I was crazy for making some of them vegetarian based but I do because we have so many in his family and I understand how hard it is to eat special. I am having to make our allergic to wheat/dairy child special meals because my MIL insisted on cooking the main meals and she won't avoid those items because she honestly doesn't know how to cook any different nor does she care to learn

She hates that I am a pretty darn good cook even making most everything GF/DF.

And YES if your wondering I am never doing this with his family again, it usually takes 5 years apart to remember why we avoid getting together in the first place

I am praying for grace on this trip that doesn't involve a really big bottle!

 

[Majestic Lane Poultry]

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[Hillsvale]

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Sounds like it should include a really big bottle to be honest.

 

[Carolyn]

I can't belive no one said deviled eggs.
How about three bean salad, (easy to make ahead), harvest salad (chopped apples, grapes, nuts, celery and a light dressing that the poor hunters (oops, vegetaraians) can eat.) A Greek salad with marinated veggies would be good and easy.

re: MIL....I know just where you are coming from and it's not a good place to be. First Christmas I was married and the budget very tight I made both our fathers a from scratch scrumtious coconut cake (their favorite kind of cake). MIL had a mix coconut cake that would have ended up chicken treats at my house. Mine was not even served, cut or mentioned. She seemed to go out of her way to compete and sabotage every opportunity she could.
She is now my ex MIL and while divorce was a very hard thing, exing her was a tremendous blessing.

 

[cheri222]

So you also deal with the gluten and lactose free group. I feel for you, my mother is bad enough but I wouldn't wish that diet on a child. I have managed to make my mom 6 types of cookies this year that are tolerable. Good luck.

 

[Hound]

Won't a Caesar Salad cause problems for the vegetarians and those with dairy allergies?