Dinner party meals ideas that can be cooked earlier to free you up to chat?

[LoveKnowsNoBounds]

I've started having dinner parties and I am trying to come up with delicious dishes that present well but don't need you there cooking it while your guests are there. I'm having two large groups over (16-18 ppl) and we don't really like doing BBQs. What do you typically do? Thanks

[Miss K]

Cheesy Cob Loaf, Potato Bake, Maybe a pig/lamb on a spit??? Or if you have a bbq with a rotisary(sp?) thing put some roasts on that... all these things you can prepare early then grab them out of the oven like you can start with cheesy cob loaf and like cheeses and dips and salami etc as a starter to fill them whilst the roasts are cooking??? or even if you have a weber you can leave that cook all day slowly and then you have room to cook the vegies

And desserts Triffle,Pavlova, fruit platter, cheesecake

[allycat06]

mini chicken/beef pies or quiches made with puff pastry (make them in a cupcake tin)
just make them up and stick em in the oven when guests arrive and serve with a classy salad.

[Crystalwings]

Chicken ceaser salad

quiche that you have already made and can then put back in oven.

something in the slow cooker maybe.

lasagne

Pre preparing salads(potato etc) and then having a lovely stuffed whole fish ready to just put in the oven and serve.

HTH

[anney]

slow cooker stuff. (not really the right weather for it but could put something in the slow cooker and serve with salad).
Prepare ahead tomato based pasta sauce and cook pasta ahead and just heat sauce and pasta when ready to server.
Or the weber is my favorite. roast lamb that has marinated for 24 hours with bread and salads .

[grub17]

what about fried rice?

Cook some rice (we use brown) and let it cool. then cut up capsicum, mushies, chorizo and shallot (or whatever you like really) - pan fry them in a little oil seperately. zap some frozen peas and corn. then do scrabbled eggs with 3 to 4 eggs.

Throw all the veg/egg etc into the rice and use a fork to pull it through. Then pour over sweet soy sauce. All you need to do is heat it up in the oven. It can be made the day before easily and I put in heaps of vegies to cut back on the rice. It's pretty healthy and super yummy and filling ... and great cold too

[melhoneybee]

i would do lasagne, antipasto/mezze with a range of different things to nibble on, lots of different salads, warm bread or rolls, orange hoisin marinated drumsticks/wings, oven baked chicken parmagiana. All of those can be made ahead of time.

[shazzi]

I have fallen in love with the slowcooker since having DD and it would be great in that type of situation. You can put it on several hours before and do some side dishes like cold rice dishes or pasta salads. Or just rice in the rice cooker.

One of my favourite side dishes for gatherings is a pesto pasta salad as it is filling and tasty. Another i use often is a cous cous salad ( i throw in cherry tomatoes, parsley, mint, slivered almonds, pinenuts, fetta, etc). I do these often at bbq's a few hours before people come and put them in fridge.

You could also do arancini balls (sorry about spelling). Risotto (I make it the day before) and then shaped in a ball rolled in bread crumbs and deep fried. Serve cold (or hot) with a napoli or salsa.

I prepared the pesto salad and arancini balls at my wedding party which i self catered. Just fried up the balls in the morning.

Have fun.

[AnyDream]

I reckon lasagna is always a winner - do one meaty and one veggo one for a crowd.

I often do a soup or two and keep them hot in the slow cooker (when it's not being used for the mulled wine, that is ).