Recipe(tried): Lunch ideas for Leigh Ann

Hi Leigh Ann - I came up with a zillion ideas for you while taking my bath today (why are all great ideas "born" in the bathroom?! LOL!) Sorry this is so long .

I agree with you that a boring deli platter isn't ideal for a holiday meal. Here are some ideas that you can put together, and your guests can eat as lightly or heavily as they want. Most of the dishes can be made ahead of time (and often can be supplemented with purchased items if you don't have time to cook everything yourself) and many can even sit out for extended periods of time because they are basically meant to be served at room temperature. You can see that I've paired both hot and cold dishes in most of the menus - it's winter, after all! Use mugs or bowls for the soups. Here are some menu ideas:

Minestrone soup; a beautiful, big antipasto platter (Italian meats, cheeses, roasted peppers, assorted olives, marinated artichokes, etc.) with sliced Italian bread; a green salad; and a not-too-sweet Italian-style cake with fruit for dessert.

If you have a fondue pot, make a cheese fondue surrounded with cooked small pink potatoes, cauliflower, and broccoli, sliced Keilbasa, along with French bread; serve with a fresh salad (like spinach with oranges, red onion and black olives, or my new favorite of greens, fresh fennel, olives, and shaved parmesan with a lemon and olive oil dressing or a fruit salad); and a pear and/or apple tart or cake with whipped cream.

Leek and potato soup (my favorite soup); pat (can be purchased) with dark bread, mustard and little pickles; two types of quiche (one veggie like spinach or asparagus and one with meat like ham or bacon, made the morning of and using purchased pie crusts); a green salad; and a trifle for dessert.

Soup (leek and potato would work well here, too, as would a butternut squash soup); salad nicoise served on a huge platter (a mound of chunks of tuna surrounded by piles of thinly sliced green peppers and red onion rings, pink potatoes, lightly cooked green beans, black and green olives, quartered hardcooked eggs, cherry tomatoes, artichokes, etc.) served with a bowl of fresh greens; French bread; and an easy cherry clafouti (cherries in a gratin dish topped with an eggy batter, and baked) served with ice cream.

Soup (spiced lentil, or Greek avgolemono, which is an easy, fresh but rich lemon, egg and rice soup); a favorite luncheon salad of mine passed on to me by my best friend's mother - chicken (or turkey), green beans, red grapes and sliced almonds presented on a big platter and served with the most luscious curry and lemon mayonnaise dressing in a sauceboat on the side (I once found a guest licking the sauce off her finished plate in the kitchen!); warm rolls, or grissini (those long, thin, crunchy breadsticks) wrapped in slices of proscuitto; and pineapple upside down cake or cheesecake.

An old-fashioned onion soup gratin e us always a favorite and can be assembled and baked at the last minute in a large, deep casserole or tureen or individual oven-proof bowls. Again, a salad is ideal as an accompaniment, especially one that includes meat (like a spinach and bacon) since there is no meat in the soup. The pear and/or apple tart or cake with whipped cream would also be perfect with this meal.

How about a hearty stew? Maybe boeuf bourguignon (simply simmered in red wine and stock, with carrots and mushrooms added) served with noodles or rice, or an Irish style beef stew (I have a fabulous recipe for one with Guinness added to the simmering meat and topped for serving with dumplings flavored with a little horseradish). A green salad to start, hearty rolls to accompany the stew, and an old-fashioned apple pie would make a substantial but still casual meal. (Alternative "stews": chicken and shrimp jambalaya, coq au vin, Brunswick stew, cioppino -fish stew in a tomatoey broth, chili, paella, cassoulet, etc.).

If it must be "sandwiches," you could make a creative meal that is much more interesting than the deli tray, too. For instance:

Do an English style "tea" - though you can't do the whole thing way ahead of time, you can have the assorted sandwich fillings ready to go and finish the sandwiches a couple of hours ahead as long as you wrap really well so the bread doesn't dry out. Assorted sandwiches and sweets, plus a variety of tea, would be fun. See Karen's post of a link on the International Board today ("Hi Bea re: Sussex regional recipes "), and do a search on TKL for the many additional sandwich fillings posted over the years. Some people (men and me!) find it difficult to make a substantial meal on the typical afternoon tea, so try and include some heavier/toasted sandwiches or more substantial offerings if you have some big eaters in your crew.

Make a big Muffuletta-style sandwich that you cut in wedges for each serving: a big round loaf of bread is hollowed out a bit, and layers of meats and cheeses, plus roasted red peppers are piled on, with an olive salad at the top and bottom. The whole thing is wrapped up and refrigerated overnight to allow it all to blend together, then wedges cut for serving. It is ideal for a party (or tailgate!). Start with a cup of gumbo or oyster stew, and serve simple salads like cole slaw, potato salad, and a banana bread pudding with rum sauce for dessert, to carry on the New Orleans theme.

Marinated flank steak and chicken breasts can be turned into fajitas in the broiler (or even better, on the grill) and you can do a make-your-own fajita buffet. Broil some peppers and onions, too, and set out the salsa, guacamole, sour cream, fresh cilantro and wedges of lime with the flour tortillas. Make either refried or whole barbecue-style pinto beans, and perhaps cole slaw (I've posted a poblano dressing on the TKL site before that is so good and ideal for this menu). Pineapple upside down cake or banana bread pudding would also be good with this menu.

Make hot roast beef sandwiches: Marinate an eye-of-round overnight and roast (or buy the best quality available at the deli). Saut onions until they are very mellow and caramelized. Saut sliced mushrooms in butter and season well with salt and pepper. Slice some very good cheddar and blue cheeses. Get some horseradish sauce (or make your own) and some good mustard. Thinly slice some outstanding dill pickles. Lightly toast some great plain egg or onion rolls. To assemble: slice the roast beef very thinly and pile on the bottom of the rolls. Allow the guests to choose their toppings of onions and/or mushrooms and pickles, then top with their choice of cheese. Run under the broiler until hot and bubbly. Guests can choose the horseradish sauce or mustard for the top of the bun. Accompany with salads of your choice and maybe that apple pie.

Sorry I've run on so long! Hope some of these ideas help you out. Search here on this site for recipes, or please let me know and I'll be happy to post any recipe you would like!

Happy Holidays!