There’s lots of ideas upthread… but yeah, tangents and thread drift on something about picky family / friends / guests is really not surprising. Common trigger!
3 Likes
… and where we all have the leisure time to post on a food board, where #firstworldproblems such as these often are the topic of discussion.
Srsly.
2 Likes
What on earth was that? Not a British dish I’ve ever heard of, let alone tried.
2 Likes
OK, we have a decision at Casa Harters. And many thanks for all your ideas - I’ve enjoyed the thread drift more than I usually enjoy thread drifts.
To start - hors d’oeuvres (bought)
To follow - baked chicken breasts, given a rub of pimenton. New potatoes, boiled, slightly crushed and finished in the oven to crisp a bit. Salad. Yoghurt/dill sauce.
To finish - maybe cheese (maybe not). Cheesecake - the BiL’s favourite dessert (bought).
FWIW - my birthday is tomorrow (72). Mrs H has promised a three/four course meal for the two of us. Potted shrimps to start. Pork chops, spuds, veg. Cheese. Tiramisu (bought). Before that, we’re planning a trip to the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at nearby Salford which will probably not involve lunch eats - every time we’ve been, the queue for the cafe has been impossibly long.
25 Likes
Happy birthday, @Harters! Looks like you’ve made a solid choice on choosing what to serve at your gathering.
6 Likes
Happy Birthday Harters! 
4 Likes
Your ribbon is in the mail. 
2 Likes
Both meals sound wonderful. Enjoy them and your birthday 
3 Likes
Sounds like a great dinner plan that readily checks all of your boxes.
My MIL makes those boiled/crushed/crisped potatoes about once a month. Huge hit for everyone in the family. Near the end she drizzles them in a bit of melted butter and tops about half of them with finely shredded parmesan (some like the toasted parm, some prefer without).
If you’ve fair experience with brining breasts, it’s one way to add flavor and help moisture retention. If not, of course don’t experiment for the upcoming dinner. Just a thought.
Happy birthday to you and BIL, too.
4 Likes
A very Happy Birthday John and have a lovely visit to the garden tomorrow!
Happy birthday John, your menu and program sound perfect!
Cooking for diverse preferences can be a creative challenge that yielded a result that all will enjoy this time.
Happy birthday and bon appetite!
1 Like
Happy Birthday! 
Have a smashing birthday, John!
First of all, being widowed I very much wish that I had still had family to cook for. That said, this being the middle of summer it seems to me as though you could hardly go wrong with grilled chicken with coleslaw and potato salad.
2 Likes
Happy Birthday, John!
For some reason, the Pioneer Woman (American Food Network person) calls those Crash Hot Potatoes. I’ve made and liked them, and I think my husband would be happy to eat them every day.
Have a wonderful birthday. Thanks for letting us help you with your menu!
3 Likes
Happy Birthday, John. Thanks for sharing your birthday with us by presenting us this interesting challenge.
Was kind of thinking along the same lines as maybe provide almost a buffet line type of experience, with one or two protein options and then a few optional add-ons or sides. Someone suggested tacos, which is a neat idea if you can easily find decent ingredients for that - some grilled chicken, roasted or grilled veggies, and folks can add what they want, and leave off what they can’t eat. If not tacos, then maybe a pasta base?
There are a few picky eaters in my family too, but usually we will pitch in to make something that someone else can eat. Otherwise, it’s a logistics nightmare too. They know though that my tolerance level is low for being picky and none of this pickiness is for health reasons, so they try not to push me over the edge. 
1 Like
Thank you. Any complaints? please write them down on a sticky note and deposit in circular file.
3 Likes
