What's the menu if no guests?

Gold Member Joined: Mar 30 2008 Posts: 1440

What do you make for the shabbos meals if it's just you, dh and the kids for the meal?

I have friends who just have challa & chicken soup friday night if it's just them, and other friends who just have deli sandwiches for lunch if they don't have guests.

What do you do?

We try to have at least one "family" dish on shabbes.
The rest is simple, but not THAT simple Wink

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Posted: Sat, Feb 26 2011, 5:50 pm Post subject:

Fri night we have fish, salads and dips, soup and simple dessert. Shabbos day the same, but sometimes cholent instead of soup (and sometimes I leave the soup on).

Silver Member Joined: Jan 29 2005 Posts: 598

Same as a regular shabbos. My dh is more important then guests. Ok maybe less salads, he doesnt eat them anyhow!

same as if we dont have guests. I make more of whatever we usually eat, jsut myself, husband and daughter, but its the same stuff.
I dont think one has to go crazy for guests and start making all kinds of extras and fancy things. my family is more important than guests (as another poster said) so I make things every shabbat (and sometimes my husband is the one making the food) that we all like.

just one course, my dh loves that.

friday night: (We ALWAYS have guests though) challa, dips, chicken or meat, sides, dessert.

lunch (we often do not have guests) either gefilta fish or cold cuts and salads and dips.

Platinum Member Joined: Jan 01 2006 Posts: 48223

hardly a good question. I eat alone by day - the question is what do I eat ?

a couple and kids is already worth cooking for.

Almost identical menu as when we do have guests. When my kids see me preparing for shabbat they always ask if we're having guests this week. When the answer is no, they are mildly surprised that I am going all out just for us. In my mind, its still shabbat whether I have outsiders or not and its important to show that to my family...

pretty similar.

differences: more homemade and store bought dips, a nice(r) chicken or meat, plus an extra kugel and dessert. At day I would also add a cold cut salad and challah because we eat Matza usually the day meal.

Executive Member Joined: Dec 14 2008 Posts: 486

I serve the same menu if I have company or not. Maybe I would add an extra side dish or nicer dessert but otherwise my family deserves just as good as any outsiders.

Executive Member Joined: Dec 29 2009 Posts: 379

I serve much less when there are no guests because my family eats very little and most of the food I make for company does not get eaten by my family.

Friday night - challa, soup, meat, a small kugel or veggie side and salad. If we have guests I would also serve fish or a different appetizer, an additional kugel, chicken, and dessert.

Shabbos day - challa, liver, flieshig soup (from crockpot), salad, and sometimes a kugel but often not. If I have guests I add fish or a different appetizer, chicken or meat, 1-2 kugels, an additional salad, and dessert.

Posted: Sat, Feb 26 2011, 11:57 pm Post subject:

I make less for the two of us just because we dont eat! also y spend money on food if no one will eat it?
friday night is fish, soup or chicken, and potatoes. we always eat potatoes Smile

shabbes day is always fish and chulent.

I make more when we guests just bc I need more food....

We skip the main dish plate (main, side, veggie) and dessert for Friday night.

We skip the dessert for Shabbos day, and usually save the cholent for after our afternoon nap. Embarassed

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Really Awesome Mom!

Night is homemade challah, homemade dips, soup, one pan chicken/potato/ frozen veggies, one dessert for both night and day (half a recipe as the rest goes in the freezer for another Shabbat.) If I feel like it, I'll make a pan of roasted veggies or ratatoiulle.

Day is cholent (in the Winter) and fresh toss salad, with leftover dips and dessert. In the summer, we have chicken and rice or deli on top of salad.

S.S. is tuna salad, hard boiled eggs and leftover salads/dips with challah.

When I have guests, I really cook a LOT more as I don't make much of what I do serve normally and it really is very simple. I end up making quiches and extra salads and maybe a fish course. We also use double the challah if there's guests.

Pretty much the same as with guests, minus the dessert. Rarely, if I've had a very hectic week, I'll make a one-pot "soufflont" (short for soup, fleish, cholent Wink

).
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"...the eternal Jewish wealth is when we ... bring into the world children and descendants who keep Torah and Mitzvos." (Hayom Yom)

No guests: challah and salads, fish and soup. maybe dessert but I won't necessarily make it, I'll just buy ice cream or something or take something out of the freezer. In the day I won't have chulent, just fried fish, salads and cold cuts.
If we have guests, I'll make main course at night and chulent in the day. We just wouldn't eat it normally.
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DS1--born Dec. 10, 2009 (Erev Chanukah)
DS2--born Sept. 5, 2011 (6 Elul)

Posted: Sun, Feb 27 2011, 7:25 am Post subject:

No guests, I can throw a whole chicken (or cut chicken pieces) in a casserole with some carrots & potatoes and that will feed us for both meals. I have to make a bit more of an effort for guests simply because I need more food.
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Shai Michael: 8 Cheshvan 5768
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Gold Member Joined: Oct 20 2010 Posts: 1710

I try to make nicer things when I do not have guest since there is less people so easier to make individual things. Though when I have extra special guest (a great aunt from.........etc) then I will make 2 mains, and an extra salad.

Executive Member Joined: Jan 13 2011 Posts: 307

I make the same foods b/c in my rational: ITs a) Still Shabbos and b) DH is a king, and Iw ant a king to feel like a king..guests or not. Also, my DH is the type of guy that walks down the street on Shabbos and makes sure everyone has a place to eat. He the last person to leave shul also.

BUT if there arent guests, I make for my kids a pan of baked ziti and make a hefsekt on the table...my kids arent big into the fleish scene. And everyone has a fantastic meal together.

Silver Member Joined: Jun 21 2010 Posts: 848

When I cook for us I make less choices because there's only 3 of us eating and I know what we like and how much we need and I don't want to make more than that and have to throw things away. When I have company I feel that I need options in case they don't like one of the dishes, it's not a matter of impressing company and not impressing dh it's just knwoing what dh likes and not knowing what company likes. When it's just us the Friday meal is Fish, chicken soup with matzo balls, salad, chicken and one kugel (sometimes I'll make a 2nd side dish if I want something extra). Shabbos lunch is Fish, salad, chulent and the same kugel.