Dinner for MIL

how about steaks on the grill - that way hubby does the heavy lifting. You can make corn on the cob, a green salad, baked potatos, and a desert - maybe cheesecake or strawberry shortcake.

Here is my most favorite recipe. If you love Cafe Rio or Costa vida you'll love this. It's so easy to make you'll impress everyone.

Café Rio sweet pork
2- 2 ½ pork roast
1 can diced green chillies
1 can red enchilada sauce (rosarita brand)
1 can coke
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 clove of garlic
Cook roast with garlic and little bit of water for 6-8 hrs low. Remove roast and shred it. Dump everything out of slow cooker. Put pork back in and everything else. Cook for 1 hr more.

Lime Rice
1 cup uncooked rice
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp lime juice
1 can chicken broth
1 cup water
2 gloves garlic
Additional : 1 tsp lime juice
2 tsp sugar
Mix all and put in rice cooker. After rice cooked ad 1 tsp lime, 2 tsp sugar
(I'd double this recipe to make enough for everyone)

Creamy dressing (to make grand burritos)
16 oz la victora salsa verde (green)
1 pkg dry butter milk dressing
½ sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp minced garlic
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste.) I make mine with half the pepper and it's plenty spicy.
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp lime juice
½ tsp cumin
½ cup sugar
Mix all in blender

1 cups Cheese for on top

If you haven't been to either restaurant this is what you do with it. Let everyone make their own to their liking. layer the sweet pork (with lots of the juice), the rice, and the dressing. Roll it up like a burrito and sprinkle cheese over it. The bigger and more juicy the better. You'll have to eat it with a fork, but it's so yummy. Serve it with chips and salsa. Hope you like it. It's fabulous.

Go to Costco and get a tenderloin steak (will run you about $75 but so worth it.) Sprinkle salt/pepper and thyme on it. Then brown in olive oil. Then put in a 350 oven for about 45 minutes or so depending on your preference.

Do a scalloped or baked potato and french green beans (you can get those at Costco too.) Boil the beans for a couple minutes then drain and saute in olive oil garlic and sprinkle with salt.

Buy a box of mixed greens and slice up some strawberries/red onions and add some gorgonzola. Dress with a balsamic viniagarette. Add some rolls.

This is my easy go-to fancy dinner for people who deserve good steak!

Lasagna is usually pretty easy to make and everyone usually likes it. You could serve it with bread and a nice salad. Allrecipes.com has several good recipes. Make her favorite cake for dessert, I'm not a very good baker and always just stick to Betty Crocker cake mixes or something like that, they always come out moist and delicious.

A nice roast in the crock pot (if she likes roast) is an easy meal that doesn't require a lot of expertise on your part. It makes the house smell heavenly, and by cooking in the crock pot, you are almost guaranteed a tender, tasty roast. It also frees you up to cook sides or rolls in the oven. I'm sure whatever you do, she'll appreciate the kindness of the gesture. Good luck!

Hey, I used to live in Edmonds, WA - it is truly one of the most beautiful towns in the world....:)

Since your so close to the source, I would recommend some fresh grilled seafood if it's not raining, or broiling it if it is. Sprinkle any fish with lemon pepper, squeeze fresh lemon over all and dot with butter. Broil for 10-15 minutes, depending upon thickness.

Serve with fresh rolls/biscuits, and her favorite steamed veggies and salad.

What is her favorite meal?

There are many things you could make that are easy. Like Spagetti is always a favorite. Easy too, and it feeds a lot. Make it with garlic bread, olives, and salad. Yum!

Or you could make a turkey, I know its not november, but its always yummy! And you dont have to make all the fixings if you dont want to.

I just bought a small ham from the store, it feeds a lot and comes with a nice glaze. I am making that for my hubby tonight, I am going to put brown sugar on it so it carmalizes, and have a salad, with some bread dipped in olive oil and butter with parsley flakes. Easy!

Have fun!

Costco has a great (frozen) lasagna that will feed lots of people. Serve it with a side salad, veggie, maybe cottage cheese and peaches as well as bread. Yum!

Here is something so yummy and easy. Serve with a salad or asparagas or broccoli and bread....it is a hit.

http://www.classico.com/recipe/ham-and-cheese-cannelloni-...

Everyone I have made this for or have given the recipe love it. Just make sure the ham you use is a smoked ham versus a honey or sweet ham.

Good luck!

It's getting nice out so I'm feeling the urge to break out the grill!! Assuming you have a grill, I would suggest getting some chicken breasts, marinating them for a hour or so in something yummy and grilling them. That with a nice big salad that's maybe a little different (feta, pine nuts, tomatoes, red bell pepper and vinaigrette) with scalloped potatoes (and the kind that come in a box always turn out great for me!) and you should be all set.

Just yesterday I found out that at most Safeway's, if you buy your meat there, ask the deli person what kind of marinates or rubs they have and they'll give you a bunch for free!! We tried the mandarin chicken marinate and it was wonderful - and they gave me the equivalent of 2 bottles worth!

are you trying to do light and healthy? or do you want to center the meal around chicken, or fish, or beef? pasta? A pasta primavera might be nice (pasta with lightly steamed seasonal vegetables).

That's easy - find out what her favorite dinner is, but hopefully it won't be too complicated to cook. If it is complicated, like rack of lamb or something, ask what her 2nd favorite dinner is! How nice of you to want to do this for her. She must be a great MIL to you for you to want to do this! You are very lucky (and so is she to have a DIL who is doing this for her)!

I saw this too late. How did it go?