New Mom Having Dinner Guests

[laytonj1]

I am having some friends over for dinner and to see my two-week old baby girl (In addition, I have two boys ages 5 and 3.) I was going to go the easy route and do pizza, salad and wine, but one of the wives does not eat cheese. Does anyone have any easy dinner suggestions for a group of 6 adults and 6 kids under the age of 6? Thanks for your suggestions!!

[cncnorman]

I would make a big batch of baked ziti, cooking extra pasta for the youngsters to have Alfredo. Add a salad & French bread. Have fun!

[jw615]

What about pasta instead of pizza? Cook a big batch of pasta and then one or two sauces. Easy, quick, cheap, and little kids generally like pasta. You could still do the salad and wine, and throw some garlic bread in the oven if you felt like it.

[LindaWhit]

Do you have access to a grill (charcoal or gas)? A big green salad and some grilled chicken/beef kebobs might be the way to go. You can jazz up the marinades for the adults and keep the chicken/beef plain for the kids.

[laytonj1]

I like this idea. I can even purchase the pre-marinated/assembled kebabs from Whole Foods and pick up some fruit and pasta salad to go along with it. Thanks so much:)

[janeh]

Congratulations on the arrival of your daughter! Stick with your menu, you are gracious to have people over at all! My husband doesn't eat dairy, so I often make pizza without cheese and have actually come to prefer it that way. Just top it as you would otherwise and bake. If you're ordering pizza, you can order a small pie or half of a large without cheese.

[earthygoat]

I completely agree with janeh in you being a VERY gracious host. I have a 4 week old and a toddler and have been enjoying all of the food guests are offering to bring over. I'd feel guilty expecting a brand new mother to host a dinner so early. What about hosting a potluck? You could still provide some food/drinks, and others could bring what they want.