In a few weeks, I'm going to a dinner party that is all seafood; specifically, an oyster party. I'm tasked with bringing dessert - and I just cannot decide what to make! Any good ideas out there on what would be a good ending to an all-seafood dinner? I'm thinking something light and lemony ... but can be persuaded otherwise!

Two things:
(1) I had an epiphany this week. I bought whole oats from my local co-op (not rolled or steel cut, but the whole grain) and made it just like oatmeal. 1 C of oats to 3 C of water, 2 t of cinnamon, 2 t of brown sugar. I let it bubble away for about an hour. And the result? The result was a thing of beauty. It still has a bit of the nutty crunch that makes steel cut oats so delicious, but it had a slightly different texture. I think I may start making this on a regular basis. (Why oh why is oatmeal, in all of its forms, so good?!)

(2) I'm hosting an election party next Tuesday. I want to prepare something for dinner that is a bit healthy (am trying to watch what I eat, etc). BUT, I also want it to be something that I can make ahead of time and either slow cook it or let it set for a while. In addition, I don't want it to be anything very heavy. This is not a sit-down dinner I'm planning. I want this to be a food you can nibble on, eat in front of the TV while engrossed with election returns. So thoughts of possible foods? (I'm leaning towards having a taco night. I can prep most of it (especially the toppings) early and can make chicken fajitas in the slow cooker.)

I would like to see ideas for iterative meals. Something like

Roast Chicken
Chicken Croquet's
Chicken Noodle Soup

I'm looking for something to provide about 3 meals, a little variety, and good use of a an ingredient.

I'm attempting a 100-mile T-giving and have hit two stumbling blocks. My husband is getting sad that we are going to have to let go of cranberries and sweet potatoes this year because they don't grow near the Boulder/Denver area.

I have frozen some local peaches to make a chutney as a last resort for the cranberries. However I recently found a farmer that had a large crop of gooseberries this year. He has some bags left in his freezer and says I just need to pick them up. Do you have any gooseberry suggestions? I have never worked with them.

I am looking for a way to transform some tubers for the sweet potatoes. Generally I do them in a spicy chili rub, bake them, and top with creme frache. However this year I have a winter CSA share I plan to use and the veggies I get won't be sweet. Do you have any suggestions for the best way to sweeten a rub on them to mimic the sweetness of the sweet potato as well as have the spicy chili? Can you recommend any combinations of fruit juice, spice and natural sweeteners? There will be baked squash with maple syrup on the table but the consistency is different than that of root veggies.

More ideas for hand pies -- the savory kind!

Plus long-term storage for them (a reminder of how to reheat frozen ones in the microwave would be great -- I'm going to be making a lot of mushroom turnovers and caponata calzones tonight).

@kmarie,

Perhaps you could track down some of these:

http://www.cwnp.org/photopgs/vdoc/viedule.html

And maybe you could find some nurseries that grow these:

http://www.fowlersnursery.com/_ccLib/image/plants/DETA-304.jpg

I know, it's a little ambitious. But it's not impossible!

kmarie,

You could always sweeten the rub with brown sugar, or maybe try a glaze with some thick sweet soy like kecap manis, or make your own balsamic vinegar glaze.

Or maybe change up the rub a bit with some fall spices, a little nutmeg, and clove with the brown sugar, or even chinese five spice? Here's a link to some greens I made with those spices--they tasted great and really made the house smell of fall!

http://anolivetreegrows.blogspot.com/2008/10/get-your-green-on.html

help!

I need easy, non-pasta based recipes to teach my fiance to cook for himself on nights that I have to work late. Any ideas?

is there any dish that could be cook with pale ale? brown ale is usually the choice for cooking, but since i have a lot of pale ale left that needs to be used (or drank), I wonder if I can use pale ale the same way I use brown ale in like BBQ sauce or chili (best time for a nice pot of chili). Help!

flutter...
my hubby's fave dish to make is brown rice with pan girlled peppers, onions, and turkey sausage seasoned with some hot pepper flakes, fennel, salt and pepper. do the onions and sausage at the same time, add some oil so all that coats the rice when they are mixed together.

actually my guy is pretty intimidated in the kitchen. I have purchased a variety of cookbooks for him but the most useful has been "how to eat super" by lynn roseeto casper along with the podcasts she put out by the same name. there is very basic information on eggs, pesto, etc. my guy has an extremely analytical mind and the podcasts have helped the most.

thanks art.

actually I know some nearby university adjuncts experimented with ligonberry in the region and it worked well in this climate. however, no one has picked up the torch to grow it commercially either.

I'd also like to see ideas on what to make for an election night party. Thematic ideas for both political parties and candidates would be awesome.

Oh yes! Election night menu(s) coming up soon...

reggiesoang, they already spotlighted your question here.

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/good-questions/good-question-what-can-i-cook-with-pale-ale-068165