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When my folks are in town I make my husband cook. I'm too stressed out!

when my folks are in town, i make them take me out to all the fancy restaurants i can't afford!
and when i'm home, my mother won't let me cook, because she doesn't believe that i can (even though i trained as a chef!)
mothers!

please let us know how those baby cakes come out. i freaking LOVE her chocolate cloud cake. I can not make it without my guests devouring the whole darned thing and it is the most requested dish at my table.

when my parents are in town i usually try to cook something i have discovered on my own, as most of the good stuff i make i got from my dad. next time my parents come i am going to make them penne with goat cheese and arrugula and my new fav, tofu and avocado salad...... not at the same time though... bad pairing.

Ann,
My mom doesn't want me to cook either! Maybe it's a mom territory thing. Ithaca has so many great restaurants, and I'd love to take them to one, but they refuse to eat anything any more exotic than Italian (not that Italian isn't great), but I wish I could get them to try something new. They consider Mexican food too exotic. Once I suggested a good Thai restaurant, and my dad looked at me like I had two heads! I have to be satified cooking for friends and my husband.

When my in-laws were in town last summer the top favorites all around were:
Dinners: Coq au Vin from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles cookbook, a Pork Tenderloin/Spinach Salad with Warm Shallot Dressing from a "The Best of Fine Cooking" magazine called Cooking Fresh (which has SO many great recipes - I love this issue), Pesto from Marcella Hazan's recipe, and Tiramisu (with extra brandy) from the Gourmet magazine recipe. Breakfast hits were bagels from NYC Bagel Deli (my favorite bagels in Chicago - the most like NY in my opinion) or my husbands fabulous homemade crepes...Lunch was usually out and on the run. Its fun to have more people to shop and cook for-usually its just my husband, son and myself around the table.
Enjoy the visit with your folks!

the last time i cooked for my parents was in September when i visited them in Vegas: cassoulet with a chocolate-espresso spongecake with espresso cream (jellyroll style) on one night, carnitas and apricot-peach galettes with walnut paste the next.

Usually I cook some Irish Comfort food.

You just reminded me how much I used to love Nigella's show.

ann, i feel your pain. when i cook at my mom's house she's anxious. she says things like "are you sure you have the oven high enough?" " you're sure you don't need any help?" "did you check on your food? i smell it." it's hilarious to see her keep herself from running into the kitchen.