Some of my best recipes

As a single, hard-working, young(ish), extroverted, social and gregarious male, I often like to invite my friends over for dinner. Since my place is extremely small (see my post on the layout of my apartment, though that has since changed because I just got rid of a tv, an entertainment center and my stereo), often I am only able to have one or maximum two people over for dinner. Nevertheless, I am proud of what I could achieve with my very limited budget.

Anyhow, on to the substance of my apparently fluffy post (and yes I know that Gore and the IPCC won the Nobel Prize 2007, I have a post in the works to discuss that, and it's a serious one, so please hold off until I have finished baking said post). I have managed to create a series of 'trademark Raul dishes' that I can prepare and basically wow everyone who comes over for dinner. So I thought I'd share some of the recent meals I have prepared. Now, you will notice that I haven't actually posted MY recipes, but I haven't managed to type my recipes, so that's why.

Anyhow, here they are:

Option # 1 - Dinner for AF - This was a fairly recent one, and I followed my Mom's style:

• Starter: Chicken broth with green onion
• Main course: Mole con Pollo (chicken mole), arroz rojo (red rice)
• Dessert: Marshmallow cheesecake
  

For this dinner, my Mom pre-made the mole paste and packaged it and brought it with her when she came to visit me this past summer. My Mole con Pollo is pretty good but pales in comparison to hers. My Mom is a really good cook. The marshmallow cheesecake recipe I obtained from CB but have modified it throughout the years.

Option # 2 - Dinner for SF - This was earlier in the year, and I am glad I invited her over for dinner before she moved to Montreal.

• Starter: Green salad (lettuce, tomatoes and a balsamic vinaigrette)
  
• Main course: Chicken breast marinated in herbs and garlic, wild rice as a side dish
• Dessert: Macedonia de frutas (fruit cocktail) - I have never understood why they call this dessert Macedonia, but it's basically fruit cocktail.

Option # 3 - Dinner for ML - This was over the summer, and it's basically my most acclaimed dish. ML is usually my 'test human' - she tries my recipes and if I don't suck, then it's all good.

• Starter: Green salad
• Main course: Chicken curry (red) with potatoes and mushrooms and onions with basmati rice - The idea of adding potatoes and mushrooms is originally mine.
  
• Dessert: Banana bread pudding (banana bread heated up and then ice cream on top) - I learned how to do this dessert from Burgoo (the restaurant up in Point Grey)

I make a really good pasta 'a la Puttanesca' that I have made for several of my friends, but I have still yet to create a menu for that. This is what I think would work (idea borrowed from my birthday dinner at Water Street Cafe) and would be Option # 4:

• Starter: French onion soup - Quite obviously I don't do cheese, so I'll have to modify the recipe.
  
• Main course: Capellini a la Puttanesca - Some people do other types of pasta, and quite frankly I do more rottini than capellini but oh well.
  
• Dessert: Chocolate/marble pie -- No clue how I'm going to do this.

So, the idea of my post is to ask you dear readers for options/suggestions for meals that are:

• Not very time consuming
• Easy to prepare
• Can be cooked in large or small portions
• Are fairly inexpensive but showy
• And, most importantly - the kind of meal you can prepare for a good friend.