Gentlemen, I suggest once more the preeminent kitchen utensil the host has in his kitchen: the indomitable roman clay pot.
Not only does the food practically make itself, there is little risk of over-cooking and its all-in-one practicality makes it the ideal choice for a nerd-a-thon dinner.
In addition, there is an ample supply of recipes on the producer´s homepage:
http://www.roemertopf.de/english/rezepte_datenbank.php
(I should have been a salesman, I just convinced myself!)