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Dinner Party Catch Up – Two New Party Menus – Modern Australian and Seafood
Has it really been six months since we last spoke? But seriously, where does the time go?! One day, one day I’ll figure this whole writing thing out and do it on a consistent basis. It’s like every time I step away for a bit and then come back to it, I have to get back into the groove again, but then when I get there I stop writing again. So, here’s to trying to make it work, again.
Let’s talk dinner parties today and then maybe next week I can get back to writing recipes and actually post something for you to try? Writing recipes are quite the challenge for me considering I mostly cook out of my head. I play with ratios and ingredients to sort out the result I’m looking for. My problem, producing the same thing over and over again so that I can share with you how I get to my end result. Practice, practice, practice. Right?
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The French Dinner Party
Hi there! I thought I’d sneak in one more post before we say adieu to 2017. I don’t know about you but I’m ready to welcome 2018; fresh starts, new beginnings, and new challenges. I have some really great things on my plate at the moment and I plan on hitting the ground running. More on some of those in the coming months, but for now, lets talk about the final dinner party of 2017.
Last we spoke, I shared with you how I develop, organise, and execute my dinner parties so I won’t recap any of that. Instead, I’ll just dive right in.
I was REALLY excited about this menu. A fair bit of time was spent developing it and testing a few of the items. I wanted to make sure that it was well balanced and that each dish was well composed. I also spent quite a bit of time thinking about how each dish was going to be plated and what it would all look like. I really wanted to up my plating game. Spoiler alert: at the end of the night, I was so pleased with how it all went. What a great night!
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Dinner Parties: How To (or at least how I do….)
Now I’ll be totally up front and tell you, I don’t claim to be a complete professional when it comes to dinner parties. I mean I’m not Ina Garten with a florist and vendors on call, and an industrial kitchen. Nor do I have a gorgeous center piece floral arrangement that runs the full length of my 20 foot dining table. I’m just not that good. BUT, I will say my parties are well planned and well executed and I can tell you if I stressed out at any point about the food during the night, no one was any the wiser.
You see, to say I love throwing a dinner party is a gross understatement. I live for the parties we have and I don’t think I can tell you what I love more, planning them or executing them. The whole process is so much fun for me. So….. I thought I’d share with you my whole process and some of the menus that I’ve cooked.
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Pea and Avocado Crostini with Zucchini and Tomatoes
Even the biggest carnivores need some vegetables every now and then. Today is my day and I couldn’t be more excited about this recipe. It’s one of the best things I’ve made lately (and considering those lamb shanks that’s a pretty tall order!).
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Prawn and Chorizo Skewers
A couple weeks ago I was invited to a party at a good friend’s house. She asked me to arrive a bit early to help out, but truthfully, she had everything done when I got there so I think she was really just up for a bit of a chat. In any case, I dragged myself out of bed early and made an extra strong coffee to get all the limbs and the mind functioning. Off to the market I went. I wanted to make a dish to add to the spread but it would have to be something I could prepare at her house because I had nearly an hour on the train and didn’t want to be carrying a platter of food. Not to mention it would be bad by the time I got there. So I decided on something relatively simple; prawn and chorizo skewers. I knew the fish monger would be happy to put my prawns on ice for me and the chorizo would be fine as well so I wasn’t worried about a thing. I turned my music on, put in the earbuds and off I went!
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Beef Tenderloin Bites with Caramelized Onions
Serving beef tenderloin for a dinner party with friends is indeed luxurious. If you are like me, funding a beef tenderloin dinner is well, a little more expensive than the budget allows. These little beef tenderloin bites are the perfect solution! They are decadent and delicious, your guests will love them, they are totally doable on a budget and they are a cinch to put together. -
Christmas Recap and Prawn Cocktail
The holiday season was SO busy for us, but I’m guessing that statement is not unique to me. I hope you all have had a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I know I was so spoiled with not one, not two, but THREE Christmases! How does a girl get so lucky? I had one with my family in November in the US, one with just my better half in the middle of December in Perth and a third with his family on Christmas in Melbourne. It was a whirlwind of food and family and presents too! -
Fourth of July Series part 4 ~ Carolina Burger Sliders
Hello and welcome to the last installment of the Fourth of July recipe series. I started a few days back with a great Lynchburg Lemonade cocktail made with homemade sour mix for your celebration. I then threw in a mayo-free Bow Tie Pasta Salad with Basil Vinaigrette. Yesterday we talked about Oven Fried Chicken Sliders and today we round out the Fourth of July menu with Carolina Burger Sliders.
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Fourth of July Series part 3 ~ Oven Fried Chicken Sliders
Welcome back for part 3 of our Fourth of July series. Last time I shared with you Bow Tie Pasta Salad with Basil Vinaigrette. Today’s recipe is Oven Fried Chicken Sliders. I love this recipe. Truth is, I think I like them even more because they are a mini version of the full sized sandwich. I have a bit of a history with “mini” foods but I think that might be a story for another time…
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Shrimp and Pineapple Salsa Bites
Today I’m offering a double feature. We just talked about the House Special Margarita that I highly recommend you try!
Let’s switch over and talk about a little nibble you can have with your margarita. I’m calling these Shrimp and Pineapple Salsa Bites but you could also consider them individual shrimp nachos.
