February Dinner Party! Oooh la-la!

Our theme for this month's dinner party was French Food.

Not surprisingly, these Chocolate Dipped Oreos were a hit (even if they aren't really French! Oreos au Chocalat anyone?)

 

Always my favorite. Thank you Justin!

  

Justin's Coq au Vin. Delicious!

 

My favorite go-to dish:  Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette.

Cathy and Dave brought chocolate truffles for dessert.  (I didn't get a good picture so this is a picture from an earlier dinner party when she first made them!)

I didn't get a good picture of Dave's Beef Bourguignon either. And in our haste to devour Justin's chocolate dessert masterpiece, we forgot to take a picture. Hopefully he'll blog about it at his new blog Technically Gourmet. (While you're waiting for that recipe, check out his recipe for Chocolate Sabayon. Yum!) I also made an Apple and Hazelnut Clafoutis (which definitely paled in comparison to the other delicious, chocolate desserts) and which was definitely *not* photogenic. Unfortunately I didn't like as much as I liked this Blueberry-Pineapple Clafoutis that I'd blogged about earlier.

Next month's dinner party will be at our house and I'm responsible for coming up with the theme. During the past year we've done Mardis Gras, Camping Out, Tailgating, Italian, Mexican Fiesta!. I'd love to come up with a new, fun idea but I'm stuck! Any good suggestions for a March party which also lends itself to some good vegetarian options -- since it is my party after all! ;-)

December Dinner Party!

I put together a cheese board for our most recent dinner party and it was definitely my young nephew's favorite. He has quite the gourmet palette for a 2 year old. I guess that comes from having a foodie for a dad. Don't even think about offering him a slice of cheese pizza. This boy prefers the works. Bland, boring food? Never. He needs flavor!

A cheese board is a great addition to any party, or even to a romantic night at home. Select a few cheeses, add some fruit or some Kalamata olives, a great wine and there you go! While cheer and mozzarella can be great, this is a great opportunity to expand your horizons and try something new. Here are a few that I've tried recently:



Dylan's Favorite! Did you think it was going to be mild cheddar? No way! His favorite was the Black Peppercorn Gouda.







The Dill Havarti was a favorite.







The Cahill's Porter, an Irish cheese made with Porter Ale, looked amazing and tasted great.








Brie is always a good choice.

Mardi Gras!

Luckily our turn to host the monthly dinner party fell on the weekend before Mardi Gras. Certainly made all the planning simple. Zydeco on the stereo. Cajun on the table. And plenty of beads and masks to go around.

I fixed my Sausage and Chicken Gumbo, more mild than I usually make it. We like things spicy, but I served it with plenty of hot sauce so everyone could jazz it up to their own tastes. Everyone brought a Cajun dish to share and good times were definitely had by all. :-)

C and D brought some beautiful steamed crawdads.


J made the most amazing Shrimp Creole. Perfectly spiced and wonderful for lunch the next day.


Best of all - J's Chocolate Torte with Peanut Butter Sauce. Yum!