I'm making dinner for a small group of laid back friends tonight. I can't call it a dinner party, because it's not like we're going to be using the cloth napkins. They'll munch on appetizers in the kitchen, while I mash the potatoes. On the menu:
Appetizers: Cheeses, olives, and baguette from Fairway. Chips and homemade salsa. Beer.
Homemade Salsa — 1 can of stewed tomatoes. Add chopped red onion, smashed garlic, salt, dash of white vinegar or splash of jalapeno juice, chopped jalapenos (we're using Steve's canned jalapenos), lots of fresh chopped cilantro, dash of cumin.
Main: Pork, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, salad, wine.
Mashed potatoes — It's all about the Kitchen Aide mixer.
Question of the Day — What's your dinner guest menu?
Apt. 11d 
My favorite easy appetizer – blue cheese crostini.
2 parts blue cheese to 1 part butter, spread on baguette, sprinkle w sugar, put on the broiler for a couple of minutes til slightly brown, take out top w pear slices, serve warm.
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The last time we had dinner guests it was impromptu, so I used what I had on hand and made The Pioneer Woman’s spaghetti with artichokes in tomato cream sauce. It was a big hit. I love her recipes because she uses “real” food. BTW, did you see her haiti give-away? She had over 25,000 comments when I looked this morning.
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Our last dinner party featured Chicken Tikka, Lemon Rice, Spicy green beans, Chickpeas with onions and cilantro and brownies brought by the guest.
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If you’ve got an appetizer that involves fresh cilantro and more than one vegetable, it’s a dinner party regardless of the napkins. Unless you are eating outside, which seems unlikely for January.
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Tonight we’re having salmon, rice pilaf, roasted broccoli and tofutti cutie sandwiches b/c my cousin can’t have dairy any more…
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Yeah, I saw PW’s giveaway. I meant to link to it. I have to check out her spaghetti w/artichokes. Sounds yum.
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Because of vegetarians in the family, we almost always have a hearty vegetarian soup (minestrone maybe, or veggie chili), some sort of cheese-and-bread thing, and meat on the side. And I always ask the guests to bring dessert.
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It varies greatly. I got a rib roast cheap over the holidays, so on Sunday I’m going to make roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, probably with sauteed carrots and balsamic onions. And roasted potatoes. Apple pie for dessert.
I seem to rely on pie a lot, but it’s easy and homey, and it’s also an easy way to impress people who aren’t good at pie crust.
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I bitched about this on Twitter, but I’ll do it again here. With all due respect to PW and what I am sure is her wholehearted and earnest support of raising money for Haiti, why do we have to go through all this performance of fundraising? Just f-ing give money. The. End. LJ/Fandom is also doing this fundraiser auction thing. JUST GIVE MONEY. I don’t need to get anything out of this whole experience. I don’t need cookies or fanvids or my name in lights. Just give money.
Can you tell I’m nervous about Lego Club today? I get way bitchier when I’m stressed about stuff. Earlier I wrote then deleted a long ranty comment to the Repubs’ blog in my town over their endorsement (duh) of Scott Brown.
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Now I feel bad about Friday being frozen pizza and frozen broccili night.
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Plov (Rice, lamb, carrots, onions, the right spices); khachapuri – cheese bread. A postSoviet feast.
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“Can you tell I’m nervous about Lego Club today? I get way bitchier when I’m stressed about stuff.”
Stay hydrated and smile a lot.
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Plov is also a favorite for guests at our place, too, Julie. I don’t think we’ve ever made Khachpuri for guests, but it’s great as well.
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We’ve been doing a lot of brunches lately – easier with our friends with kids. So I know it’s not a dinner guest menu but here’s our brunch guest menu.
Four flowers juice like at Sarabeth’s in NYC
homemade corned beef hash and poached eggs
pancakes & maple syrup
fruit salad
blueberry scones from the bakery
pails and pails of coffee
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I thought mashed potatoes get sticky/gluey if you use a mixer.
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Last night I had company over and served white chicken chili and Sam Adams Winter Lager. It was delicious. We munched on veggies & dip beforehand. BTW – you have to try The PIoneer Woman’s mashed potatoes – they are DIVINE!!! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/11/delicious_creamy_mashed_potatoes/
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That PW recipe does look really good; I’ll have to try it sometime.
We’re a mixer family and haven’t had problems with sticky/gluey. Not sure why. We boil up a bunch of potatoes and fork them into the mixer when they’re done. Mix up for a while. Then I nuke 2 cups of milk and a big hunk of butter and throw it in when the butter is melted and everything is hot. Salt and pepper.
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My wife usually makes dinner when we have guests, and I make the appetizer (if the dinner is fancy enough to have an appetizer) and dessert. This division of labor is in line with the general male principle of doing the high profile work that other people will exclaim over (i.e., dessert) while leaving the drudgery to women.
For dessert, I usually make pie. If we have a party in February, I will make cherry pie (for George Washington). Usually I make peach pie in the spring, blueberry in the summer, apple in the fall and pecan around Christmas.
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