I hosted Gourmet Dinner Night at my house last night. As you know, when it is at my house, it is simply called "dinner night." I can't guarantee gourmet but I can guarantee a dinner of some sort. I have darling friends...see photo above. Lisa wasn't there yet and Liz couldn't come but there are nine of us in the group.
Since it is October, I decided to do soup, salad and bread sticks, since that seems like Halloween food to me. I have to admit, I am not wild about this soup and that should have been my first red flag in making it. But I pressed on. The soup was not good. It was Pasta Fagioli's from Olive Garden and it just did not turn out right. This always seems to happen to me on at least one item...unfortunately for my guests, last night it was the main course...
At least the table looked cute. I borrowed the candelabra from my mom (who has the world's cutest decorations and tableware.)
I put out the bubbly cauldron which is just a mist maker put into water that you can actually buy at Harmon's. It is one of the best Halloween purchases I have ever made.
We started with a Halloween punch (that I pulled from a Country Living magazine at Harmon's the night before). It kind of tasted like a apple cider with a kick. I liked it but it was nothing to write home about. I threw some plastic spiders in for good measure.
When I got home from Harmon's (our local grocery store) with the ingredients, I pulled out the Martinelli's and they had put it in its own brown bag...like I had just been to the liquor store and was going to be swigging it from the bottle in a park next to my shopping cart full of everything I own.
We had bruschetta from Harmon's (I love that place!)
and apples and caramel dip to start:
Then had a knock-off of the house salad at Smokey Mountain Pizza. My family loves this salad and we always eat it with pizza and Italian food.
I also served garlic Parmesan bread twists that I got from the cookbook "When Life Gives you Friends" that Ashley recently gave away on her blog. The bread twists were yummy and I will make those again. Here they are pre-cooked and before they had risen:
My piece de resistance was a made from scratch peach pie with ice cream...I got the pie crust recipe from my sis-in-law Sarah. She got it from a Lion House cookbook. I love that you can mix it in a Kitchen Aid Mixer. Most pie crusts require a pie cutter and they take forever but not this one.
I am totally relieved that it is over. I love this group of friends so much and love doing this every month because it forces us to get together but just don't love when it is my turn to host. Cooking stresses me out. With this group, the conversation is always a bit racy and I laugh really hard. We have been through a lot and I am so glad these girls are in my life.
Recipes:
I am sparing you from the soup.
Parmesan Garlic Bread Twists:
2 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 t. garlic salt
Parmesan cheese
Thaw bread dough in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from frige 2 hours before you want to serve hot. Roll each loaf into 12x20" rectangle. Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl and add garlic salt. Cut dough into 1 inch strips (the short way). Dip each breadstick in buter and lay on large cookie sheet. Take two strips and twist together. Arrange on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan cheese. Let rise for one hour. Backe at 400 degrees 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.
Smoky Mountain Salad
lettuce (any kind will do)
mushrooms (sliced)
olives (sliced)
tomatoes (diced)
feta cheese
Buy dressing at Smokey Mountain Pizza and Pasta--the one in SLC is on 9400 South and Highland Dr.
Pie Crust (makes two crusts)
1/4 c butter
1/4 c margarine
1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup lard (I don't go anywhere near lard...I just do 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortning)
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp nonfat dried milk (I never have this and it's fine)
3 cups flour
1/2 cup cold water
In mixer cream together fats and sugar, baking powder, salt and dried milk. Add half of flour and mix well. Add water and remaining flour. Mix. Roll thin. Put bottom crust in plate. Put peach filling in and put top crust on. Back at 400 for 30 minutes. Cover in foil after about 15 minutes.
Peach Pie filling
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
dash salt
about 7 ripe peaches
Apple Cider punch
1 gallon apple cider
1/2 gallon white grape fruit juioe chilled
1 bottle sparkling apple cider chilled
8 oz orange juice
apple slices to float
sonic ice
15 comments:
Another memorable night Brooke! I've been thinking about it all day. Literally. Yummy food, and good, real conversation. Thanks for having us over. Oh, and Jane just saw the pictures and said, "Hey that's the house from your friend that gave us the rice crispy treats." She totally recognized it. :) And yes, it looked darling!
I've found that, rather than drink a brown paper bagged bottle of Martinelli's in the park next to a shopping cart, it's much more satisfying to down a fifth of Martinelli's in a van down by the river along with some high quality government cheese.
--Matt Foley
What a night! I, too, have been thinking about it all day. Put the soup recipe on here for heaven's sake!! It was delicious. for reals. ♥ ya!
The best part of this is that you don't go anywhere near lard.
Gourmet dinner night sounds like a lot of fun (when it is someone else's turn). If we every move to Utah (which my husband asserts will happen in maybe 5 years), I might have to insert myself into your gourmet club. Not even for the food--I want in on the funny conversation!
Can I tell you a recipe that I think I must preach to the world? It is the Southern Living Skillet Pie. It is the easiest thing ever, and I use store bought pie dough. Seriously, 5 minutes of labor. I thought it would be gross bc it was too easy, but it was awesome. You should try it. I made it with peaches, but the official recipe calls for apples. World: google it and make it. You will be glad.
Your decorations are great! I love that salad at Smokey Mountain. I was hoping you had the recipe! You guys are good to host dinners. We just go out!
I love that you didn't include the recipe for the soup! You are so funny! I can't wait to try the breadsticks and pie recipes!...and I wish I was sipping Martinelli's out of a brown paper bag right now, even though it's only 8am! Ha!
Your decorations are always really cute! The dinner looked delish, and you were nice to give me any of the credit on that pie crust. The Lion House deserves all the credit.
I wouldn't even know where to buy lard if I had to.
I'm jealous of the witch cauldron, you showed it to me a couple of years ago and have wanted one since. I may have you pick me up one the next time you are running into Harmon's.
Your pie looks beautiful!! Glad it all turned out well (inspite of the soup!)
I thought it tasted yummy. I loved the food and the decorations were to die for. Your house always looks so cute. Thanks for such a great evening. I love our dinner group.
I am thinking I want to steal your gourmet dinner night idea. How fun would that be? I stole your creamed corn recipe, and that's always been a hit. Ergo, your ideas are amazing, and always translate well in my life.
That soup sounds crappy, and I'm glad you admitted it. Nothing worse than someone pretending something was something it wasn't when we all know the truth. That was long-winded.
That pie looks amazing. As does the bread. Too bad both would kill me if I ate them.
Love the decorations and the spooky effects. I wish you lived here!
I love it when you have these Gourmet Dinner Nights and share the recipe. You are so generous.
I am totally blown away by that gorgeous pie. I have ever ever ever made a pie in my whole life, and I doubt I ever will. Yours looks amazing.
You’re dining room chairs are way too happy and bright for Halloween :-)
Fabulous food and fabulous decor and fabulous company! Thanks for having us!
Post a Comment