Summer Dinner Party Take 2

Happy Monday!  To remind, you can leave comments or questions on this thread.  Scroll to the bottom to see where.

I love entertaining at home and I also love helping YOU entertain at home. I do get a lot of requests for easy menus to prepare for guests.  Typically I come up with one or two per season and repeat them when I have friends over.  Not to sound like a broken record, but the food is not the most important thing to focus on when entertaining. It’s having a good time. So plan what is doable for you and don’t be afraid to let your friends bring something if they offer.

I just had a casual dinner at home for 8 people.  I had very limited time to prepare for it so I accepted the offer of two of my friends to bring something.  They each brought a platter of hors d’oeuvres and it was PERFECT.

Hubs is always in charge of all drinks.  I squeeze fresh citrus juice and keep it frozen for entertaining.  Whatever we don’t use, I refreeze.  I know, weird, but it totally works! See last week’s newsletter for my new favorite MOCKtail with grapefruit juice, lime juice, jalapeno and tajin.  Delicious.

Platter 1: crudites, labneh with olive oil, spinach dip, pita chips, crackers, olives

Platter 2: bruschetta with jars of tomato-basil, vegan pesto, and tomato pesto

Dinner Menu

Grilled Swordfish (I know it is high in mercury.  I know. I make it once a year.) with charred lemon and olive relish (recipe from my cooking class in August 2021.)

One of my friends is vegan, so I warmed up some canned chickpeas and tossed them with the relish for her.

Arugula Salad with corn, peaches, tomatoes, radishes and lime vinaigrette

Rice pilaf with dill (saute shallot before adding rice. Add fresh dill before serving.)

Grilled Zucchini and Sweet Bell Peppers with Basil Vinaigrette (new recipe from August 2023 class!) I served this at room temp.

Dessert (I forgot to get a photo!)

Blueberry Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream (both vegan and dairy served) I make big batches of crisp topping and store it in the freezer.  It comes in handy when I need a quick dessert! Plus, everyone loves fruit crisps, and it’s easy to make gluten-free and vegan (which I needed to do for one of my guests.)  I made 1.75X this recipe, but used all blueberries. I baked it and served it in this cast iron braiser.

I drop pints of ice cream in these guys.

If you want to hone your entertaining skills, you can take my Entertaining with Ease course on your own.  It’s fantastic!

xxPamela