dwf

Thanksgiving! My priority is always food when planning a dinner party however it’s not a feast or fiesta without the right decor. The following are easy and simple ways to dress up the holiday and make your dinner a dinner party.

These small and simple touches are easy to create at home

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you have an amazing feast!

Best,
Dinner With Friends Supper Club

Repost! 2011 Thanksgiving Dinner menu & recipes

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 20:59:09 -0500

The All Star of all dinners. It’s thanksgiving! Turkey and all the trimmings were delivered at this feast. Hosted by Mo and Bob in their beautiful home in Atlanta, GA.

22 guests participated in this delicious meal and none came empty handed. Everything from bourbon pop-corn to a Cuban turkey made this a memorable holiday.

The appetizers:

Okra wrapped in ham & cream cheese

This does not require much instruction. Take a slice of ham, smear a layer of cream cheese on it, place an okra on it, roll it up and cut it into slices. Not only was this delicious but it photographs so well! Also on the Hors d’oeuvres menu were pastry rolls filled with sun dried tomatoes, prosciutto and feta cheese and 2 types of flavored pop-corn.

Bourbon Popcorn :(As explained to me by Travis & Mark. I kinda winged it here and combined both recipes) After you’ve popped your plain popcorn you’ll mix it in a bowl with brown sugar, melted butter, a bit of bourbon, another bit of caramel or molasses and bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes. Remove from oven and mix in bacon bits. It’s perfect in a brown paper bag.

Dinner Buffet: *recipe links in italics

The turkey was made by our host, Mo. He won’t give me the recipe however he calls it a Cuban turkey. From my view this bird was very Cuban, rubbed in sazon and wrapped in bacon we named her Dolores cause it hurt so good to eat her up! Dolores was accompanied by many equally delicious side dishes:

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Everything you love in a loaded baked potato but mashed. Need I say more?

Macaroni and Cheese

A true American classic, the mac and cheese gets an upgrade here. This recipe combines various cheeses and instead of elbow pasta it calls for shells.

Corn Bread

Referred to as spoon bread, this is a creamy, cheesy and incredible tasty side for any poultry dish.

Congri -Cuban styleblack beans and rice

You can’t have a Cuban turkey without a Cuban side! The congri is a blend of herbs, spices, beans & rice slow cooked to perfection. Mo, made the congri we feasted on (pictured below) but the recipe linked is from my collection

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Brussel Sprouts never tasted so good! These sprouts had an incredible blend of ingredients which made for a complex but rich flavor. One of my favorites of the evening (made by Mo).

Roasted Chestnut Sausage Stuffing

You can’t have turkey without stuffing, right? I’ve made this dish every Thanksgiving for the last 3 years and it’s become a family favorite. The combination of chestnuts and sausages are undeniably awesome.

I would love to include recipes from the long list of desserts however to be honest by the time dessert came around I was in a turkey comma and on my 5th glass of vino. I didn’t photograph any of the sweet dishes that completed our feast. There was bread pudding, pecan pie, chocolate cake, pumpkin bread

The evening continued after dinner with cocktails, wine and some impromptu dancing to Miley Cyrus’ Party In The USA. I don’t know what that was about but we were moving our hips like yeahhhh….

Thanks Mo for an amazing evening!

It was a pleasure meeting everyone and sharing this unforgettable feast.

Photo cred:

Everything nice was shot by Maurice Duharte other pics by DWF.

"The way you cut your meat reflects the way you live."

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:35:36 -0500

“The way you cut your meat reflects the way you live.”

- Confucius

myhyphenatedlife: yummyinmytumbly: Vermont Cheddar Cheese Soup...

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:34:16 -0500

myhyphenatedlife:

yummyinmytumbly:

Vermont Cheddar Cheese Soup + Beer Bread

Perfect for autumn weather

Happy Hour @ Home

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 12:21:51 -0400

Friday Happy Hour!

Before I became a mom 5 o’clock cocktails on fridays was a must do. Like many of you, my schedule now is no longer my own and I’m constantly juggling family events with my own obligations but that doesn’t mean I no longer appreciate a cocktail or 2 after a long week. My solution is happy hour at home. A bottle of vino, a few apps and voila!

The kids call it platter night, I’ll make a few hearty bites: mini sandwiches filled with any leftovers in the fridge, cheeses, salami which are always in stock at my place, cut up fruit & any crackers found in my pantry. I set everything up in our backyard which encourages everyone to spend time together outdoors.

It’s family happy hour =)

World Food Day

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 08:50:25 -0400

Today is World Food Day. If you do just one thing today, how about sending a short message to help end chronic malnutrition for 25 million kids?

Here’s what to do:

Go to http://act.one.org/go/800?t=3&akid=3449.1342924.hO2czs
Write your own short message (ONE will be delivering them to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton); or tweet ONE’s ready-made malnutrition message

That’s it. It takes just 30 seconds and you’ll be making noise with ONE members all across the country: from law students at Ohio State University and high school students at Capital High School in Charleston, West Virginia to senior citizens at Lents Village Apartments in Portland, Oregon.

Join ONE and help send thousands of messages in just one day. Send yours right now: http://act.one.org/go/800?t=5&akid=3449.1342924.hO2czs

Food, I love you! (conditionally)

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 20:35:00 -0400

Food: The oldest love affair…

Everyone loves food. Yes, we can’t survive without it but it is not only our need that drives us to eat but our love of food. In this DWF edition I was challenged to create a menu that would not only satisfy the food lover in all of us but would fit a vegetarian, gluten free and low fat diet.

We started with one of my favorite soups, Carrot Ginger Soup. I make the soup bucket size and save for future dinners and lunches. It’ll keep in your fridge for a week and months in the freezer. For those not bothered by a bit of extra fat, I like to add a fried egg on top with a drizzle of sesame oil. Anything with a topped fried egg is like a drizzle of chocolate sauce on a dessert. It’s an extra touch of yum. It also fit nicely into my gluten free, vegetarian, non-fat menu.

Once everyone finished their soup and all the compliments of how awesomely tasty it was we moved on to our main spread.

Dinner was served buffet style including our main surf & turf dish:

A garden salad w/ a sesame oil vinaigrette
Tomato Medley
Sugar Snap Peas with Tarragon Butter
Coconut Jasmine rice

All perfect accompaniments to our main surf & turf attraction:

Lemon-Cilantro Shrimp for the low fat, gluten free & pescaterian (I did not make that up but probably misspelled it) dieters and Churassco steak for any not opposed to a little beef or fat. The Churrasco is very fatty but that’s what I love about it. The fat keeps it tender, juicy and incredibly tasty.

And so it was one tasty dinner! All were pleased and filled their bellies as conditionally as they could (or should).

Thank you to all that attended!

*Photography by Michelle Massanet

funny, my formal looks a lot like the informal

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 12:11:00 -0400

funny, my formal looks a lot like the informal

"My mom made two dishes: Take it or Leave "

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:21:55 -0400

““My mom made two dishes: Take it or Leave “”

- Stephen Wright, comedian

Dinner for two

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 11:48:00 -0400

Dinner with my best friend. It’s our anniversary! I was tempted to not cook and enjoy an evening out but I realized all of my cooking always involved a group (family, kids, friends, etc..). This night I would prepare a delicious surprise dinner for my “one & only”

I welcomed him with a glass of Balantine’s (my favorite blended scotch which I brought back from my last business trip to London). He looked incredibly pleased not only for his whiskey welcome but also realizing we’d be having a very private/no kids/just the 2 of us dinner at home.

BF Dinner Menu:

We started with a Tuna Tar tare

The recipe I used called for avocado & caviar which I omitted simply cause I didn’t havethose ingredients on hand. All the same it was delicious. I increased the wasabi & soy measurement. The hubby likes it spicy!

Next up was our main course. Ina Garten’s Beef Burgundy, incredibly tasty and easy to cook. All you really need is a good dutch oven. I use my red Le Cruset.

On the side I served Scalloped potatoes with goat cheese. The herbs de provence in this recipe really make the dish. I also used an herb marinated goat cheese and baked these in individual mini baking dishes. I also served green beans which were served boiled and tossed in olive oil and chopped garlic. I decided not to make dessert as baking is not my strong suit and I know how much we love eclairs and always resist the temptation of buying them whenever their eyed at our local bakery. So this time I picked up 2 of these lusciously yummy cream filled pastries. My mother never believed the saying “The path to a man’s heart is through his stomach” but look at that smile! Besides, my mother was never much of a cook. I think I get it from my Dad’s side. Hope you too will cook & enjoy a simple and delicious dinner for two. I know we did! Happy 11th Anniversary, love.

Chocolate Chip Cookies on demand

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 11:24:00 -0400

I’m going on vacation this summer. The family and I have rented a beach house on the gulf coast and of course I’m going with an arsenal of drinking and eating recipes to make and enjoy as I spend my time drinking and eating beachside. One of the treats I plan to make is our favorite chocolate chip cookies. I say “our” because everyone in my family has made these. Their incredibly simple and equally tasty.

Come on’ you really can’t go wrong with chocolate + cookies. In my planning I realized I don’t expect to make these cookies everyday therefore I don’t see the need to add these dry ingredients to my local shopping list. Instead I decided to create 2 mason jars pre-filled with all of the dry ingredients to make 2 batches. I know I’m a genius, right? I know this is something that’s been done as gifts with a tag including the printed recipe but I’m feeling incredibly resourceful right now. Don’t burst my bubble. These jars will travel with us (in car) and make it incredibly easy for all of us to enjoy our favorite chocolate chip cookies :) In my amazing planning & efficiency I also realized I can make these premixed jars anytime and keep them in my pantry for quick baking in the future. I know, I’m a domestic goddess!

Chocolate Chip Cookies: *place all of the dry ingredients in a mason jar for future use or travel

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips, or chunks
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt

Evenly position 2 racks in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. (on convection setting if you have it.) Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone sheets. (If you only have 1 baking sheet, let it cool completely between batches.) Put the butter in a microwave safe bowl, cover and microwave on medium power until melted. (Alternatively melt in a small saucepan.) Cool slightly. Whisk the sugars, eggs, butter and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon; take care not to over mix. Stir in the chocolate chips or chunks. Scoop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared pans. Wet hands slightly and roll the dough into balls. Space the cookies about 2-inches apart on the pans. Bake, until golden, but still soft in the center, 12 to 16 minutes, depending on how chewy or crunchy you like your cookies. Transfer hot cookies with a spatula to a rack to cool. Serve. Recipe from food network kitchens