Ok, we all say we will make time to see our friends, but life is busy and who has the time to catch up with everyone? For me, sometimes as much as a year can go by in between actual visits with my friends. But recently I have discovered a solution – host a dinner party. This way you can invite some of your good friends, get caught up, have fun and do it all in one evening.
Sound like too much work – well, I won’t lie, it does take a certain amount of planning and getting organized. I wanted to make sure my bathroom was clean and there were no sticky things on the floor, so yes, I had to commit to a bit of cleaning.
Hard to feed carnivores? Not at all. If you are like me, you don’t have a lot of vegetarian friends (I have one). However, I knew my friends would be open to a vegetarian feast.
Worried about breaking the bank? No need. A vegetarian diet could save the word from starvation. I decided on a mezze-tapas style dinner. I didn’t want to be in the kitchen cooking the whole time, so I decided to offer things that could be prepared in advance. While I did have some store bought items for the party, I made most of the things, which I think made the food even better. Here is a rundown of the menu.
Hummus, Babaganoush, Tzaziki, lentil salad – all made a few days in advance – easy, economical, and so, so much better than store bought.
Spinach filo triangles – super easy – really –and I make these a week in advance, froze them, and then baked them the night of the dinner – this was the only thing I had to cook during the party.
Home- made cookies made the week before.
Things I had to buy – nuts, salad, fresh bread, pitas, great olives and artichokes and roasted red peppers, cheese, and fruit for dessert
Really, other than being organized in advance, it didn’t take as much time as I thought. The most important thing for me was that the payoff for my efforts was so worthwhile – a great evening with my girl friend, lots of laughter and some great memories.
And one last essential item – once you get a glass of wine into your guests, light some candles and dim the lights and let the party begin!!