Entries in Dinner Party (3)
DIY Centerpiece
The centerpiece for this party should be something I can mark off my to do list pretty quickly. I went to a DIY website and found a couple of ideas. One thing I was thinking of doing was this...
I have a gorgeous Trifle bowl (the picture is the only one of it I could find). I thought that it would be nice if I filled the trifle bowl with some red and silver ornaments. Simple, festive and beautiful. I thought that I might lay some evergreen around the stem of the bowl as well. The DIY website suggested using a pedestal bowl, but don't you think a Trifle bowl will work just as fine?
We have a nice holiday tablecloth, holiday dishes, holiday napkins, etc. I'm still looking for some holiday stem ware, but I may just use what we have in the interest of space and budget.
As an added special touch, I think I'll make some holiday related place cards. I was thinking of doing these 3D Holiday Place Cards. They would be so simple to do and would add a festive touch to the table setting.
It's all coming together! I have a few things left to do, including finding the perfect appetizer recipe to make for the evening.
Kristen
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Le Menu
I spent some time last night browsing through recipes on Recipezaar, in my favorite cookbooks and through past issues of Food and Wine magazines. After much debate with my husband on how we wanted to cook it (grilled, broil, oven) and what kind of ingredients we wanted to use, this recipe from Recipezaar won the battle. I love the fact that you can do a lot of the recipe ahead of time, which will be great so that the time spent before the party can be used doing more important things (like drink wine!) Here it is:
1¾ hours | 1 | boneless pork loin (2 to 3 pounds) |
| 3 | tablespoons softened butter |
| 3 | ounces finely-chopped prosciutto |
| 2-3 | tablespoons finely-minced garlic |
| 2-3 | tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 - 1 1/2 T dried) |
| 1-1 1/2 | tablespoon fresh grated parmesan cheese or shredded parmesan cheese |
| | black pepper |
| 1-2 | cup dry white wine |
- Mix together butter, prosciutto, garlic, rosemary, parmesan, and black pepper and set aside (can be made in advance and refrigerated up to one day, but warm to room temperature before proceeding).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut slits about an inch or so long and a half inch or so deep all over the top of the roast.
- Spread butter mixture over the roast, using the handle of a spoon to get it into the slits you made earlier (very important).
- (At this point, you can wrap roast in plastic and refrigerate overnight and up to 1 day.) Put prepared roast in a roasting pan, pour wine slowly over it, and cook for about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the roast, basting about every 30 minutes or so with pan drippings.
- Remove from oven, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for about 15 minutes.
While browsing through the December issue of Food and Wine Magazine, I found the perfect wine to pair with our meal. Zisola... a tangy blend of wild berries with a rustic, leathery note. This wine was featured in Ray Isle's article Exciting New Wines of 2006. At a very reasonable price of $19 per bottle, it will be a nice addition to our dinner party's meal. I can't wait to give it a try.Dinner Party Diaries
My husband and I love to entertain. We love cooking, having friends over, enjoying one another's company and engaging in adult conversations. Every time we watch The Food Network or Fine Living we comment on how we wish we could entertain more. What's stopping us?? Money, for one. Three kids and a busy life doesn't help either.
I've decided to make a project out of this dream of ours. In the year 2007, we are going to host at least one dinner party of some sort each month. Some may be ellaborate, some may be simple, some may be kid friendly, some may be adults only.
My plan is to make a theme for each month, and from that theme I'll plan the party. We'll share with you the various tips, plans, accessories, etc. that we come across that have made our journey to this goal possible!
If you are in the area and want to attend a Dine and Dish event, feel free to give me a call :)
