Dinner Party: Eggplant Steaks with Ragoût

On October 23, I invited Tara, Elaine, and Nick over for dinner. Because I needed to make a vegetarian meal, I decided to try making some eggplant steaks. I think the meal turned out well, and was pretty satisfying; Elaine even said it was "restaurant quality," which is maybe overly-kind, but I'll happily take the compliment.

Dinner Party: Beef Stroganoff

On September 27, I invited Jessica over for a hearty dinner featuring Beef Stroganoff and Brussels Sprouts.

Dinner Party: Moroccan Roasted Chicken

For my dinner party on September 25, I treated Alyssa, Jill, and Sarah to a Middle Eastern themed menu. It was a fun challenge, and I had the opportunity to work with ingredients I don't use very often.

Dinner Party: Enchiladas and Tortilla Soup

On September 13, I invited Jinny, Jon, Chrissie and Matt for a Mexican-themed vegetarian meal. Because I was hosting two dinner parties in a row, I served the blueberry ice cream from the previous night as a way of making the meal planning a little easier. I ended up taking more time than I expected on the recipes, but the meals turned out well, and it was a fun time.

Dinner Party: Corn and Tomato Gratin

My dinner party guests for September 12 were Natasha and Donna. Natasha is a vegetarian, so I needed to figure out a satisfying menu that would not rely on meat. While it required a little more digging, I think everyone was satisfied with the results.

Dinner Party: Pasta Bolognese

For my next dinner party, on September 4, I treated John and Krystle to an Italian-themed meal.

The main course was a pasta with a Bolognese sauce, and it was served alongside some broccoli seasoned with garlic and red peppers. To top it all off, I served a limoncello-flavored gelato for dessert.

Dinner Party: French Onion Soup and Steak Au Poivre

A few years ago, I hosted a series of dinner parties. It gave me an opportunity to learn a few recipes and try a few different meals, as well as an excuse to spend time with friends and a chance to introduce a few of my friends to each other. I decided to try hosting a few more, and contacted several friends to see who might be interested in joining me for a fancy dinner. Since then, I've hosted  four parties, and have a few parties scheduled for the coming weeks, too. It's been a fun experiment, and I hope that I'll be able to keep at least some of the recipes in my repertoire.

For the first dinner party, on August 17, I invited Aurora, Ken, and Donna to sample some French-style cuisine.

Dinner Party III: Greek Night

These recipes hail from the Epicurious website (or, more precisely, from their iPhone app).
Saturday, May 14
Guests of Honor: Alejandra, Natasha, and Samantha
The food from this dinner was all of Greek origin, and the main dish was Spanakopita. Needless to say, lots of feta and dill were involved.

Dinner Party II: Eggplant Parmesan

The Eggplant Parmesan is from the Food Network's How to Boil Water cookbook. The other recipes are from Martha Stewart's webpage.
Sunday, May 1
Guests of Honor: Chrissie and the Matts (Enlow and Hannon)
The main dish was a perennial favorite: Eggplant Parmesan. In addition, we had green beans with tapenade dressing, garlic rolls, and, by special request, the return of Berries with Sherry Sabayon.

Dinner Party I: Codfish with Herbed White Wine Sauce

I haven't had much experience cooking. When I was growing up, I didn't have to take care of meals, and I don't have much motivation to try and cook an entire meal while I'm living on my own. I thought that it would be a fun project to set up some dinner parties with friends, and use the opportunity to test out some new recipes. This Saturday, I had my first dinner party!
These recipes are all from Martha Stewart's webpage. Without further ado, here are the recipes, along with my thoughts about making the dishes.
Saturday, April 16
Guests of Honor: Monica and Michael
The main dish was codfish with a white wine sauce, which was complimented by a mixed vegetable dish and a side of potoatoes.