a dinner party

I love dinner parties. Okay, I know. It it totally makes me a mom, but seriously, they are just so fun. I absolutely love cooking for the people that I love and sharing my food with them. Nothing makes me happier than having my friends over and filling their tummies with yummy food, and a dinner party is like regular cooking for my friends, times 10. I am that person that really does want to cook everything, and so when I have people over for dinner, I request that they bring appetizers, bread, dessert, etc, because I love making the full meal. While yes, perhaps it makes me a little controlling, I also really love creating a unique and complete menu from start to end. Potluck's are very fun in my opinion, but cooking for a dinner party really allows me to put together a complete, and cohesive menu, which is not something that I get to do very often.

Last weekend, one of my best friends (and one of my old college roommates) was in the city visiting from out of town. She shares my love of yummy (and healthy) food, and we cooked many wonderful dinners when we lived together. On Friday, we decided it would be nice to have dinner in, and hang with all of our friends. And I, being over ambitious and never being able to turn down cooking for my friends, had everyone to my apartment. Inspired by fresh summer ingredients (thank you green market, as always), and using some of my best friend's favorite foods, I put together a stellar dinner. I couldn't have been happier when my friends, who I love, were very happy with fully bellies. A special thanks to my wonderful sous chefs and line cooks who helped me chop, toss, and create this amazing meal. While the menu included many dishes, and some perfect pumpkin bread to end the night, I've included just three here for you to enjoy. The next time you're getting together with friends, try having dinner in -enjoy each others company, and the delicious tastes you create together.

beauties

Roasted Summer Squash

5 summer squashes, of your favorite variety, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
In a roasting pan, toss your squash with olive oil, salt and pepper
Roast for about 30 minutes, or until the squash becomes translucent, tossing the squash to ensure even cooking about half way into cooking
Take out of the oven and enjoy!


Parsley Chickpea Salad

3 cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 large handful of parsley, taken off the stem and chopped
1 large lemon, juice and zest
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Pecorino cheese

perfect for summer

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, being sure to use the juice of 1 whole lemon, and the zest as well
Add salt and pepper to taste as needed
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving
enjoy!
*This recipe is great to make ahead, and stores well in your fridge



Brown Rice Spaghetti

10 servings of brown rice spaghetti (whole wheat would work well here as well)
3 large garlic scapes, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups of cherry or grape tomatoes
1 cup of olives, pitted and chopped
1 1/2 cups of spring peas
1 large bunch of kale, taken off the stem and chopped into bite size pieces
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 large splash of white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook spaghetti according to the package
In a very large pan, cook scapes and tomatoes over medium-high heat until they start to brown
Add the olives and the peas allowing them to cook for a few minutes before adding the kale and allowing to steam and cook in the pan
Add the lemon juice and wine and turn the heat up to high heat for a few minutes
Season with salt and pepper and turn down to low heat
Drain the pasta and add it to the pan
Toss and enjoy!

amazing combo, amazing flavor