A Warm And Cozy Dinner Party

A dinner party doesn't;t have to have elegant fancy food t be a success. You can also serve hearty, rib sticking food especially during these frigid nights. It just has to be good Everyone will appreciate a tasty meal that warming to the heart and the soul.

One of the easiest heart warming dinner dishes t serve is crockpot chili. Unlike fancier roasts this can be started in the morning and  slow cooked all  day. This gives any host enough time to get the house cleaned and other groceries bought. If you want to make it a bit more glamorous, then think about subbing in chopped filet mignon.Surprisingly enough there is a lobster chili made with the white version. This  has white beans , corn and squash along with white onions.It's a different take and sure to be a crowd pleaser at any party.Would a stew be dinner party appropriate? Yes, if' its the rich < French duck and pork one called cassoulet. This is a hearty spoonful of the two meats slow cooked with added meats such as pork and mutton along with white beans, garlic and herbs. It can be served with a simple salad and crusty , warn French bread.The simple yet delicious shepherd' pie could also make a dinner party main course.Thus hearty British dish can be made elegant by topping the savory meat, veggies and gravy  not with mashed potatoes but with sliced ones arranged  in a fancy pattern,

There are two fun and filling dinner party dishes to think about. They are the Piedmontese bagna calda and the Swiss fondue. Both require a fondue pot (which can be had from Amazon at $23 for the least expensive and $84 for a deluxe stainless steel one) > Bagna calda or hot bath starts out with a base of olive oil , butter and garlic simmered in a fondue pot. Anchovies are melted into this to create a savory, unami rich sauce ,. Usually Savoy cabbage, torn into bite sized pieces are dipped in by each diner and then cooked. however it can also be made Paterson NJ style with the addition of cubed m, par boiled London Broil. Doing it this way will give the sauce added oomph thanks to the red meat. It's hearty elegance at its' best. Fondue is another ribsticking and completely fun dinner party choice. It;s melting Gruyere and Emmenthaler cheeses with garlic ,white wine and a splash of kirsch. Usually chunks of a baguette is dipped into this but you can also use boiled and peeled potatoes and cabbage too.

A winter dinner party can also good , hearty food. The dishes don;t have to be elegant. They just have to be delicious and filling. It's a perfect way to celebrate on a cold January night.

Tying A DInner Party Together

 One of the biggest problems for any dinner party is coordinating the courses . What is the perfect side for roast Cornish hens? Is a cheesecake appropriate for finishing a paella? In other words what works with what/ It is hard to figure out.

Usually a dish's ethnic origins can lead to what the side dishes and dessert will be. A pork shoulder with apples and onions on the side is basically Germanic in background. Think about serving sauerkraut or sauteed cabbage with bacon on the side. Spaetzles are a must if there's gravy.  Dessert could be a lush Black Forest Cake, rich with cherries and kirschwasser (a cherry liqueur ) or a creamy Bienenstich a 'bee sting " cake consisting of two layers of sweet year dough , pastry cream or whipped cream and a topping of whipped cream studded with almond slivers (hence the cake's name . The almonds are said to resemble stingers) Cassoulet or even duck a'orange are perfect dinner party main courses .It 's only right to have French sides. For cassoulet which is a rich stew consisting of pork, sausage and duck, it's just better to have an unassuming green salad with a plain vinaigrette and slices of warm, crusty French bread. What works as a dessert? Anything with an acidic tang such as a lemon sorbet or a lemon tart. You could also have the light  but chocolate-y pots du creme or creme brulee.

Flavor intense dishes such as paella are usually stand alone dishes. You could start it off with gazpacho shots for guests or shot glasses of just plain gazpacho, the chilled vegetable based soup. Also a simple salad works well along with slices of toasted baguette or Italian bread. As for dessert anything lemony as an antidote to they heavily saffron spiced rice and meats. Another option is the Spanish version of creme brulee cream catalana, . This is slightly different than its' French cousin because it has cinnamon added to the sugar on top. A fun dinner party meal is chili. There is nothing like a bowl of it. Of course the perfect side is a homemade cornbread. This can be baked plain or studded with chopped jalapenos. Serving it with nacho chips is also a fun and tasty way of enjoying the chili. Dessert after this can go two ways, You can have bowls of a light fruit sorbet such as lemon or strawberry or something rich and decadent like a molten chocolate lava cake served with a scoop of cinnamon flecked ice cream. A plate of Mexican wedding cookies would be a great touch too.

It is hard coordinating a dinner party menu. Yet remember where the dish came from and then go with it form there. Have sides and a dessert that represent the main dish's country of origin. It'll prove to be a more unified dinner party.

An Empty Nester Eats

Many parents are now living in an empty nest. The kids are tucked away at college or in their new apartments,, What used to be a house full of noise and fun is now quiet. It's even worse in the kitchen when it's back to cooking and eating for two or even possibly one.

What happens when you;re one of those empty nesters?Firstly embrace this . Don;t just give up the want or passion to cook.  You're still there. You deserve hot healthy meals and fun treats. It's tempting to give in to eating take out every other day. Maybe save the Burger King or Chinese for a Saturday or Sunday night.It's also time to look at your cooking space and adapting it for this new phase. This si also a great time to reconnect for friends, You can still cook big meals for a fun Saturday night cocktail and dinner party or a boozy(or not so boozy) brunch, These are the times to think back to when your were single or just married. Did  you have friends over? Wasn;t it fun to have those parties and wouldn;t it be nice to have them again? Start looking at your good dishes and champagne glasses again. Start planning fun recipes  to make like duck l'orange or beef Wellington. Entertain friends and office mates with the dishes your kids turned their noses at like escargot and calamari. 

 However for daily life  store those big pots and pans away. Save them for those dinner parties or  holidays when you know you'll be cooking for a full house. Buy smaller amounts of the foods you usually cook.Instead of a dozen eggs settle for six. Try hamburger patties in packages of four instead of eight. Buy smaller containers of milk and juice.  This is the time to splurge on more expensive ingredients too.  Get those sticks of Kerry Gold butter if you want. They're going to last longer with one or two people in the house.Treat yourselves or self to a T-bone steak or filet mignon now. Break up the mid week doldrums with scallops or lobster tails. Another idea is cooking for two days. You probably did this when you had a full house but on a larger scale. Make a pasta for two that can be a great Sunday dinner and then turn into Monday supper leftovers.A small meat loaf is perfect for a weekend and then cut it up for  work day sandwiches.  You can still bake too. Just cut down on the amount. Try baking in micro batches .

Empty nesting is hard. Yet it can be a great time for all sorts of fun and lush foods too.. Embrace this time with tasty meals and fun treats.