On Easter day, while the entire extended family was at my parents house and everyone was well oiled with wine, my mother decided that she was going to invite the entirety of my family over to George and I's new home for a dinner party. Now, this might not sound all too daunting to you, but keep in mind that the "entire" family means 22 individuals coming over to the house we just moved into three weeks ago, or a full blown dinner party. I always had dreams when I was a little kid about being this great hostess like my mother, and having this impressive well put together home that everyone loved to visit... and this past Saturday was my first opportunity to try.
Being thrown into the water of dinner party hostessing without any swim floaties wasn't nearly was welcomed as I had anticipated it would be when I was a child. In case you didn't know, I am a very neurotic and worrisome person, and I need to be in control of anything I do or create. Yes, those are quite obnoxious traits, I know. Anyway, despite just moving into the new house, my inexperience at feeding and entertaining that many people simultaneously, and the fact that my family would be completely understanding given these facts if it was not a 5 star event, I still went into overdrive and decided I had to put Martha Stewart to shame. Just to make it harder on myself, I insisted that I had to make everything from scratch, including the salad dressing. Can you say "self propelled anxiety?" And so, the planning began.
I have this cooking method that hasn't failed me yet; I search through Pinterest obsessively and cook whatever dishes I think look prettiest (given they have a recipe attached). I always have a tendency to luck out with this and the food has come out edible, and dare I say yummy, every time thus far. So, what did the great hostess gods of Pinterest instruct me to do this time? Here's the menu:
Horderves:
Caprese
Stuffed Sausage Bread
Sweet and Salty Pumpkin Seed Goat Cheese Log with Figs
Dinner:
Sweet and Spicey Fruit Stuffed Pork Loin with Poached Pears and Onions
Rosemary Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Baby Arugula and Baby Romaine Salad with Homemade Whole Grain Mustard-Honey Dressing and Orange Slices
Dessert:
Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Zinfandel Poached Figs and Apricots
Profiteroles with Chocolate Glaze and Fresh Whipped Cream Filling
Fresh Fruit with Brown Sugar Fruit Dip
Besides the above, which I prepared, my family members brought an array of wonderful dishes as well. My cousin made Lasagna, we had a disgusting amount of fabulous desserts, and, of course, the wine flowed like a fountain (there is no such thing as too much wine).
I barely slept for three days, my fridge was about to bust at the seams, but you know what? It was great. Everyone enjoyed the food (and I think they actually meant it and weren't trying to do the mandatory fake compliment thing), and more importantly, everyone had a good time. Quality family time is so important and any excuse we have to make more of that time together is well worth any amount of panic and work.
Right of Passage to Adulthood #1: Success
xoxo
Lillie
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