Friday's dinner party

March 26, 2014

Hey!  We haven't gone to a dinner party in a long time have we?  Well, let's put on a little lipstick and one of our prettiest sweaters because Kathy and Lee have invited us over!  It's always FUN to go to their house.  We have had plenty of laughs with this fun couple and some of my funniest memories are when we've been with them.  Kathy rolls her eyes when I tell this story, but I can't help it.  Once when we were clothes shopping together the sales lady ran up to her and begged her to try on their new leggings, because she would look perfect in them, she being tall and beautiful and all.  Kathy's response?  "No, I really can't wear those, my legs are just too long and thin."  Don't worry, I gave her a good slap for that one.  Being somewhat vertically challenged I cannot imagine that legs could ever be too long or thin.  Ahem.

Well, on to the evening!  The table was so pretty set with their collection of Vietri Campagna.  I have another friend who owns this set too and the table really looks best when you mix and match the patterns up.  This is an old pattern and has been in production in Italy for hundreds of years. 




Our host and hostess are both tall and their ceilings in their kitchen, family room and living room are high and beautiful!




I love a big bay window behind the kitchen sink.  Plenty of room for pretty flowers and plants.


 Menu

Hummus and Crackers

Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons
Chicken Marbella and Risotto
Fresh Asparagus

Angel Food Cake with Berries and Cream

If you don't know Chicken Marbella, well you should!  It's the unlikely concoction of chicken with prunes, olives, garlic, capers, vinegar and wine and so delicious that there is no one that doesn't like it.  It's one of those do-ahead party menus that everyone should have in their recipe arsenal.    Caesar Salad is simply a California Classic.  I love it for lunch with a few slices of grilled chicken on top.  Kathy served it with homemade croutons, shaved Parmesan and anchovies; de regueur for an authentic Californian Caesar.   When local asparagus is in season, it's just a shame not to have it often!  It makes it more special that we only eat it in late winter and early spring.  Here she oven roasted it with olive oil and garlic and finished it with a little squeeze of fresh lemon and a shake of salt.  That's all it needs. 

As a side note, one of the other guests that evening is having 50 people over for dinner next month.  Yes, no typo, fifty!  She loved the Chicken Marbella so much she is making it for that evening.  It really is a wonderful do ahead recipe and can hold well in the freezer.  Try it!

Kathy and Lee presented the platters on the kitchen island.  We served ourselves buffet style and made our way into the dining room.  Lee likes choosing wine and picked several lovely reds to stand up to the hearty flavors of the Chicken Marbella.  Everything was scrumptious, a perfect winter dinner!







Thanks for dropping by!
Come by tomorrow for a needle review and a terrific giveaway!


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3 Comments

  1. this looks like such a wonderful feast! And I love your bright plates, too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The angel food cake is so lovely and delicate-looking. That would be a fun, light dessert to serve at a dinner party. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I always love your dinner parties!

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