Your Parties: Elegant Italian, Brooks Gailey

Here are some of the details of Brooks dinner party:
The Menu:
1) Four Courses:
1. Zuppa Toscana Soup
2. Parisian Salad
3. Grilled Chicken with Fetticcine Alfredo
4. Frozen Lemon Custard

The recipes were really yummy, and I had a few requests for the soup.I really enjoyed the party. There was lots of talking during each course, and so conversation was never dry. I would definitely host again. Trouble is, I would be tempted to reuse everything and just do the same party over again, it turned out so well.


-We played "The Newlywed Game" after the meal which was fun... I think that it all depends on the group that you have. I got a "Lifetime Supply of Spam" (one can) for the winner of the game, to make it seem more "Gameshow-esque".


-The only snag was that some of our guests arrived a little early and we were running behind. Dinner was still cooking, I wasn't dressed, I hadn't nursed the baby or dropped him off at the sitter, and then my car battery died. The party started 20-30 minutes late, but they were all very understanding. I think that if I did it again, I would love to manage my time better in order to be a better hostess. I really did want to answer the door and usher in the guests, which didn't happen.
What I liked most about it: Slowing down time for a minute. I feel like I am always rushing, even when I go out to dinner, the waiter is always trying to hurry things along, to get the table back for more tips. I can't blame them, but I liked having it at my own pace and I liked the "Time Warp" feel of it all. After-all, how often do we, as Mormons, have actual dinner parties... and not potluck? Not often.

4) I also made Thank-You cards that coordinated with the original invites to send the guests after the party. I took a picture of each couple during the dinner, then edited it in Picasa and printed a 4 x 6 for each to put into the Thank-You card. I think that adds a nice touch to remind them of the fun for the evening, not to mention a nice memento for them for a scrapbook.

Party Favor Ideas from myownlabels.com

Hot Cocoa mix with bagged marshmallows is a great favor for a Christmas in July party, any winter holiday party, or the Breakfast Dinner Party.

Hot Cocoa Mix
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups instant dry milk
• dash salt

Sift 3 times.
To serve: In a mug combine 3-4 heaping teaspoons of mix with boiling water.

Package hot cocoa mix in glass jars or tins which are available online at Specialtybottle.com, or Kerr canning jars from your local grocery.

This is another idea that could be done with a breakfast dinner party as a favor:

Maple Syrup is a sweet way for guests to remember you by. This would also make a cute invitation to a 'Breakfast' Dinner Party. Maple Syrup for a Dinner Party where you eat favorite Breakfast foods. To make this favor you need maple syrup, favor hang tags and ribbon.

These CD's could be styled for any party theme!!! Romantic dinner music to take home as a reminder. Music hits from any decade if you are having an 80's or a 50's party. Some great Salsa music for a latin party. Andrea Bocceli if you have an Italian Dinner party.

At www.myownlabes.com you can get a recipe to make your own cilantro pasta for a favor. To make it easier. Buy each guest a small bag of 12-16 oz. spaghetti. Tie a large red (or the color of your Italian Dinner party) and attach a hanging label to the bow thanking guests for coming and put a date on it somewhere subtly. You could also print your own labels on the computer and stick to pasta packaging.

Italian Dinner Party- two styles

Italian Trattoria

Invitations
I saw a suggestion of sending the invitation attached to a small packet of biscotti or you could incorporate the colors of the Italian flag as the background (three vertical columns - green on the left, white in the middle and red on the left) on your invite.
Decor
Atmosphere - Do you want red and white checkered table cloths with Chianti bottles as candle holders with wax dripping down the sides - just to give it that really authentic look? Or a plain white, red or green table cloth?
Try to get hold of some background Italian music like some opera for example. Some of Italy's best singers generally have included Enrico Caruso, Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Mina and Claudio Villa.
Food
When it comes to the menu you will read on many websites and party blogs that to be truly Italian you have to serve many courses including a first round of hor doeuvre's of meats and cheeses. Then a soup, followed by a course of meat and a side salad or vegetable, and then.... get this.... a first dessert of cheese and fruit finally ending with 'Dolce' a final dessert of cakes or cookies. Both Menu's #1 and #2 would be Italian and YUMMY! Here is my idea of a great menu:

Menu #1

Breadsticks with a marinara dipping sauce or spinach artichoke dip

A cup of Minestrone or Pasta e Fagioli

Baked chicken breast sprinkled with lemon pepper, and a serving of pasta noodles on the side with a light tomato sauce on top, a white Alfredo, or a Vinaigrette on top. A small side salad is optional.

End with gelato (Italian icecream)

Rustic Italian Dinner

ideas taken from about.com by Donna Pilato and from my own little mind

Invitation

see above

Tableware

Seat your guests at natural wooden tables, without a table cloth.
Use place mats in harvest colors.

Set the table with candles. Light them just before dinner.
Hang bunches of dried herbs over your table for a savory, aromatic touch to the meal.
Set a row of fresh, potted herbs or wildflowers down the center of your table for a natural centerpiece.
Bunches of sunflowers would make a dramatic alternative floral arrangement.

Decor and additional ideas
Place bowls of olives around the table as both an additional decoration and a tasty nibble.
There's no need to pull out the fancy wine glasses. Use short juice tumblers to serve wine(grape juice, apple juice in Martinelli's bottle) the rustic Italian way.
Play classic Italian songs in the background.
Present your guests with small bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar as a party favor.

Menu #2

Tray of cheeses with Italian Breads

A meat dish of veal or chicken served with roasted vegetables or a small side salad

Tiramisu for dessert

Italian Dinner Party recipes

Bruschetta

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ripe Roma tomatoes
2 tbsp. finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
2 tsp. red wine vinegar (balsamic is also nice)
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Parmesan shavings
Toasted crusty bread

Instructions:
Cut tomatoes in half, squeeze out seeds and excess juice. Dice, place in bowl. Add onion, garlic, basil, vinegar, salt and pepper (to taste), and olive oil. Let sit at room temperature 1 hour. Brush toasted bread lightly with olive oil. Spoon tomato mixture over bread, sprinkle with shaved Parmesan cheese. Devour. (Serves 4)

Baked Ziti with Sausage

Ingredients:
1 large onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 lbs spicy Italian sausage, casings removed, crumbled
salt and pepper
1/4 c. dry red wine
1 (35 oz.) can chopped tomatoes, with juice
4 tomatoes, diced
1/4 c. chopped fresh oregano (or 2 tbsp, dried)
1 c. ricotta cheese
3/4 to 1 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/3 c. flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 lb. dry ziti pasta, cooked to al dente
1/2 to 1 pound mozzarella cheese, diced
olive oil

Instructions:
Heat oven to 425 F. In large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium. Saute onion in oil til soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sausage, sauté til sausage is browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain fat, return to heat.
Add red wine, allow to boil mostly away. Add tomatoes with juice, simmer about 10 minutes, til sauce is slightly thickened. Add oregano. Taste to correct seasonings.
In a bowl, combine ricotta, half the parmesan, and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Combine drained, cooked pasta with ricotta mixture. Add sausage and sauce. Mix. Add mozzarella. Pour into large, shallow, greased baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Bake uncovered til bubby and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Serve. (Serves 4-6)

*** these recipes were taken from the divinedinnerparty.com website

How to start your own Supper club a.k.a. Dinner Group

I had heard about supper clubs, but I wasn't sure what it was. To read more on this subject see my other posts (http://maggiesdinnerdates.blogspot.com/search/label/Dinner%20Groups) Cooking Light Central.com had a great article explaining how to start one, tips for hostesses, and for the themes listed below you can get printable invitations, menu, recipe cards, and place cards. Check it out!!!
A supper club is, in many ways, a glorified potluck dinner. The food is often excellent, the company is entertaining and the work is split evenly between the friends in the club. Although we often consider quickness of food service to be more important than taste or quality, a supper club turns this concept on its head. Time is the least important consideration, while the quality of the food and the friendship is paramount.

Tip Sheet (this is a great resource open it up and check it out!) - Plan an organizational meeting to plan: How many and Who will be in the group? How often will you meet? What day of the week will you meet? Will the club cook together on site? Will it be potluck by couple? Who will host party? Will menus be themed? and many other questions you will need to answer.

Here are basic guidelines to think about....
Step 1 Invite your friends. You may want to include old friends or new friends in your entertaining. It doesn't matter, as long as they enjoy cooking and are passionate about their food. You can select a small group or a big group, depending on the space you have available.
Step 2 Choose a menu. Your supper club may want to concentrate on a specific type of food: Thai food, Italian food, vegetarian food or comfort food. You may choose to vary the menu from time to time.
Step 3 Divide up the cooking. The host of the supper club will usually prepare the main course with the guests bringing side dishes, salads and desserts. More accomplished cooks may choose more complicated dishes, while beginning chefs may choose simpler fare.
Step 4 Set a schedule. Some supper clubs meet every other month, some meet quarterly. You can do whatever works for the members of your group.
Step 5 Take turns visiting each other's homes. Supper clubs usually rotate between the homes of the various members. This way no one is committed to always making the main dish or preparing their home for entertaining guests.
Step 6 Cook, eat and enjoy. The entire purpose of a supper club is to eat good food while spending time with people you like. Take the time to enjoy this delightful style of entertaining.

Themed Parties (you have to check these out!!!)

The Other Side of the Mediterranean (gorgeous invites and placecards)
Southern BBQ (leather looking invites and placecards)
Pan Asian (fun! the menu sheet will be fun to fill)
Homestyle Italian (not my style, but still cute)
The Exotic Flavors of India (beautiful invite and recipe cards)
The World of Japanese Cuisine

First Dinner Party- Italian Themed June 2007

June of 2007 my husband and I hosted a dinner party at our home inviting 7 couples to attend. I did all the work- planned, shopped for and cooked all the food, made decorations, and invitations. First I made a list of a variety of couples to invite. I made the invites, delivered them, and waited for RSVP's to come in. I shopped for some fabric to make elegant table cloths and dug up some nice placemats and table decorations. Our own dishes are already Italian looking so we used them and used our glass goblets. I made marinara sauce, chicken Alfredo sauce, penne pasta and served pomegranate salad and garlic bread. It all turned out very well.
Our guest list:
Ned and Cherlynn Thomas
Trey and Jaclene Stewart
Nate and Alysia Thiriot
Greg and Tiffany Lewis
Kelvin and Laurie Gebs
Jeff and Melissa Nichols
Jeff and Maggie Goebel

It was our first dinner party so we were quite nervous that it would go off well. Luckily it did and it was a lot of fun! The conversation was as great as the food. We played a game where each couple had to write down one thing that they did as a couple that no one in the group would know about them. We had many revealing things like: one couple met at Blockbuster Video, another couple had a 'shaker' honeymoon, and another couple had a very short engagement! It was a game that provided many laughs and conversation.

I took a lot of notes after this first dinner party. Here are some of them:
"Dinner began just after 6 with everyone eating salad. It was a salad dressing I had never made before and it was delicious! I received a lot of compliments on it. Each course lasted over 30 minutes. Jeff and I cleared the table after each course. Before dessert I handed each couple an index card to write an experience that happened to them as a couple. It was fun to see everyone talking closely to their spouse quietly and discreetly writing their fact."
To Feed 14-
3 jars Alfredo Sauce (2 would do)
1 1/2 bags frozen broccoli
4 diced/cubed cooked chicken breasts
1 pkg. polish sausage
1 16 oz. pkg mild Italian ground sausage
1 sm. can tomato paste
3 reg. cans diced or whole tomatoes, pureed
oregano
4 garlic cloves and 1 large onion
2 loaves garlic bread
1 purple onion and 6 tomatoes
1 bag romaine hearts (Costco)
1 plastic tub lettuce Spring Mix
1 red bell pepper (Costco- only use half)
bottle of Pomegranate Balsamic vinegar
bottle grapeseed oil
1 bucket Neapolitan icecream
1 container Piroulines (cookies at Costco)