What do all Southern hostesses know? Nothing says welcome like counter tops groaning under an abundance of food.
The Chick Flick night menu was planned and presented to show the guests how much their friendship means.
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| 3 bottles of bubbly to split between 4 ladies, iced iced tea |
Seafood salad with choice of Pita Chips or Baked Crackers.
Summer Fruit Salad
Cucumber Salad
Seasoned Turkey Breast
Chili Relleno Quiche
Grilled Vegetables in Citrus-Rosemary Marinade
Cookies and Sweets Assortment
Tip. Ahead of "event" jot the menu on a 3x5 card. Read out loud. If you are salivating- you hold a winning ticket. Post it on the frig- notate condiments- refer to when setting out the food; this is the hostess equivalent of a "cheat sheet."
The citrus grilled vegetables are so easy- I hope no one is disappointed this aphrodisiac is fool proof.
Ahead of time, rough chop and de-seed 2 oranges and 1 lemon, rinds and all (peel away the pith and toss if really thick) . Whir citrus in a blender with equal part extra virgin olive oil drizzled in. Take a length of rosemary leaves- say 6 inches long- pull the needles from the stem and roll over with a good pizza wheel until all that is left are tiny bits of green. Add to the citrus-oil.
You can wait up to 2 weeks for the next step. Maybe 3: have never had any not devoured after 2.
At least a half hour before you are ready to grill whatever lengthwise sliced vegetables you fancy- thickly coat the slices with the citrus-rosemary oil. (For Chick Flick Night we went with a trio of squashes). Sprinkle with gray salt and pepper to taste. Have the grill master turn on the heat. Serve him a glass of whatever keeps him happily hydrated while he tens and flips the veggies- which turning all those pieces can be a bit time consuming. However: let the cook taste test- this is one of those recipes which makes men giddy that they are expected to all but wear a sign, "Will Work For Food".
When the hosts and guests are having such a great time, there is no reason to end the evening as planned. It may seem an unlikely double-billing; following a Judy Dench movie with an animated feature- with 5 Academy Awards Nominations- Up would have been my vote for Best Picture. It's a movie you will never be too old to watch for the first time.
Lydia,
ReplyDeleteThere was iced tea??? Didn't see that! LOL With all that wonderful champagne who would notice tea? lol
Ohhh I am reliving it all over again looking at your wonderful photos! I see you planned ahead and took some photos before we got there and dove into all the goodies.
I will buy those squashes and egg plant and give the recipe a try. No doubt they will not taste the same as yours and Ger's tho but I will give it a try and hope that John will try it after he grills it!
Excited to hear about your Phoenix job! Now tell us again how these folks find you as a writer? I mean how do they know about you and your work?
Hi, Trisha! Good news travels fast.
ReplyDeleteI am about to start work on a feature for an upcoming issue of Western Art and Architecture.
Last year Gene Sasse recommended me for a spread he did for the magazine. That article was a cover- this one may or may not be. In any case- what I've seen so far of the builders work is absolutely mesmerizing.
Salivating all over my keyboard!! Recipes please for the seafood salad (I have one too that I will share later), the cuke salad, and the quiche. PULLLLEASE! Thanks for the marinade recipe. Sounds heavenly.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the writing job. xo Sue
Oregon Sue- Careful- It would be a shame if you shorted-out the keyboard!
ReplyDeleteI confess. The seafood salad is courtesy of the Albertson's seafood counter.
I'll write about the quiche a different time. It is easy: but deserves its own space
Ok, well I have a good recipe for seafood salad.It was a big fav of Jerry's. Looking forward to the, as GW would say, the "Quickie" recipe! LOL
ReplyDeletexo