Hello hello hello Everyone! Welcome to the Bingeaduckia dinner party!
If you’ve read any of my ponderings, you’ll know I’m er… a bit obsessed with food. I have a love/hate relationship with it, but it’s probably the one topic on which I can constantly wax poetic. Sybs asked me to “host” a dinner party- and my idea was simply to inundate you with deliciousness. Thus, you’ll all be in food comas and unable to find any mistakes I might make!
Of course – feel free to adapt the menu as you like – there’s no rhyme or reason to it. I always have the strangest cravings, and I went with whims on what we’re having. So first up… appetizers. We have an antipasto platter** – because who can resist that? Beef short ribs, a vegetarian appetizer (possibly wrapped in phyllo), two kinds of bruschetta (is it clear yet that I never could/would have done Atkins?), dumplings, and potstickers. (Yes, they’re pretty much the same thing – in this case – but pot stickers are pan fried. If you ever come across a place that deep fries them, back away, turn, and run. You may also know them as gyoza.)
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WAIT! I hope you saved a lot of room – we’re on to soups and salads now. I choose completely different soups – French Onion, and Hot and Sour Soup. Total East and West; and if I were Ming Tsai it’d be some sort of fusion. The salads – just what I thought looked delicious.
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Ok and next – please don’t suffer from let-down… but I couldn’t shake the thought of lamb chops. (If you don’t like it- that’s fine – feel free to come up with your own.) Also – if some of you don’t like – or aren’t feeling all the “fancy” food – I went with fish & chips too. I think it’s fantastic – and, there you go. Just so you didn’t feel left out with the latter option, I chose a picture with a nice plating, rather than the more “authentic” sheet of paper. 😀 You’ll note there are no vegetarian/vegan dishes. Erm, sorry. First, I totally don’t get it. I can go without for a while, but to never have meat etc- I just can’t. But second and most importantly – there are no appetizing or palatable vegetarian entrée pictures that I could find. Ok – I just have to talk about the lamb. The first – obviously with a mint sauce – I think both were pan seared -and the second… I couldn’t resist the roasted garlic. So yum.
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Oh gosh – and I almost forgot one of my favorites! Crab cakes!
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Ok – that’s enough, right? At least… of the savory foods. Now the real gluttony begins. My favorite part of a meal… dessert! As you can see, we have chocolate cake, mango mousse cake, an amazing fruit tart, and … something I love but has thoroughly trounced me a number of times… a pavlova. (Ironically the first time I really nailed it… I did it all by hand. Not fun – but possible. Still – my advice? Try to avoid making meringue that way.)
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NO NO NO! Sit back down! We’re not done yet! Or… well actually, you can walk around – let the food settle… and then start again 🙂
Ok, so here, we get a tiny bit experimental. First up, a dessert by Pichet Ong. I’ve never had it, but based on reputation and all that wonderful stuff – I’m willing to bet it’s amazing. Next, likely a mousse of some sort and lastly… something I’ve been wanting to make and have been fascinated by (sadly still haven’t had it) – zabaglione!
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Ok- honestly, we’re almost done! No worries though – all of this is calorie free! Mmmm calorie free! First up, we have mochi ice cream. I’ve talked about this before- but it’s worth mentioning (and having!) again. Next, fancy ice cream. Oh – and did I forget to mention the gelato bar? Silly me. I couldn’t decide soo… and then- yup, petit fours. Can’t have a dinner party without those… right!?
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Then last but not least… I really couldn’t have all these desserts and not have key lime pie. And yes, I honestly do like key lime pie. Yum.
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**Disclaimer: You’ll note some of the foods have links to them – which take you to blogs/sites with the recipes. I just thought it’d be nice to show where they came from. I haven’t made any of them, or eaten any of them – well… just so you know. 😉
I also went by how the food appears, rather than what the recipe says, because… who cares? :X
I think lime forgot to say….
but to play aka ENTER the contest or maybe she did say and I got lost in the pictures hey I am hungry!
You need to add a dish to the dinner party, what cha bring? Feel free to provide lime with a link to a recipe so she can make it later ;).
Jeez, Lime…I was already hungry and now I’m starving! I can haz gelato bar? 😀
Er yes… contest… (actually we were never clear on that, so now you know that’s how to enter! So go for and impress meeeeeee!)
c2 – YES! Is enough for EVERYONE. Isn’t it gorgeous? I could so happily eat myself sick here. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. And it’d be WORTH IT. (I spent so much damn time looking for the most appetizing pictures).
I LOVE hot and sour soup just saying… you should make us some
lol Sybs – prolly faster for you to make your own/buy some. Asian grocery stores have “soup in a bag” (just make sure it’s not from China) – Taiwan prolly is best for that. Dump it in water, or stock. Add in some reconstituted shitake mushrooms, sliced pork & tofu, and drop in an egg when it’s simmering but not boiling. Done! (Or add nothing – but it just won’t be as good.)
you do know how medicated I am right now… that sounds difficult gwen should do it for me
k… yum!!!
If I had to add, of corse it would be dessert, cuz I’m a dessert ho. I have a faboo flourless chocolate cake (Emeril’s recipe) that I make at the holidays that’s really just a slab o’ fudge in a cake shape. I also have a peach cobbler that is the easiest recipe I’ve ever made in my life. Srsly. Those are the contributions of the dessert ho.
Lori, I love it! If I could only eat dessert, I would. Also – would you mind sharing the recipe for the peach cobbler? I tried making it this summer but was major fail 🙁
A Heath bar cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts to indulge in and I would happily supply one for the festivities.
My secret for peach cobbler: extra lemon juice. The tartness really brings out the fruit.
I need to find my recipe for triple chocolate mocha cookies. ‘Til then:
Pot Roast
Brown the pot roast.
Stick it in the crock pot.
Cover with one can cream of mushroom soup, two cans full of water, and a Lipton french onion soup mix packet. Make sure this covers the meat.
Cook for eight hours.
Put the liquid in a bowl; it’s your gravy.
Slice the roast.
Eat!
It’s super easy.
Forget that frozen pizza I was just going to put in the oven, I’m heading over for some bruschetta and crab cakes, then let me at those desserts, all of them, lol.
How about some cappucino, goes great with dessert, I even fancied it up, looks pretty:
http://tinyurl.com/6zwccv
LLL – Wow – that’ll definitely satisfy ANY sweet tooth! I’m intrigued.
Liv- yay you for supplying the recipe! Very interesting – I don’t think we… ever? have pot roast. But how could you go wrong with cream of mushroom soup? 😉 Would it work if you threw some veggies in there? E.g. say mirepoix or something similar? Or would that mess up the flavoring?
Pam P – WOOHOO! Glad you like the food choices. Make sure you stop by the antipasto plate too! And aren’t those crab cakes amazing? Mmm. And cappuccinos! :X Good thing I didn’t find pictures of drinks, huh? 😉
Prolly not. I could ribs with veggies in it. However, I have no clue what mirepoix is.
Er – didn’t exactly understand the last comment, Liv – you’re channeling Syb 😉 – but mirepoix is just your “stock” veggies – French – onions, celery, and carrots.
SUSHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lol – ok Sandy – I like it :D. (I considered adding it for the heck of it – but figure I’ve talked about sushi (and sashimi) too often. And… :X I don’t love sushi. Too easy to make wrong. Too loose, too tight, vinegared improperly, etc.) But anyway – I personally can pass on sushi.
What’s your favorite type of roll?
I like unakyu. May have spelled that wrong . . . It’s a kind of eel roll.
You have many of my favorite things. Those are great pictures. I would add some Toll House Cookies, one of my favorite foods.
http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?ID=18476
Very nice, Maureen – and thanks for including the recipe!
*laughs* Looks like we’ve all got a hankering for sweets in the pond – Liv (I think?) was the only one to bring an entree thus far!
I’m so happy to see the dipping sauce for the dumplings. It just doesn’t taste the same without it.
I am bringing potato latkes! mmmmmmm
xoxoxo
How about some baklava for dessert?
This is delicious.
Being Italian, we do a big Christmas Eve do. We don’t go crazy with the fish anymore (not a big fan myself), but I’ll bring a vegetable lasagna, and the traditional donuts (a lot like zeppole, but longer), rolled in sugar.
Oh, I love latkes!
My family doesn’t do anything big on Christmas Eve. We just have a huge meal for Christmas Day at about two. Chicken, ham, funeral beans, sweet potato casserole, homeade cranberry sauce, veggie and dip plate, rolls, potato salad, and sometimes other stuff. Plus desserts. There’s even more desserts on New Year’s Eve – divinity, fudge, scotcheroos, cookies, mints, etc.
Jane – dipping sauce is good – all the various types for dumplings/potstickers. And baklava = yum! I heart honey and phyllo!
Becky – I’m going to be your friend! 😀 Mmmm latkes!
Devon – Oooo sounds fun. We only/used to have potlucks. And who doesn’t love donuts/zeppole?! My parents have never figured out my love of “non traditional” foods 😛
Okay, I’ll bring a local legend: The Hot Brown (http://www.brownhotel.com/dining/hot-brown.html)! (It’s great for using up turkey leftovers, coincidentally.) Yum!
Oh, yeah, and how about Tiramisu (hundreds of good recipes out there)? Did anyone bring tiramisu?
JV – I’d only recently heard of Hot Brown sandwiches. Very interesting. As for tiramisu – I’ve never made it but always wanted to. Am totally not sold on the recipes calling for ladyfingers though. Just … no.