About a month ago, one of my Georgetown buddies, Lisa Dworkin, called me and asked if I would help her with a bridal shower she was throwing for her niece. She wanted to make it more interesting and hands-on than just a bunch of women and young ladies oohing and aahing over gifts and eating lunch. She had a friend who did the flowers for the event (they were so pretty) giving a little demo on flower arrangement, and asked if I would do some cooking with the girls. Nothing too involved, no chopping and sautéing, just something they could make and eat at the party, and maybe make again the next time they were entertaining.
I said yes, of course. Not only did I think it would be fun, but I'd get to see Lisa, her beautiful home, and some people I haven't seen in a long time. The last time I saw the bride-to-be, Kristina, she was two years old, a flower girl at Lisa and Jamie's wedding. She didn't remember me (of course), but her mother, Roberta did. It was such a nice reunion.
Ok, let's get to the food. My challenge, as I mentioned, was to make it simple, delicious, and something they could recreate at home. The first step in simplicity was to find one store that would stock all of the ingredients necessary, so there would be no running around. Guess where I went? Well, if you've read my blog before, you know. Yep, Trader Joe's. I stopped by my local one on the way home from work one day, and just wandered around, getting ideas, and drinking little cups of free coffee. I have to say, they make it pretty easy to come up with hors' d'oeuvres ideas, there is so much neat stuff from which to choose. I made up a shopping list and sent it up to Lisa, who had her brother go to their local TJ's and get it all. Oh, and while he was there, I had him pick me up some Charles Shaw wine (AKA Three Buck Chuck) since it's the only TJ's anywhere near me that sells it. Yay, 6 bottles of wine for less than $20! Look, I'm off topic already..
Here's what we made:
Honeyed Goat Cheese on Fig and Olive Crisps, topped with Sweet and Spicy Pecans
Doesn't get much easier than this. The cheese is a creamy goat, so it spreads easily on the crackers. They are very thin and fragile, so you have to use a bit of care. Topped with the pecan, you get a great combination of sweet, salty and spicy in your mouth. They were a big hit.
Sorry, the pictures aren't that great. I couldn't figure out why, until the end of the day, when one of the girls suggested that maybe the lens on my phone was dirty. Duh...
The next one was Hot and Sweet Peppers (sometimes called Peppadews) stuffed with Marinated Fresh Mozzarella Balls
Really easy, too. Just drain the mozzarella, and toss with some good olive oil, a little fresh basil and some salt and pepper. I got the ciliegine size, the little ones. Drain the peppers, and stuff the little balls in. You can also use blue cheese, Gorgonzola, or just about any soft cheese.
I'm pretty sure this was the most popular one! The sausage is made with ginger, black sesame seeds, a little soy and pepper, and is precooked. All we had to do was slice it into pieces, toss it in some of the sweet chili sauce, put it on an oven tray lined with foil, and broil until it got a little brown and bubbly.
Again, a great combination of sweet and spicy.
I think everyone enjoyed themselves in the kitchen, and I hope they all read the blog and make the food again! Lisa was a wonderful hostess. Everything was perfect, and it was a beautiful, albeit hot and steamy day. I'm posting some pictures of her lovely home, hopefully she won't mind.
Ladies, I hope I have some new blog followers now. Tell your friends! Tell your family!
Thanks for reading again, y'all.
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