Service for Six

One of the important differences between a house or cocktail party and a dinner party is that with the latter all guests are seated around a table. For single urbanites in their 30's that probably means 4-8 people.

Regardless of how many guests you're hosting, you'll need to make sure you have sufficient tableware for each seat. A single person's cabinets are likely to be filled with an amalgamation of hand-me-downs, items left behind by former roommates and things acquired from who knows where! Hosting a dinner party is a good chance to take stock and upgrade. The aspiring host basically has 3 options:

1. If you have most of what you need in a basic pattern from an established manufacturer, you may be able to complete the set. Amazon and the websites of major tableware retailers like Target or Bed Bath & Beyond are a great place to start. Also, see if the manufacturer has their own online store or distributes through a site like World Kitchen.
2. If your current inventory is too eclectic, you can start fresh by buying a complete set. The same retailers mentioned above sell complete sets for service of 4-12. Catch a good sale and this might actually be cheaper than buying individual pieces to complete a set. Choose carefully though. Basic patterns are less likely to become dated and easier to add-to should you wish to expand or need to replace something.
3. For those on a budget, consider embracing eccentricity and creating a unique setting for each seat at your table. There's a fine line between being cheap and creative but with a little effort and not much money you can pull this off. The key is for the settings to be truly eclectic. Four mostly similar settings and two pulled together from whatever's left won't cut it. Try some of the thrift stores in nicer neighborhoods and you'll likely find some nice stuff and plenty of options.

Oh happy day!

The Dinner Party Experiment is now officially a community enterprise. Nicole has scheduled her first dinner party. I'm bringing a bottle of Croatian wine my sister brought back from her visit there. Now to find an appropriate northern Adriatic appetizer to pair that with ...

In praise of the Crock Pot

Every aspiring dinner party host should have a Crock Pot. Why?

- Simplicity. As the host, you have a lot going on. Crock Pot recipes are some of the easiest out there. With most of them, you can prep the night before and merely have to pull the pot out of the fridge and turn it on in the morning.

- Flexibility. In this case the cooking dish can double as the serving dish and you can place it anywhere you'd like; you're not tied to the stove.

- Ambiance. Your place will smell great when guests arrive.

Something Fun

A great link Holly passed on to me:

Slideshow from Second Iteration

The photo album can be found here.

Recipes from Second Iteration

Spiced Beans

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 t cumin

1.5 t basil

1/2 t chili powder

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t hot sauce

4 16 oz cans beans, drained

1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth

Combine everything in a Crock Pot and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Jerk Shrimp

3-4 cloves garlic

2 T sweet onion, chopped

1/5 T vinegar

1 T honey

1T Worcestershire sauce

1 t cumin

1 t pepper

1 t salt

1 t hot sauce

1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

2 lbs shrimp (preferably peeled)

Combine all ingredients (except shrimp) in a food processor and reduce to paste.

Toss with shrimp to cover.

Skewer shrimp.

Grill or broil for ~4 min per side.

Belize Rum Punch

8 oz part creme of coconut

16 oz rum

24 oz orange juice

24 oz pineapple juice

splash of Grenadine (for color)

Combine everything in blender, pour over ice, enjoy!

Second Iteration

For the second event, I knew it would be on the heels of my return from a trip to Belize so figured a Caribbean theme would work well. Libations included:

• Belize rum punch
• Sushi and crudites
• Jerk shrimp
• Spiced beans and rice
• Tossed salad with fruit
• Beet salad
• Holiday spiced rum
• Chocolate mousse cake

Lessons learned from this event:

- Have everything that can be done complete before guests arrive. Surprises like unpeeled shrimp distract from socializing with guests - and enjoying the punch.

- Use the red-eye reduction feature on my camera!

Pork Stew Recipe

Ingredients:

1 T oil

1.5 lbs pork loin, cut in cubes

1/2 lb baby carrots

1/2 potatoes, quartered

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 acorn squash, sliced

1 can baby corn

1 t black pepper

1/2 t majoram

1 can chicken broth

2 packets brown gravy mix

Preparation

Heat oil in skillet at medium-high heat.

Add pork cubes and brown.

Combine chicken broth and gravy mix in a bowl.

Put everything in a Crock Pot and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Notes

I'd substitute beef broth for the chicken broth-gravy packet combo.

First Iteration

The bar for the first outing was set pretty low: can I get 5 guests to participate in a dinner party? Sounds simple enough but previous attempts at this fizzled for one reason or another. I used Facebook's 'event' feature and invited 20 or so friends. The guest list filled out quickly and I even had to turn a couple folks away.

First lesson learned: Evite has a better system for this, provided you have a large enough invitee list. The main advantage of Facebook is viral promotion through your event showing up on other users' walls. If you don't need the extra publicity, stick with Evite and make use of features like capping the size of the event and having guests select something to bring when they RSVP.

As for the food, I had a couple bottles of wine from my days in Stuart Cellars wine club that I thought would pair nicely with lamb stew. When I went grocery shopping, the pork selection was far superior to the lamb so I figured I'd make a game time substitution.

Second lesson learned: Avoid substitutions if at all possible once a dish has been announced. People may be allergic to literally anything and may base their RSVP on what you claim to be serving.

Overall, the event went well. 5 people showed up, with food, and everyone was very complimentary. A couple other random observations for future iterations:

- One or more guests will inevitably be running late, especially for weeknight events. Encourage those with tough commutes, erratic schedules, etc. to volunteer for dessert rather than appetizers.

- Good conversation is free flowing, lively and engages all the guests. This is usually takes care of itself but the host should keep a watchful eye to be sure of it.