Dinner for 6

As many of you know, there is nothing more dear to my heart than throwing a dinner party. So, when my cousin announced her engagement on Christmas Eve I began thinking, "THIS calls for a dinner party." The best part is that my bro and sis-in-law have this great apartment that just screams "Throw dinner parties here!" So we did. I planned the meal, Tif and I went shopping and then we cooked the meal together (while Bobby and Ralph played Xbox 360-with occasional pauses to help us out). We invited Holly and Adam (the cousin and fiancé) and tried to get Heidi (other cousin) to come but all those serious couples are very intimidating to an unattached college student apparently. We had a fine menu planned it consisted of :

• Tomato, Basil and Bacon Crostini's and Pomegranate Mocktinis
  
• Caesar Salad with Pizzetta's with Olive Tamponade and Provolone Cheese
  
• Carbonara
  
• Cheesy Garlic Bread
  
• Smores Pizza with homemade vanilla ice cream and hot fudge
  

 

The crostini recipe comes from this wonderful cookbook I found my first year living in Dayton. We love the cookbook and the crostini's! The Caesar dressing in that particular recipe was disappointing, no one liked the flavor. The presentation was a lot of fun, though! Carbonara, specifically Racheal Ray's is an old stand-by for Ralph and I, it's our go-to meal. The garlic bread recipe came from my mom and is a family favorite (as well as super easy). My bro and Tiff make really good homemade ice cream so obviously we had to have some of that!

It was a great night of food, conversation and fun! Bobby and Tiffany have such a great place for hosting and are great hosts themselves. Thanks for a wonderful night all!