Red, White, & Blue Dinner Party

If you guys hadn't noticed, I didn't do a post on Friday.  I decided to take the day off.  Why?  Well, Thursday afternoon, I got an e-mail from Foodbuzz's Tastemaker Program that my proposal for a "Red, White, & Blue-themed Dinner Party" was accepted... and I had to post it by Monday June 13th.  So yeah, needless to say, this girl has been busy planning, cooking, and writing this blog post! 

And I already have a special post planned for Monday (make sure to be back!), so that just left Sunday to post this.  What a turn-around right?  So I got busy and posted an open-invite on Facebook Thursday afternoon for some folks to come on over and eat.  We ended up with 6 guests (including me and Andy), so it was just the perfect number to pull off something elegant and summery.

Another plus to this dinner party, was that I received a stipend from both Cost Plus World Market & Foodbuzz to decorate and provide the food for this shindig.  Major score, right?  So I headed to World Market on Friday night to grab some awesome outdoor decor & food platters.  You can check out World Market's super cute and ever-changing outdoor line here through their eCatalog.

At first, I planned to make every part of this meal include red, white, and blue.  And then actually having to sit down and think about it... I didn't want to just throw things together haphazardly.  I wanted this dinner to be elegant.  I wanted it to be unique.  So I decided to incorporate the colors throughout the meal, sometimes separately, sometimes all together - in order to have a cohesive and delicious presentation.  So without further ado... let's check out how the dinner party went!

 

The tablescape - I found the cutest table runner at World Market and it really gives a pop of color to the back deck.  I kind of wish I bought solid colored plates, because you can't really see the clear ones very well, but they served their purpose.  I guess I went really blue with the decor, but I thought everything really went well together.

And now to showcase the eats!

Tri-Color Bell Pepper & Goat Cheese Crostinis

These were one of the easiest appetizers to make - and they were a big hit!

Grilled Tandoori Chicken Skewers... these are always a crowd fave, and the recipe can be found on my blog here

Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Blueberries, Cherry Tomatoes, & Halloumi Cheese

 

 

I was originally going for a surf and turf type meal, but after looking for a recipe with a blueberry reduction, I just kept finding pork recipes!  I guess pigs live on the "turf" too, so in a way, I guess it still is surf and turf!

Isn't this the cutest serving platter ever?!  Perfect for the pork chops!

Whole Foods was having a sale on the bone-in chops so it was just meant to be!

Everybody let me plate their dish (which I actually really enjoy doing!)

Good times definitely look like they are being had!

And now on to dessert...

My friend will probably kill me for putting this candid picture of her up here, but hey... she looks like she's enjoying this right?

The brownies went quick!

And a nice fruity cobbler to finish everything off

 Both desserts were topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, because hey... sometimes you can't have dessert without a little bit of ice cream to go with it!

I really want to thank my friends for coming over and experiencing this meal with me and allowing me to be my food blogger self and take pictures of the dinner!  Hope you guys enjoyed the meal as much as Andy and I did! 

So although I didn't have any meals that were all red, white, and blue... I think I did a pretty good job showcasing the colors in a cohesive and delicious menu.  I was really on the lookout for purple/blue potatoes, but my go-to places in Louisville were all out!  Maybe next time =)

And don't worry... I'll be posting some recipes of some of the eats from tonight later on this week - anything you guys are dying for the recipe of?  I'll post whatever is the most popular!

*Thanks to Cost Plus World Market & the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program for letting this all happen.  I was granted a monetary stipend to conduct this post, but all opinions and recipes shared in this post are my own. 

Hook-ups and Lights off!

We're just your normal, laid back, kinda folks =)  Not to mention, we're cute.

Looks like the cheesecake is going over pretty well with you guys!  Definitely wouldn't be surprised if this one makes it to the top of the Top 5 posts on the right!

What an eventful weekend we had!

Saturday we went out for sushi with a few people from work (like 20!).  We went out to a place down the road from us, Wild Ginger.  Andy and I had been there 2 times before and have always loved the sushi.  It probably ranks as our number one sushi place.  Everybody else that came, it was their first time.  With a big group of people, you're bound to have some disappointment.  Service was a little slow, and a couple drinks were incorrect, and some people didn't quite like their food.  I felt kind of bad, because I was the one that recommended the place, but hey, you can't please everyone ALL the time.  We liked our food, and we're kind of "slow-paced" folks anyway, so we didn't quite mind the wait, but I understand not everyone is like Andy and I so I can see both sides here.  But oh well, we all had fun, despite the food debacle!

Red Dragon Roll (top) - WAY awesome!  Spicy Rainbow Roll (bottom)

Highlander Roll

Sunday, Andy and I headed up to Edinburgh, IN to go to the outlet malls.  We definitely snagged some great deals... saving over $300 at Banana Republic alone (or that's what the girl at the check-out said, anyway).  But got myself a cute pair of jeans, some dress pants, and a foxy dress.  Then went to Under Armour and bought some work-out clothes... can never use too much of those!  There were also 2 kitchen stores at the outlets, but I was quite disappointed.  Both places were really "gimicky" and didn't really sell anything substantial.  Kind of a bummer in that aspect, but oh well.

Oh, and I forgot to mention.  Friday, Andy's friend that works for a food distributor in town hooked us up with 13.5 lbs. of fresh Atlantic salmon... for $80!  What a bargain, eh?  We've got salmon for days now!  So definitely don't be surprised if you see a lot more salmon recipes in the near future!

And Saturday, I ran into a slight problem with my car.  The map lights (you know, those lights on the inside of the car by the rear view mirror that let you look at... well... maps.)  They wouldn't turn off.  I pressed them, they didn't turn off.  I turned my car on and off multiple times, they didn't turn off.  I even went as far as banging and screaming at them... still didn't turn off.  My car automatically shuts them off after 15 minutes of the engine being turned off, but that doesn't help me when I'm driving early in the morning and those lights are glaring right in my face (not to mention how stupid I look with those lights on in my car the whole time I'm driving.)  So anyway, I finally had time to take my car down to the Ford dealership this morning, and the lady just went into my car, fiddled around for a minute or two and was like "all fixed."  My mouth just dropped.  Seriously... I felt stupid.  She told me what she did, but honestly, I didn't pay too much attention (I know, I'm horrible).  All I know is that the lights are off and my stress level is now at a reasonable level!  Hehe.

Wow... guess I was a mouthful today.  I've got the day off work, but have to head to class around 4, so I better get a little studying done (I'm actually ahead!!).  Have a great Tuesday guys!

Being Thankful

November is that time of the year, at least in the U.S., where families start to put their heads together and decide who's having Thanksgiving, Christmas, and what all is going to go down.

Thanksgiving has always been one of those holidays that I hold very special.  Of course, the major consumption of food is amazing, but the feeling of being together with my family (especially when these things just DON'T happen), is what puts great excitement in my heart.

And it's odd that we save a holiday for giving thanks for things we love.  We should always be thankful for them, and not take them for granted.  So today, I thought I'd run through a few things that I'm truly thankful for...

My family.

They are cooky. They are crazy.  But they are my family. They have never let me down.  They've never disowned me, despite the many temper tantrums I've thrown throughout my years.  They love me and I equally love them back.

Andy.

Why wouldn't I be thankful for this goober?!  He's one of the most amazing people I have ever met (please don't let that go to your head, babe!) and I wouldn't be the person I am today without him.  And I'm glad we don't have our lives all mapped out, that we slowly live by the edge of our seats, and take every surprise that comes at us!  (And he's earned bonus points because I came home to a completely clean pantry and kitchen!)

Mocha & Zappa.

The dogs drive me nuts, but I love them.  I was never much of an animal person as a kid.  Dogs, specifically, always freaked me out.  So I suppose I deserve to have the most in-your-face, I want attention 24/7 kind of dogs.  I'm sure they've caused me to have high blood pressure at times, but I wouldn't trade them in for replacement dogs.  No way.

How could I not love a face like this?

My friends.

Every one of them is different in their own way.  Every one of them contribute to who I am in their own way.  And through everything we've been through (I mean, it's been 7 years since I graduated high school!), we still remain the same friends that we were from the get go.  And I hope that never changes.

I couldn't help but die from laughter after finding this picture: our homemade "flag" for Bonnaroo from 3 years ago!

The 3 amigos in New Orleans!

The bounty of unique food we get to enjoy.

I really am thankful to have experience food in such a different way.  I mean, not many 25 year old people can say that they've mastered cooking duck breasts, or say that they cook 90% of their meals instead of getting take-out.  Hell, I know grown adults that can't even say that!

And you guys!

Without you guys, I wouldn't smile after every blog post.  I wouldn't be posting these recipes on this blog.  I wouldn't be having fun.  You guys brighten up my day when I see comments flooded (okay, not flooded, but even 1 comment makes a difference in my day!) in my inbox.  So thank you guys for still sticking around and putting up with my goofy self!

What about you guys?  What are you thankful for?