Lucinda and Lanphear: Birthday Dinner Party for 10...

On Friday, November 5th my Nana turned seventy and I thought it would be nice for her to invite some friends over for dinner. So on the following day I prepared a meal for nine of her friends. Here's the rundown of the meal from soup to nuts.

For the appetizers: Pepperoni, ritz crackers, cubed sharp cheese, cut celery and carrot sticks with ranch dip and Bruschetta Pomodoro.
For the starter: Tossed salad with the Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette.
For the entrees: Pan-fried Steak and Fish fillet w/Rosemary.
For the sides: Carrots Agrodolce, Steamed String Beans, and Jasmine Rice.
For the dessert: Watermelon, Strawberries, Grapes, Mangos, Cantaloupe, German Apple Cake, Classic Yellow Cake w/Strawberry filling covered in Buttercream icing, and last but not least, Devils Food Cake w/Milk Chocolate Icing and French Vanilla ice cream.
For drinks: Red wine, white wine, orange/pineapple and ginger ale punch.
WHEW!
What was I thinking you ask? Well, I was thinking that I wanted my grandmother to have a really nice seventieth birthday since she made sure to mention (and several times I might add), that she was turning the big 7-0. Initially, I thought going out to dinner would be good, but we could do that anytime. Dinner with friends is always nice. Besides, it gave me the opportunity to show off my newly found chef skills.

The smartest thing I did in preparing for this dinner was to cut all my necessary spices, fruits and vegetables the day before. Onion, garlic, carrots, and cucumbers, PEELED and MINCED! Watermelon, cantaloupe, mangos, tomatoes, celery and cheese CUT! That being done, I must admit, wearing my chef hat still felt like a juggling act with four different sets. Since the group arrived about forty minutes early, I still wasn't quite prepared...if you can believe that. I had just showered and was about to ice Betty Crocker's Devil Food Cake with BC's milk chocolate icing, plus the made-from-scratch Classic Yellow Cake, strawberry filling with the Buttercream icing, when the door bell rang. Oh boy! I knew I had to get the cakes iced and harden before I could start on the appetizers. With the invitation of help from two guests, I had one wash dishes and the other cut the German Apple Cake into squares while I put the finishing touches on the cake. Once that was done, I popped the cut italian loaf into the oven to toast for the olive oil, tomato, garlic and basil topping. At the same time, I made the punch, put all my carrots, celery, pepperoni, cheese, crackers and ranch dip into the serving tray to buy some time and give the guest something to munch on until the Bruschetta Pomodoro was ready. Trust me when I say, killing time was all I was doing because before I knew it, the guest were inhaling the German Apple Cake and the Pecan Bars (which Nana made the night before), along with the vegetable tray thirty minutes into the party. By the time I presented the Bruschetta, they were half way filled.

As a result, I decided to wait forty five minutes before getting dinner started. This did not go over well. First, I was jokingly referred to as the "slow cook." And was told by a guest that she "could whip up this kind of meal in thirty minutes." Second, because I was a "slow cook" unfortunately, they continued to eat the dessert and left little room for the main course. Guess I could have made the side dishes the day before, but I wanted everything to be fresh. No worries. I proceed with my game plan. As the guests are lounging, laughing, and drinking, I went about the business of preparing my sides. Since I'm still new at this cooking thing, I made my dishes one by one. I needed to focus to ensure necessary ingredients, proper cook time and lessen the risk of burning anything or anyone. In view of the fact that I had more chefs in the kitchen than needed and my rambunctious child coming in and out, I quickly realized that cooking for ten is quite different than cooking for three. HUGE!

After my sides were done, the last thing I started on was the fish and the steak. Given that both only took about ten minutes from start to finish, I was feeling like I was approaching the home stretch. I couldn't wait for the cooking to be over to present my dishes. With the buffet server that was generously loaned to me by a neighbor-friend, I plated everything and made a five star restaurant presentation. Complete with labels and all. It was a proud moment for both me and my grandmother. With all but maybe one guest, I'd safely assume that the meal was pleasing on the plate as well as to the palate. This one particular person didn't really care for the fish and left a chunk on his plate. Nevertheless, everyone else ate in silence while they savored the different textures and taste. Some even left with extra sides, a second helping or just dessert. Speaking of which... To go along with the cake and ice cream, I put out an array of mixed fruit... watermelon, grapes, strawberries, mangos and cantaloupe. Not one piece was touch! Everyone was too stuffed to even consider adding fruit. However, there's always room for cake and ice cream! I placed the number seven and zero candles atop the cake, turned out the lights and sang happy birthday to my Nana! She seemed pleased and that's really all that mattered. All the guests suggested I start a catering business, but after standing on my feet for eight hours, cooking for the masses is not my idea of a good time. Within the hour, everyone was gone and the kitchen looked as if I didn't cook a stitch or feed ten people. I was so tired I didn't even blog. I'm a little better now and have recovered in just enough time for tonight's dinner... Oven-Fried Chicken. It was good, but there's nothing like chicken fried in hot oil stove-top. To accompany the chicken, I made sweet potato yams, soaked in white and brown sugar, syrup, butter and cinnamon. Lucinda made chilled sweet potatoes, but I prefer mines southern style. I also steamed some green beans. Very good, but very tired.

Check out some pictures from the dinner party.