Cinco De Mayo Dinner Party

Cinco De Mayo is Monday but we couldn't wait to celebrate. Saturday evening we had my sister and her family over for dinner. It was pretty easy because we did a potluck and everyone contributed to the meal.

The Table

Playing off the colors of the flag of Mexico I used a red tablecloth with a green runner. For a more festive look I added multi-colored woven place mats. The centerpieces were simple yellow and green flowers in my tall green glass candle holders. I added a few mini Maracas and donkeys to finish off the theme.

Hospitality Tip: Don't let a lack of space keep you from hosting a dinner party. We have a tiny dining room so when we have a big crowd we push the furniture aside and put a folding table up in our family room. Nobody seems to notice that or the fact that the chairs are mismatched and someone has to sit on the piano bench.

As far as the decorations go the only thing I spent money on was the flowers and they cost me $6 from the grocery store. Everything else was recycled from other parties we've had. (As my husband says I don't get rid of anything:-)

The Buffet

I find that serving the food from a buffet is the easiest way when you have a crowd. 

I like to set up a buffet on the island in my kitchen. A plastic tablecloth and colorful dishes along with a pinata set the mood. The food of course is the most important thing on the buffet.

A sampling of the food. Man dip, Cowboy Caviar and fresh fruit served in a hollowed out pineapple.

The menu

Green Chili Enchiladas
Tacos and all the fixings
Tossed salad
Fresh fruit
Man dip (named by my nephew but he said the girls could eat it too:-) just Velveeta cheese, spicy sausage and Rotel)
Guacamole
Cowboy Caviar (Black beans, corn, onions, peppers, lime juice and a little hot sauce-served with nacho chips)
Frozen Margaritas
Dessert - brownies with ice cream and toppings

Green Chili Enchiladas

This is one of my favorite dishes. My family loves it and it's a great dish for a potluck or to take to someone who might need a meal due to illness or during a time of need. It's very mild and most people really like it. 

1 pound ground beef

small onion, chopped

8 ounce package shredded cheese

16 ounce container sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can corn, drained

1 can chopped green chilies (very mild-if you want a kick use chopped jalapenos)

8-10 large flour tortillas

Brown the beef along with a small onion. Drain the grease and add taco seasoning packet. Add water as directed on the packet. Stir in the beans and corn and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine the sour cream, soup and the green chilies. Place about 1/2 cup in the bottom of a 13 X 9 inch casserole dish. (This is to keep the tortillas from burning or sticking to the bottom of the dish.)  Add the cheese to the remaining soup mixture. 

Divide the meat, corn and bean mixture among the tortillas. This should fill 8 -10 tortillas. Roll each tortilla up and place in the casserole dish. Cover with the soup and cheese mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-35 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and heated through. 

Does a lack a space keep you from hosting a party?

I am setting another plate at my table and making a place in my heart.

A Proverbs 31 Wife

Get Ready to Party Series Day 6 - Divide and Conquer

I recently hosted a group of  friends in my home for a fall luncheon. I thought it might be fun and helpful to write a series on how I planned and pulled off this party.

My hope is that by sharing it may be a blessing to someone else and it might encourage others to step out and invite                                                                                                           someone in!

Day 6 - Divide and Conquer

You can see the entire series by clicking the picture

Hosting a party or gathering can be intimidating and overwhelming at times. I'm pretty comfortable having people in my home because I've practiced for many years not because it comes naturally to me. My parents were great role models when it came to showing hospitality but for them it seemed so natural and effortless. When I married and began inviting people over I was usually frustrated that it seemed so hard to me. I apparently didn't get the effortless gene!

I soon learned my problem was that I had this need to do everything myself and everything had to be perfect. I felt as though asking for help meant I was a failure. Thankfully I quickly learned that I couldn't do it all myself and that no matter how hard I worked it would never be perfect. Perfection is the death of hospitality.  

Now when I host a gathering I always enlist a little help. I may ask a friend or family member to help serve or stay and help me clean up the kitchen. Help with the food is always appreciated.

For my luncheon I asked my sister-in-law to help me by bringing one of her signature dishes. Cranberry Gelatin Rounds. She prepares this for most of our family gatherings. It's simple but always a hit.

Cranberry Gelatin Rounds

1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple
2 packages (3 ounce each) cherry gelatin
1 16 ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce
2/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 medium apple, finely chopped

Drain the pineapple juice into a measuring cup. Add additional water to the juice to make 2 1/2 cups. Bring the water to a rolling boil in a saucepan or in the microwave. Place the gelatin in a large bowl and pour the boiling liquid over the gelatin and stir until dissolved. Stir in the pineapple, apple, cranberry sauce, and nuts spoon into cup cake liners. Refrigerate several hours until firm.
Remove the set gelatin from the liners and place on a serving plate.

The cranberry gelatin is good but served with the nutty topping it's even better!

Nutty Cream Cheese topping

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2/3 cup finely chopped nuts (pecan or walnut)
8 ounce container Cool Whip (defrosted)

Beat sugar and cream cheese until fluffy. Stir in nuts. Fold in the Cool Whip until well blended. Cover and refrigerate. This is good served with any fruit such as apples or strawberries. Heck it's even good eaten all by itself!

At your next gathering don't be shy about asking for help! 

I hope you'll come back tomorrow as I finish up this series on how to plan a party.

A plate at my table and a place in my heart!

See the party day here.

Dinner With Friends

I love a casual dinner with friends. Especially friends we haven't seen in a while. 

We took the opportunity last week to invite a couple over for dinner who we hadn't seen in several months. 

Don't let the work of giving a dinner party keep you from it. We put our guests right to work!

The guys grilled the steaks while Sherry and I put together the salad, washed the fruit, cooked a skillet of onions, peppers and mushrooms and made the garlic bread. 

Not only is it nice to have help with the meal it gave us time to catch up. I don't know what the guys talked about outside but Sherry and I discussed everything from work to kids and all things in between!

The only prep work I did to get ready for the dinner was to issue the invitation, make a casserole of cheesy potatoes and to set the table. 

The food was served buffet style from the kitchen. 

An empty dishwasher made clean up a breeze. After the kitchen was finished we finished the evening in the den with coffee and dessert courtesy of Sherry:-)

(BTW One of the reasons we live in Florida is so we can grill outside in January!)

Do you get your guest involved in the kitchen? 

I'll leave you with the recipe for a yummy and super easy make ahead dish. Assemble it in the morning or even the night before. Cover and refridgerate until ready to bake.

Cheesy Potatoes

Serves 4 or 5

4 large baking potatoes
1 large onion
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 Tablespoons butter
4 Tablespoon flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Peel and thinly slice the potato and the onion.
Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
Layer the potatoes and onion sprinkle with salt and pepper as you go. 

Sauce 

Melt the butter in a saucepan
Add the flour cook and stir for 1 minute
Slowly pour in the milk - whisk to keep mixture from forming lumps.
Heat and whisk the white sauce over medium heat until it begins to gently boil. Add the cheese and cook until the cheese melts. Don't over cook or the cheese will be stringy.
Pour the sauce over the potatoes and onions.
Cover the casserole and bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Uncover the casserole and continue to cook until the top is brown and the potatoes are tender.  

Enjoy!