Plaid + Dots

supper club: south of the border

Over the weekend, we hosted Supper Club and had a blast... here's the final menu and a few pics from the night.

Guacamoles+Salsas 

Ceviches 

Street Food - Chipotle Braised Pork Tacos 

Salads - Avocado + Citrus Salad 

Vegetables - Fried Plantains or Beans/Rice 

Dessert - Key Lime Tart  

And the libations include Peach-Riesling Sangria, Tropical Margaritas, Cerveza, Wine and Iced Mexican Coffee!

 

The flowers were stunning... I loved the colors and they worked so well with the theme.  P.S. I created the bouquets myself with flowers from the grocery store!

The "starter" drinks... Tropical Margaritas and Peach-Riesling Sangria.  So yummy and refreshing!

The salsas and guacamoles (with chips too!).  We made a traditional pico de gallo, guacamole and strawberry/basil salsa.

And.. the main course which included Chipotle Braised Pork Tacos, Coconut Rice, Avocado and Citrus Salad, and a Bean and Corn Salad.  

I think this may have been my favorite supper club today... perhaps it's because Mexican is one of my favorite cuisines!

{pinterest fun} : {iced mexican coffee}

With our "South of the Border" supper club around the corner, I've used Pinterest to organize my thoughts on the theme, menu and decor.  Here's one Pinterest recipe that I am really excited to try...  iced mexican coffee.  What a perfect way to end a delicious fiesta?

  

Photo Credit: Girl Cooks Word

 

supper club: south of the border!

We're hosting supper club this weekend and I am super excited about the theme.  We're going Rick Bayless style and making Mexican gourmet for the night.  I've been working on the decor (think chic mexican) and the menu is set...  looking forward to an evening of laughter, fine food and lots of libations with good friends!

Here's a sneak peak of the menu... yummy!

Guacamoles+Salsas 

Ceviches 

Street Food - Chipotle Braised Pork Tacos 

Salads - Avocado + Citrus Salad 

Vegetables - Fried Plantains or Beans/Rice 

Dessert - Key Lime Tart  

And the libations include Peach-Riesling Sangria, Tropical Margaritas, Cerveza and Wine!

supper club : rustic italian

Last week we gathered at our friend's, Michael and Sasha, house for a nice rustic Italian meal.  We feasted on delicious food, had wonderful wine and topped it off with good conversation and company.  The table was set simply and you felt like you were in a quaint italian cafe.  It was all so very good!

MENU

Assorted Antipasto: Imported cheese, salame, olives, marinated artichokes

Stuffed Mushrooms

Polenta Cakes with Chicken Chutney

Polenta Cakes with Mozarella, Basil and Tomatoes

Salad

Homemade Gnocchi (omg!) with Tomato Sauce

Meatballs

Bittersweet Chocolate Tart with Coffee Marscapone Cream

Triple Chocolate Biscotti

 

LIBATIONS

Fine Italian Wines

Coffee

 

And here's some of the fun details from the evening (my favorite part!)....

THE GNOCCHI... So Good!!!

And topping the evening off with a nice combination of coffee and dessert.. 

 

Bon Appetit!!!

supper club : rustic italian - ideas for desserts???

Supper club is a little over a week away and I have no idea what to make!!!  The theme is "Rustic Italian" and we've been assigned dessert.  What exactly is "Rustic Italian"?  I want to steer clear of the traditional tiramisu and do something more unique.  Maybe something with pears or apples since they are in season right now.  Any ideas????  

supper club : fun in spain

As promised, here are some fun details from our supper club last weekend where we travelled to Spain for the night. The highlights from the meal were the Sangria and the Tapas - the Sangria was a hit and liked by all (guys too!).  Only problem is that we filled up too much on the Tapas that there's wasn't room for the rest of the meal!

 

MENU

Assorted Tapas:  Crostini with Goat Cheese Souffle, Bacon Wrapped Dates, Orange Marinated Olives, Potato Frittata, and Manchego.

Chilled Cucumber Gazpacho with Creme

Seafood Paella

Zarangollo Murciano

Strawberries and Creme

Gourmet Chocolates

LIBATIONS

Peach-Riesling Sangria : Lovely white sangria with fresh raspberries and peaches.  (Recipe:  Peach-Riesling Sangria)

Berry Rose Sangria :  Delicious rose sangria accented with fresh berries.  (Recipe: Berry Rose Sangria)

Cava : Spanish sparkling wine most of which is produced in Catalonia.  Most popular grapes used to produce Cava include: Macabeu, Parellada, and Xarel-lo. 

Marques de Monistrol Brut

Marques de Monistrol Semi Seco

Albarino : A varietal grown in Galicia (Northwest Spain) noted for its distinctive aroma similar to that of Viognier and Gewurztraminer.  This wine also hints of apricot and peach.

2010 Val Do Sosegot

Garnacha: Spanish Grenache is one of the most widely planted red varieties in Spain.  This wine is spicy, berry flavored and soft on the palate.

2009 Borsao Garnacha

Rioja:  Made from the Tempranillo grape from the region of Rioja.  This wine has a deep red color with bright flavors or ripe berries and a smooth oak finish.

2003 Montecillo Reserva

 

And here's some of the fun details from the evening (my favorite part!)....

To help our friends navigate the meal, we created menus that described the courses and the Sangria/wines we were serving. 

My dahlias were in full bloom and were the perfect accent for the table.  The centerpieces weren't obtrusive (you could actually see across the table) and the flowers added an elegant touch.

I seriously think setting the table may be my favorite part of entertaining.  I love playing with the textures...  fabric + flowers + glass + silver = beauty!

And...  the FOOD!  Here's the frittata made by our friend Kelly.. not only is it super pretty, but it tasted great too!

Finally.. to kick off every Supper Club we serve a sparkling wine from the region.  This Cava was amazing!  Salud!

supper club : a night in spain

I am very excited... this weekend we're hosting supper club.  Every few months we get together with three couples and share a gourmet meal together at the someone's home.  The host couple picks the menu/cuisine, provides the drinks and main course while the other couples bring a different part of the meal to share.  The club started this year and so far we've done holiday appetizers and a German themed dinner.  Both were great.. wonderful food and fabulous company!

Our supper club this weekend is a spanish inspired meal...  tapas, soup, vegetable, paella and dessert.  We're making a couple different types of Sangria to complement the meal and my hubby picked up a number of delicious Spanish wines.  I am very much looking forward to the evening and have a bit of prep work to do to get everything ready in time.  Can't wait to share it all with you!