the dinner party

i was feeling particularly domestic sometime last weekend and decided it would be a swell idea to have a bunch of people over for a dinner party. i think the evening was a success, but i did learn a few things that i wanted to share.

1. invitations: an email invitation went out to about 10 people with the thought that there would likely be a few people out of town or have other dinner plans (it was easter)...so in the end, in theory, we'd have a few less than 10 people and, consequently, enough chairs and (real) plates for everyone. well, turns out people were in town and didn't have plans, so a cozy group of 13 or so joined in the fun. it was awesome. i want to do it again. but next time, i think a few extra chairs need to be tracked down so people don't have to stand and eat.

2. shopping: shopping for all the food commenced at 11:30p the night before. i don't think i've ever seen a grocery store that packed at midnight. there were huge checkout lines. that part of the grocery shopping though was relatively uneventful. the amusing shopping came the next day. guys always complain about going shopping with women, but i think that i may have found the equivalent for women to complain about sunday afternoon. we went to wholefoods to pick up a few items, one of which was beer. i should preface what i'm about to say by informing the reader that i am not a beer drinker. the taste just doesn't do anything for me. anyhow, we walk through the produce section, quickly scoot by the sushi (so as to avoid being tempted to buy anything) and arrive at the walk in beer fridge. my co-host then spends the rest of the time we are in wholefoods in this location. at first, i patiently stayed next to him and waited for him to make a decision. after a few minutes it dawns on me that a decision might not be reached anytime in the near future, so i venture into the rest of the store to pick up the other things i need. i return to the fridge, and said co-host is still standing there unable to decide...and then he calls his roommate to ask for his advice. i leave the fridge again and commence getting all of the items he needs and locate the ice so we can pick it up at the last minute. again, i return to the fridge (he's still on the phone). at this point, i decide i'm going root beer shopping--green tea root beer has an interesting flavor by the way. after i secure some rooty goodness, i return again to the fridge, and after awhile, a decision is finally made on beer. we head immediately to the checkout line. i think my experience was what it must feel like to a guy to go shopping with a girl who just wants to try on clothes. you just want to shake them and yell, 'it doesn't matter! just pick something!' of course, the other person would disagree though so it's really a useless discussion.

3. cooking: when my brother came to live with me for a couple months in hawaii, he brought a recipe for pesto that his girlfriend had given him. suffice it to say the recipe was delicious, and i have been wanting to make it again, so i did...just a slightly larger quantity. there wasn't access to a food processor, so we made the pesto in a blender. one of the guests walked in, saw it and promptly asked why it was green (it's pesto?). fortunately, it tastes better than it looks. to make pesto for that many people, you need copious amounts of basil. for dessert, i had my mom send me her recipe for apple pie. fortunately, there was just enough for everyone to have a slice! unfortunately, i think i baked it for a little too long--it looked and tasted great, but the crust was a little drier than i would have liked.

4. cleanup: if you want your house or apartment to be clean, throw a dinner party. the group that came over was awesome about helping cleanup afterwards and the kitchen was cleaner when they left than it was before they arrived.

5. timing: throw dinner parties on nights other than sunday. it's fun to cook with a glass (or more) of wine, but it's not fun to have to get up really early the next morning on not much sleep to go to work.

i'm looking forward to having another dinner party...although at rate the school work is piling up, it might not be until after the end of the term! happy belated easter to all those who celebrate it!