So after a very successful 'One year Anniversary of Living on my Own' dinner party last February, I decided to follow up this month with another dinner party! This time around, I pushed my apartments limit capacity a little by having a total of 8 people come over and enjoy my hopefully good cooking/baking. Surprisingly, 8 people somehow comfortably managed to fit around my little table meant for 6. What was more surprising was that we were all able to sit around my little 425 square feet apartment and play video games all night.
Normally, I would put a theme or some sort of celebration to my dinner parties and at first I did have one (it was to celebrate the completion of my at home bar) but it ended up just being a casual and fun dinner (with drinks of course). And even though I wanted to have the night focus on my bar and making different cocktails, it somehow ended up being more about the company of my friends and of course; the food!
For the table setting, I made everyone their own place cards by using cork, cardstock, stamps and a bowtie. I wanted to make something simple yet dapper with a touch of my personality to it. And since I'm sort of known as the bow tie guy with my friends, what better way to trademark a dinner party hosted by me than a bow tie place card?
I also made a bunch of other name cards for other people who I had originally invited but unfortunately couldn't make it due to either work, travel or family commitments. Oh well, hopefully they can make it next month for my next dinner! But I did put their cards to good use by placing them in a vase with some nice yarn to act as one of the centerpieces to the dinner table.
Earlier that day, besides getting the fresh ingredients for the meal, I also managed to grab some fairly beautiful flowers for the other side of the table centerpiece. To be honest, I didn't particularly choose these flowers/colours for any reason except for the fact that they were pretty cheap. (Because I must say, making a meal for 7 other people can be a little pricey- but definitely worth it!)
Now besides the place cards, I used a traditional french fold for the dinner napkins and had polished my cutlery and set not only a dinner plate but a dessert plate for everyone. The funny thing was that I had originally only had enough cutlery and plates for about 6 people max- so I had to purchase a whole new set just for this evening (but it was definitely and investment for future nights)
For the main course of the meal; I decided to make individual chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with goat cheese and dates. I figured that the sweetness of the dates worked really well with the salty flavours of the prosciutto while the goat cheese balanced the texture of the chicken. With a little salt, pepper, basil and lots of rosemary- these chicken breasts were all ready to be baked to perfection!
To accompany the chicken, I wanted something that wouldn't take away from the flavours of it but instead complement them and really enhance them- so I went with classic creamy mash potatoes and some oven roasted red wine asparagus. Not only were they simple enough to make but were very easy on my wallet (hahah) *Side note; the photo above was not taken under the best lighting, so its blurriness can be blamed on that.
Now my favourite part of the whole meal must have been the dessert. I don't pride myself on my cooking (even though some of my friends beg to differ) but I sure do on my baking. Not only did my friends expect a lot from me (I think) but I for sure did when it came to desserts. Again I initially wanted to make 2 different desserts because I had no appetizer, but due to time restraints and sheer laziness I opted for this one gigantic, delicious cheesecake! Now its a very classic cheesecake with an Oreo crust and fresh, large strawberries to top it. It doesn't show in the photos above but I ended up covering the cheesecake in a fresh strawberry glaze that really brought the cheesecake together. Because the cake was so big, everyone ended up having huge portions that no one except me could finish.
The whole dinner ended up being quite successful. I had wanted to serve dinner promptly at 6:30 but because of a few late stragglers, it was a little late- which irked me a little bit but I'm pretty sure none of my friends really noticed. As long as there was a bottle of wine open and conversation flowing, everyone seemed happy and content which in the end I guess should be the only thing that really mattered to me. To add a little bit more cohesiveness to the evening I told everyone who came to only wear black and white. By no means did I want it to have a formal attire feeling so as long as it was casual black and white; I was fine. But of course, my friends all showed up looking as sharp as me in their outfits and all of us in black and white looked amazing! Another reason why I wanted all black and white attire was where we all work, we're suppose to wear bright colours that stand out- no black or white.
After everyone had finished dinner and dessert, we started playing a fun game of Cards against Humanity (which in case you haven't played it yet is amazing!) With a couple of drinks in us already, the hilarity of the game ensued! I definitely think my friends and I know how to have fun- even with just a card game haha.
We soon made our way over to the living room from the dinner table to play several rounds of Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 64 for the Nintendo 64. Now I know you must be thinking why play/have an N64 when there's so many other consoles to play with that has better graphics- the answer? Because we wanted too. Plus it was great to connect over nostalgia. A couple of guested ended up leaving and we ended the night by once more going to the dinner table and playing some Cranium! Which is by far one of my favourite board games.
Don't I just have the most gorgeous friends? At least we all look amazing matching in our casual black and white outfits!
Like I said earlier in this post- I had a blast planning everything about this dinner; from the conceptional stages to the cooking and baking all the way to the games. Something about seeing my friends having a good a time because of something I did/planned brings a lot of satisfaction and joy to me. Is it selfish? slightly, but I'm not hurting anyone so it's not that bad. I have been called the "Monica" of my friends group and I wholeheartedly accept that label because I love playing host. Now if only my apartment were bigger...
Anyways, here's to next months dinner party!
Normally, I would put a theme or some sort of celebration to my dinner parties and at first I did have one (it was to celebrate the completion of my at home bar) but it ended up just being a casual and fun dinner (with drinks of course). And even though I wanted to have the night focus on my bar and making different cocktails, it somehow ended up being more about the company of my friends and of course; the food!
For the table setting, I made everyone their own place cards by using cork, cardstock, stamps and a bowtie. I wanted to make something simple yet dapper with a touch of my personality to it. And since I'm sort of known as the bow tie guy with my friends, what better way to trademark a dinner party hosted by me than a bow tie place card?
I also made a bunch of other name cards for other people who I had originally invited but unfortunately couldn't make it due to either work, travel or family commitments. Oh well, hopefully they can make it next month for my next dinner! But I did put their cards to good use by placing them in a vase with some nice yarn to act as one of the centerpieces to the dinner table.
Earlier that day, besides getting the fresh ingredients for the meal, I also managed to grab some fairly beautiful flowers for the other side of the table centerpiece. To be honest, I didn't particularly choose these flowers/colours for any reason except for the fact that they were pretty cheap. (Because I must say, making a meal for 7 other people can be a little pricey- but definitely worth it!)
Now besides the place cards, I used a traditional french fold for the dinner napkins and had polished my cutlery and set not only a dinner plate but a dessert plate for everyone. The funny thing was that I had originally only had enough cutlery and plates for about 6 people max- so I had to purchase a whole new set just for this evening (but it was definitely and investment for future nights)
For the main course of the meal; I decided to make individual chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with goat cheese and dates. I figured that the sweetness of the dates worked really well with the salty flavours of the prosciutto while the goat cheese balanced the texture of the chicken. With a little salt, pepper, basil and lots of rosemary- these chicken breasts were all ready to be baked to perfection!
To accompany the chicken, I wanted something that wouldn't take away from the flavours of it but instead complement them and really enhance them- so I went with classic creamy mash potatoes and some oven roasted red wine asparagus. Not only were they simple enough to make but were very easy on my wallet (hahah) *Side note; the photo above was not taken under the best lighting, so its blurriness can be blamed on that.
Now my favourite part of the whole meal must have been the dessert. I don't pride myself on my cooking (even though some of my friends beg to differ) but I sure do on my baking. Not only did my friends expect a lot from me (I think) but I for sure did when it came to desserts. Again I initially wanted to make 2 different desserts because I had no appetizer, but due to time restraints and sheer laziness I opted for this one gigantic, delicious cheesecake! Now its a very classic cheesecake with an Oreo crust and fresh, large strawberries to top it. It doesn't show in the photos above but I ended up covering the cheesecake in a fresh strawberry glaze that really brought the cheesecake together. Because the cake was so big, everyone ended up having huge portions that no one except me could finish.
The whole dinner ended up being quite successful. I had wanted to serve dinner promptly at 6:30 but because of a few late stragglers, it was a little late- which irked me a little bit but I'm pretty sure none of my friends really noticed. As long as there was a bottle of wine open and conversation flowing, everyone seemed happy and content which in the end I guess should be the only thing that really mattered to me. To add a little bit more cohesiveness to the evening I told everyone who came to only wear black and white. By no means did I want it to have a formal attire feeling so as long as it was casual black and white; I was fine. But of course, my friends all showed up looking as sharp as me in their outfits and all of us in black and white looked amazing! Another reason why I wanted all black and white attire was where we all work, we're suppose to wear bright colours that stand out- no black or white.
After everyone had finished dinner and dessert, we started playing a fun game of Cards against Humanity (which in case you haven't played it yet is amazing!) With a couple of drinks in us already, the hilarity of the game ensued! I definitely think my friends and I know how to have fun- even with just a card game haha.
We soon made our way over to the living room from the dinner table to play several rounds of Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 64 for the Nintendo 64. Now I know you must be thinking why play/have an N64 when there's so many other consoles to play with that has better graphics- the answer? Because we wanted too. Plus it was great to connect over nostalgia. A couple of guested ended up leaving and we ended the night by once more going to the dinner table and playing some Cranium! Which is by far one of my favourite board games.
Don't I just have the most gorgeous friends? At least we all look amazing matching in our casual black and white outfits!
Like I said earlier in this post- I had a blast planning everything about this dinner; from the conceptional stages to the cooking and baking all the way to the games. Something about seeing my friends having a good a time because of something I did/planned brings a lot of satisfaction and joy to me. Is it selfish? slightly, but I'm not hurting anyone so it's not that bad. I have been called the "Monica" of my friends group and I wholeheartedly accept that label because I love playing host. Now if only my apartment were bigger...
Anyways, here's to next months dinner party!
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