Dinner Party Series: Movie Night

We recently asked three friends to join us for dinner and a “Movie Night.” Knowing I wanted to do the minimum amount of work after our guests arrived, I sought make-aheads that allowed plenty of time for socializing. Dishes? They weren’t going to run away, so I left them in the sink until every guest had departed. 

I hope this occasional series indexed as Dinner Party will encourage you to slam something into the oven and invite a friend, neighbor or relative to break bread with you. This series has a secondary purpose, too. Behind the scenes, I can see from my readership numbers that you usually read the most recent recipes - missing the huge number of posts dating to 2011. 

I love to try new recipes, but routinely turn to what’s tried-and-true when time is tight. This Dinner Party series allows me to remind you of some of those recipes. 

Our recent Movie Night dinner featured two recipes that will be new to you: A great Salmon Mousse appy, and a Warm Southern Potato Toss.

One guest brought a salad; another brought armloads of asparagus, almost all of which vanished. For a pleasing color contrast, I served the asparagus with carrots, doing nothing more than giving each a simple brushing with butter.

As for the old favorites on the menu? I served Olive Cheese Balls, which our regular guests have probably come to expect. I also served one of my all-time go-to favorites, Médaillons de Porc à la Crème, (scroll past the first one or two hits to the recipe).  

Luckily, the fridge held a few sweet Crêpes I’d made a couple of days before. A ribbon of bakery-supplied custard, a few banana slices, and a scattering of blueberries quickly transformed them into dessert. The final touch: A dusting of sifted icing sugar. Done! 

As for the table ... Whimsical napkins signaled the casual nature of the meal, but I still added glints of metal, the twinkle of a candle, and the glimmer of pretty glassware. 

We gobbled dinner down, dimmed the lights, and glued our eyes to the screen. A perfect evening!

Splash on the color with a sense of fun! 

Placemats look great on bare wood. They also 

look great over a tablecloth, tone-on-tone.

The simple pleasure of getting together is often 

more memorable than the meal itself.