party planning
So sushi-making night was a success! I think my salmon was juuuuuust on the cusp of losing some quality though... it was nearing the six month mark in the freezer, alas. No safety issue, but definitely compared to what I remembered the one I ate the weekend I bought it, it wasn't AS tasty. (I'm almost at the 24 hour plus mark and no sign of digestive distress in me or Gordon so I'm positive it was perfectly safe. Food poisoning strikes fast.)
The tuna was REALLY good. I ate a little more of that than I intended... maybe an ounce in total. I did the calculation via this pregnancy fish app that I have and even if the fish was the highest mercury kind of tuna (I forgot to ask which kind of tuna it was... my bad), I'm still well within my WEEKLY safety total, even though I exceeded the DAILY mercury limit that day. Since I pretty much never eat tuna I'm not worried. I originally intended to have this be Pippa's first experience with raw fish but at the moment of truth I changed my mind. I didn't want to give her tuna because of the mercury issue, and I wanted her first experience with raw fish to be at peak tastiness so I didn't want to give her the tuna. She did have some tobiko, which I guess is raw, so I guess it still counts as her first raw seafood experience.
The salmon disappeared entirely, and so did the shrimp, although I had to do a little urging to get people to take the last three-ish pieces of each, so I don't think anyone was left hungry. I have rice and veg left over for tonight's dinner for me and Pip. The non-raw-fish person ate shrimp, so I have the other salmon still in the fridge, so I'm going to cook that with miso and serve with the leftover sushi rice and veg.
After Pip went to bed, we played a game of Ticket to Ride. I came last. ^_^;
Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and requested that we do this again, and I would really like to. That got me thinking about my ideal dinner party menus.
Ideally, a dinner party is economical (price per person reasonable), can be mostly or entirely made ahead (especially so that the hosts can be mingling instead of cooking), is adaptable to the range of palates at your party, is easy to clean up, and is fun/festive and delicious.
Of course, most things don't hit all of these. I'd like to list my ideas and get suggestions for more from the peanut gallery.
TACO BAR: Set up some wraps/taco shells and a variety of fillings and let people make their own taco/burrito/rice bowl.
Pros: Mostly/entirely made ahead. Main fillings tend to be cheap cuts of meat or inexpensive beans, and are ideal to set up in the crock pot, which means at party time they're zero work. Excellent for wide variety of palates and requirements. Festive and tasty.
Cons: Soooo much clean up, unless you get all disposable serving dishes, because you need a separate dish for each topping in most cases. Prep work can be very time consuming also, even if you have a food processor or mandolin to help with chopping. Messy to eat, so if you have people wandering all over the place with their tacos, accidents are likely.
BAKED POTATO BAR: Similar to a taco bar, only with different toppings generally.
Pros: Similar to a taco bar, only less so.
Cons: Baked potatoes need to be made in the oven at the time you want them, so while you don't have to really be doing anything once they're in the oven, it's not a thing for a summer party. Somehow seems less complete than a taco, so you feel like you need to make salad or something too. Same clean-up and prep issue.
HOT DOG BAR: Ditto ditto hot dogs. Generally served with summery finger foody sides like chips, pasta salad and raw veg.
Pros: General "bar style" pros of adaptability and festivity. Hot dogs can be easily made in quantity in a crock pot but they will all be boiled/steamed style (which I prefer but many do not). Doing hot dogs in quantity on the grill, pretty much requires "that guy" to stand in front of the grill most of the party. If you have an introverted person who wants to participate but not too much this can actually be a plus. The traditional side dishes are easy, can be made/bought ahead, and are also easy to get people to bring potluck when they offer ("can you bring a bag of chips?"). Easier clean up than the other bars, unless you go crazy with the Chicago-style "through the garden" toppings. You can accommodate special needs with other tubular bun fillers like veggie dogs or turkey dogs.
Cons: Not entirely the healthiest? LOL.
SLOPPY JOES/PULLED PORK SAMMIES Crockpot full of tasty tasty meat. Plop that onto a bun, serve same sides as hot dogs.
Pros: Similar to hot dogs. However, much less adaptable. But, a little easier prep and clean-up (because it doesn't get topped the same way).
Cons: Similar to hot dogs.
FONDUE/HOT POT: Fondue pot full of oil, broth, or cheese, with dippers, as a main or appetizer; full of chocolate, with dippers, as dessert.
Pros: Cheaper than you might think for how fancy and festive it feels. Very cozy feeling. Easier to clean up than you might think also (since people really only need a little plate).
Cons: Difficult/impossible to do with large groups (8+) because everyone crowds around the pot. Can easily get expensive. Lots of prep work. Not good around young kids who aren't confined to a high chair (dangerous hot liquids, usually attached to an electrical cord). Kids in general who are hungry might have difficulty with patience to wait for next piece.
RACLETTE: Special grill cooks foods on top while cheese and food broils underneath.
Pros: Possibly even more festive than fondue. Easier to pass food back and forth than fondue and thus avoids the whole "everyone hovering around the pot" issue.
Cons: Can easily get expensive. Raclette grill not too common and impossible to replace with something else (whereas you can use a crock pot, electric hot plate with pot, or chafing dish for some kinds of fondue).
CHIRASHIZUSHI BAR: Sushi rice, variety of toppings.
Pros: Unusual, very festive, pretty healthy, prep work can ALL be done ahead of time. More adaptable than you might think (people can use only veg toppings, only cooked toppings, etc), however, at minimum people have to all like sushi rice. Because it's so light, it pairs well with a decadent dessert if you want to make one (if you're a dessert maven, it can be hard to showcase your talents at parties since the food tends to be rich), but it also does very well with fruit (I just served fruit and chocolates).
Cons: Can VERY easily get expensive, especially if you don't live where you can get cheap quality seafood. Lots of prep work and clean up like a taco bar. Much of the prep work is finicky (making sushi rice correctly, and cutting sashimi correctly, can be quite tricky). Julienning vegetables without a mandolin or food processor is tedium/nightmare.
CASSEROLES: Lasagna, shepherd's pie, pot pie, etc. Usually with a salad.
Pros: Easy clean up, comparatively. Economical. Leftovers usually awesome.
Cons: Not adaptable at all (picking disliked components out of a casserole is difficult to impossible). I usually entertain picky eaters whose pickiness clashes so this is out for me most of the time.
SOUP, SALAD AND BREAD: Soup in the pot or slow cooker. Salad in a big bowl. Bread ready for cutting. Oh yeah.
Pros: Relatively easy clean-up. Prep work all done in advance. As economical as you want it to be. People who don't like one part of the triad can usually get full enough on the other two parts. Leftover soup is awesome.
Cons: Can be hard to make festive.
Any other ideas or thoughts? I also have thoughts about food MAKING party, where part of the fun is the guests helping make the food (sushi, dumplings, calzones, pierogies, canning, etc) but I'll save that for another time.
The tuna was REALLY good. I ate a little more of that than I intended... maybe an ounce in total. I did the calculation via this pregnancy fish app that I have and even if the fish was the highest mercury kind of tuna (I forgot to ask which kind of tuna it was... my bad), I'm still well within my WEEKLY safety total, even though I exceeded the DAILY mercury limit that day. Since I pretty much never eat tuna I'm not worried. I originally intended to have this be Pippa's first experience with raw fish but at the moment of truth I changed my mind. I didn't want to give her tuna because of the mercury issue, and I wanted her first experience with raw fish to be at peak tastiness so I didn't want to give her the tuna. She did have some tobiko, which I guess is raw, so I guess it still counts as her first raw seafood experience.
The salmon disappeared entirely, and so did the shrimp, although I had to do a little urging to get people to take the last three-ish pieces of each, so I don't think anyone was left hungry. I have rice and veg left over for tonight's dinner for me and Pip. The non-raw-fish person ate shrimp, so I have the other salmon still in the fridge, so I'm going to cook that with miso and serve with the leftover sushi rice and veg.
After Pip went to bed, we played a game of Ticket to Ride. I came last. ^_^;
Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and requested that we do this again, and I would really like to. That got me thinking about my ideal dinner party menus.
Ideally, a dinner party is economical (price per person reasonable), can be mostly or entirely made ahead (especially so that the hosts can be mingling instead of cooking), is adaptable to the range of palates at your party, is easy to clean up, and is fun/festive and delicious.
Of course, most things don't hit all of these. I'd like to list my ideas and get suggestions for more from the peanut gallery.
TACO BAR: Set up some wraps/taco shells and a variety of fillings and let people make their own taco/burrito/rice bowl.
Pros: Mostly/entirely made ahead. Main fillings tend to be cheap cuts of meat or inexpensive beans, and are ideal to set up in the crock pot, which means at party time they're zero work. Excellent for wide variety of palates and requirements. Festive and tasty.
Cons: Soooo much clean up, unless you get all disposable serving dishes, because you need a separate dish for each topping in most cases. Prep work can be very time consuming also, even if you have a food processor or mandolin to help with chopping. Messy to eat, so if you have people wandering all over the place with their tacos, accidents are likely.
BAKED POTATO BAR: Similar to a taco bar, only with different toppings generally.
Pros: Similar to a taco bar, only less so.
Cons: Baked potatoes need to be made in the oven at the time you want them, so while you don't have to really be doing anything once they're in the oven, it's not a thing for a summer party. Somehow seems less complete than a taco, so you feel like you need to make salad or something too. Same clean-up and prep issue.
HOT DOG BAR: Ditto ditto hot dogs. Generally served with summery finger foody sides like chips, pasta salad and raw veg.
Pros: General "bar style" pros of adaptability and festivity. Hot dogs can be easily made in quantity in a crock pot but they will all be boiled/steamed style (which I prefer but many do not). Doing hot dogs in quantity on the grill, pretty much requires "that guy" to stand in front of the grill most of the party. If you have an introverted person who wants to participate but not too much this can actually be a plus. The traditional side dishes are easy, can be made/bought ahead, and are also easy to get people to bring potluck when they offer ("can you bring a bag of chips?"). Easier clean up than the other bars, unless you go crazy with the Chicago-style "through the garden" toppings. You can accommodate special needs with other tubular bun fillers like veggie dogs or turkey dogs.
Cons: Not entirely the healthiest? LOL.
SLOPPY JOES/PULLED PORK SAMMIES Crockpot full of tasty tasty meat. Plop that onto a bun, serve same sides as hot dogs.
Pros: Similar to hot dogs. However, much less adaptable. But, a little easier prep and clean-up (because it doesn't get topped the same way).
Cons: Similar to hot dogs.
FONDUE/HOT POT: Fondue pot full of oil, broth, or cheese, with dippers, as a main or appetizer; full of chocolate, with dippers, as dessert.
Pros: Cheaper than you might think for how fancy and festive it feels. Very cozy feeling. Easier to clean up than you might think also (since people really only need a little plate).
Cons: Difficult/impossible to do with large groups (8+) because everyone crowds around the pot. Can easily get expensive. Lots of prep work. Not good around young kids who aren't confined to a high chair (dangerous hot liquids, usually attached to an electrical cord). Kids in general who are hungry might have difficulty with patience to wait for next piece.
RACLETTE: Special grill cooks foods on top while cheese and food broils underneath.
Pros: Possibly even more festive than fondue. Easier to pass food back and forth than fondue and thus avoids the whole "everyone hovering around the pot" issue.
Cons: Can easily get expensive. Raclette grill not too common and impossible to replace with something else (whereas you can use a crock pot, electric hot plate with pot, or chafing dish for some kinds of fondue).
CHIRASHIZUSHI BAR: Sushi rice, variety of toppings.
Pros: Unusual, very festive, pretty healthy, prep work can ALL be done ahead of time. More adaptable than you might think (people can use only veg toppings, only cooked toppings, etc), however, at minimum people have to all like sushi rice. Because it's so light, it pairs well with a decadent dessert if you want to make one (if you're a dessert maven, it can be hard to showcase your talents at parties since the food tends to be rich), but it also does very well with fruit (I just served fruit and chocolates).
Cons: Can VERY easily get expensive, especially if you don't live where you can get cheap quality seafood. Lots of prep work and clean up like a taco bar. Much of the prep work is finicky (making sushi rice correctly, and cutting sashimi correctly, can be quite tricky). Julienning vegetables without a mandolin or food processor is tedium/nightmare.
CASSEROLES: Lasagna, shepherd's pie, pot pie, etc. Usually with a salad.
Pros: Easy clean up, comparatively. Economical. Leftovers usually awesome.
Cons: Not adaptable at all (picking disliked components out of a casserole is difficult to impossible). I usually entertain picky eaters whose pickiness clashes so this is out for me most of the time.
SOUP, SALAD AND BREAD: Soup in the pot or slow cooker. Salad in a big bowl. Bread ready for cutting. Oh yeah.
Pros: Relatively easy clean-up. Prep work all done in advance. As economical as you want it to be. People who don't like one part of the triad can usually get full enough on the other two parts. Leftover soup is awesome.
Cons: Can be hard to make festive.
Any other ideas or thoughts? I also have thoughts about food MAKING party, where part of the fun is the guests helping make the food (sushi, dumplings, calzones, pierogies, canning, etc) but I'll save that for another time.