Dinner Party...with 5 chairs...

I am the proud owner of a moderate sized home which is big enough for my husband, our two dogs and our two cats..ok yes, the home is really a small zoo.  While I do have bathrooms (1.5), bedrooms (3) and kitchens (just 1) what I don't have is more than 5 kitchen chairs which is why when Doug and I decided to host some guests we picked our three closest relatives to come over and join the fun.  Shannon and Jon, gamely drove up from Brookfield and my brother Kevin joined us from Madison for a night of good eating. 

Everyone contributed one of their favorite dishes which is one of the best ways to throw a dinner party.  We started with Shannon's homemade hummus and fresh veggies.  She was wonderfully patient in explaining how to make it but I can't try something new without written instructions so she's promised to email me her recipe.  I will say that hummus is a wonderful low-fat alternative to traditional "veggie dip" and that it was especially good with the fresh sweet red pepper strips she had brought along.

Kevin made one of his specialty salads which consisted of a chopped head of organic romaine lettuce sprinkled with feta, walnuts (which I pounded with my vintage wooden rolling pin), craisins and topped with a store bought Raspberry Balsamic vinaigrette.  Kevin was hoping to concoct a homemade dressing out of balsamic vinegar and olive oil and when he mentioned this I looked at him so blankly he realized there was no balsamic vinegar in the house.  We went with plan B (still delicious) and I added balsamic vinegar to my grocery list.

Here's a picture of the salad.  It only looks greasy because of the flash, trust me that it was a home run.

Next we moved onto some pasta with zucchini, summer squash and pesto and parmesan breaded chicken for the meat lovers.  Both were super easy to make and I'm going to give you the basics below but feel free to experiment.

Pasta with Zucchini, Summer Squash and Pesto

Inspired by Molly in her book for sale on Amazon.  She recommends using a mandoline to slice the zucchini up as thin as the noodles which is a genius way of serving this pasta. 

I decided to add the summer squash since it was sitting right next to the zucchini at the store and just seemed to go together.  You could also cut some cherry or grape tomatoes in half and add those to give a richer flavor.  This would be a great summer dish with produce right out of the garden and some freshly made pesto but it also is hearty enough to serve as a winter dish.

One final note - since I didn't have a mandoline I asked Shannon to slice the zucchini and summer squash into thin slices and she did a terrific job.  I highly recommend her services if you happen to run into her. 

13.5 oz pasta (more or less depending on how many you are serving)

1 tbls olive oil
2 medium zucchini, sliced thin by hand or with a mandoline
1 medium summer squash, sliced thin by hand or with a mandoline

1/2 - 1 cup pesto

parmesan cheese (for topping)

1.  Boil water and add pasta.  Cook to desired firmness.
2.  As pasta cooks heat oil in a large skillet.  After 1 - 2 minutes add thinly sliced zucchini and summer squash.  Stir frequently and cook until tender (about 5 to 10 minutes). 
3. When pasta is cooked use a pasta scoop or tongs to ladle the pasta directly into the skillet.  This allows a small amount of water to be transferred with the noodles so the dish doesn't dry out.
4.  Once all the pasta is transferred add the pesto and stir so sauce is evenly distributed.  Top with parmesan cheese and serve.

Makes about 4 servings.  Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Parmesan Encrusted Chicken

Since I don't eat meat I had to trust my guests when they said they enjoyed this dish.  I know there are many ways to vary this basic concept to add more variety and flavor and feel free to recommend your favorite variations in a comment to this post.  Maybe we'll give it a try next time!

1 cup bread crumbs
4 tbls shredded parmesan cheese

1 egg

4 chicken breasts

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.  Mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese together in medium sized bowl.
3.  Break egg and scramble yolk and white together with a fork in a medium sized bowl.
4.  Dip chicken breast into egg and then roll in bread crumb mixture.  Do this at least twice to ensure the chicken breast is fully covered.
5.  Repeat with all chicken breasts and lay them on a cookie sheet when done.
6.  Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until there is no pink in the center (I admit - I usually take a knife and cut into a breast to test for doneness.  Although this isn't very sophisticated at least everyone goes home healthy).

Makes 4 servings. 

Trader Joes Cranberry Vanilla Cake

I like to substitute applesauce for butter whenever I can when baking to cut down on fat.  I find applesauce will lend the same moistness that butter would and I usually can't taste the difference.  If you are curious on trying this method but want to take it slow you can always start by using 1/2 applesauce and 1/2 butter. 

When my husband and I are craving this desert we are once again grateful for buying and freezing the 5 pounds of cranberries from the Cranberry Fest in Warrens WI this last year. 

2 large eggs
1/2 cup applesauce (or 1 stick melted butter)
1 cup cold milk

1 package Trader Joe's Vanilla Cake and Baking Mix

2 cups cranberries (frozen or fresh will work)

whipped cream (for topping)

1.  Follow instructions on box to prepare mix. 
2.  Add cranberries to mix before spreading batter in pan. 
3.  Cook as directed if using butter, if using applesauce the cook time will increase.  Test by inserting toothpick in the middle of the cake to check for doneness (should come out clean).

Top with whipped cream and serve.

Makes about 9 servings.  Refrigerate leftovers to avoid spoiling.