party: girls dinner

One of the coolest things I get to do is get together with an amazing assortment of women that I am blessed to call friends. Eight or so years ago, long before book clubs and cooking clubs were all the rage, a handful of us who worked together decided to start a “girls dinner” night once each month. And although we took some time off during the past year or so, we have been regularly meeting each and every month since then. It’s truly become part of the fabric of my life.

Our original group was made up of cooks and non-cooks alike, as is the new incarnation of this girls dinner group. We’ve broadened the focus a bit and opened up the guest list. And as we’ve grown up, our group has too. We focus less on bitching about men and our jobs and more on meeting new friends and genuinely connecting as women in this crazy world. Good food, good drink, and just being together – some of the truly elemental and basic parts of life. Our group exists to honor those ideals.

Oh but do we have fun, too. Those that cook, get in the kitchen and wow. Those that don’t aren’t pressured to perform. A theme helps us tie everything together and rotating venues makes the commitment easier to manage. This month’s theme is Mexican and we’ve come up with a great menu – fajita/taco/tostada bar, margaritas and a batch of my world famous (or just in my head) sangria. I’m also attempting to whip up a dessert on the fly: Mexican chocolate cake (spiked with coffee and cinnamon) with ice cream, caramel and a Kahlua chocolate sauce.

Practical lesson learned today: when sleepy Saturday baking, measure carefully. Adding 2x the vegetable oil will bring a whole new meaning to the term “molten lava cake.” And this, folks, is where marketing comes in. I picked this up by watching the Food Network show “Chopped” – sell it. As long as it tastes good, no one will ever know what you MEANT to make. All anyone will remember is the fun, the conversation and feeling like part of the group. Oh and the sangria.


Make:

• Vanilla scented sangria: dry red wine, vanilla vodka, Grand Marnier, mango juice, raspberries and a vanilla bean. Let base ingredients mingle for a few hours. Strain out berries and replace with fresh when ready to serve; leave vanilla bean in for pretty factor. Mix 2 parts base with 1 part sparkling water.
• Chicken & steak fajitas: we followed Tyler Florence’s Ultimate Fajitas recipe
• Mole chicken: roast chicken breasts (or nab a rotisserie bird) and shred meat. In a small sauce pan, thin Dona Maria mole sauce with chicken broth until soupy. Mix with chicken shred until it’s all coated with sauce.
• Mexican chocolate cake: adapt any good chocolate cake recipe by adding 1 tsp good cinnamon. I used Ina Garten’s Beatty’s Chocolate Cake recipe and amped up the coffee flavor by dissolving another 1 tsp espresso powder in the coffee. Then added the cinnamon. Serve with store-bought caramel sauce, cinnamon/coffee/dulce de leche ice creams and the chocolate sauce.
• Chocolate sauce: melt ½ package bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (depends on your preference) with ½ tsp espresso powder and 1T Kahlua.

Gather:

• Tostada shells, flour tortillas, hard shells for tacos
• Avocados, tomatoes, lettuce, black olives, green onions
• Mexican crema and/or sour cream
• Queso fresco, Monterey jack, sharp cheddar
• Tortilla chips
• Salsa
• Guacamole (or if someone has a good recipe, make this by hand)
• Good margarita mix, tequila and Cointreau

Green tip: Although it takes a storage commitment, stockpiling appetizer-sized plates, basic tumbler glasses and cloth napkins keep the bulk of the post-party refuse to a minimum. I make liberal use of thrift stores for juice-sized glasses that can be used for vino, cocktails, margaritas, water, etc. Over the years, I've picked up a ton of old china plates. I try to stay with a simple color palette - cream with gold trim - so that I can combine a number of different patterns, eras, styles together on the table.