Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Friends, Food and Fun

I have never really been one for formality. In fact, formal events make me feel incredibly uncomfortable and I spend much of the time wondering if I am using the correct fork or wine glass. I figure, if it holds liquid, drink from it! It could be an old jam jar for all I care.

Getting together with friends needs to be relaxing. Spending hours stressing over menu selections can turn what should be a fun experience into something completely different.

Tonight we are hosting a Trivial Pursuit evening with some wonderful friends. The menu is simple, but hopefully super tasty. Dips, bruschetta and fritatta are ideal to be nibbled at as we move our little pieces of pie around the board. Most can be prepared beforehand and the rest need only a little time, long enough for kiddoes to have a quick dip in the pool.

Roasted carrot and garlic with cumin and coriander ready to be turned into dip.

Carrot Hummus

These are the types of get-togethers I love. Very relaxed with guests kicking their shoes off as they walk through the door and helping themselves to drinks in the fridge.

Dessert is ready to go and just waiting for a bit of fruit to be added before serving. In the spirit of the evening, can you answer this question correctly?

What will be served for dessert in the Mouse House this evening?
a. ice cream and fruit salad.
b. pavlova
c. lemon cheesecake
d. custard tarts with berries

How do you like to spend time with friends?

Take care


EDIT
After a little reading about recipe copyright, here is the one for the dip.


Carrot Hummus

Adapted from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg Everyday

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
6 tbsp oil
1 tsp honey
500g carrots
3 large garlic cloves
juice of half a lemon
juice of an orange
3 tbsp tahini (or smooth peanut butter)
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°.
Dry fry the cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant. Remove from the heat and grind to form a powder. Add 4 tbsp of oil and honey (I think maple syrup may also work well). This will form a marinade for the carrots.
Cut the carrots into small pieces and place in a roasting dish. Add the squashed (notvcrushed) garlic.
Coat the carrots and garlic in the marinade.
Season with salt and pepper.
Roast until the carrots are soft and a browning on the edges. This may take about half an hour.
When slightly cool, transfer to a food processor making sure to take the skins off the garlic.
Add the juices, tahini and oil and process. (I have also managed to do this with a stick blender).
Add more salt and pepper if needed.

6 comments:

  1. d. sounds like my ideal evening :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. mmmm, with the theme of keeping it simple....I may have to say a.

    This sounds like a perfect get together to me. Shoes are way over rated at get togethers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joy, it was simple, but not a.
      It was a great night even though my team didn't win. The game was won be a team of children!

      Delete
  3. My guess is pavlova since you were going to make one before you left Germany. I think you have been itching to make one. PS where is the recipe for the yummy looking dip? We like to play majong with a antipasto platter on the side.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are right! Pav was the order of the day.
      I will get the recipe up for you. I was just doing a bit of reading about copyright so I'll sort it tonight (hopefully).
      I've never played majong. It looks really interesting but a bit tricky. It does look like fun though.

      Delete

Thanks so much for dropping by. I really appreciate any comments you have to make.

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