Hosting Reinvented

I discovered that I love hosting when Joe was in law school.  Several of his law school buddies were married or in serious relationships and none of us had any money to go out very often so we started having pot luck dinner parties at each others homes.  Somewhere between enchilada night and the chili cook-off a hostess was born.

In our pre-baby days we crammed people into whatever space we were calling home for dinner parties, the Super Bowl, Easter brunch, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving (the last seven years!) and somehow I talked Joe into having a Christmas party one year.

Now, we've entered into the world of play dates and our dinner parties start a little earlier, have less wine and a few high chairs have been added around the table.  I've tried to not lower my expectations for how the food tastes, but you won't find anything too complicated on my table these days.  I stick to food that can hold its own for awhile, can be made in advance and I rely on dishes that don't really require a recipe.  I can and do cook with Vivie at my feet, but usually she's playing in the pantry or the fridge.  Fishing the garlic out of the vegetable drawer and peeling the cloves is currently her favorite kitchen task (there is probably garlic "paper" on my floor right now). 

 And, when I'm really lucky she'll play in her kitchen preparing her own feast (and not making a mess out of mine).

Last week we hosted two couples with babes for dinner and held a play date for six other mommas and babies.  I thought it might be a little much doing both, but it was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed the company and conversation (even if it did digress to sippy and straw cup preferences on occasion) and our guests graciously gave the food good reviews.

So, what did we eat? (recipes and notes below)
Playgroup Menu: 
Tomato & Goat Cheese Sandwiches (recipe coming soon-it's so easy it's embarrassing)
Mushroom and Spinach Crustless Quiche
Honey Vanilla Herbal Iced Tea

Dinner Party Menu:
Tomato & Goat Cheese Slices (yep, the same thing from the playgroup, but cut smaller)
Pan-fried Salmon with Lemon Vinaigrette
Brussel Sprout Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Roasted Butternut Squash and Fingerling Potatoes with Herbes de Provence
  
Mushroom and Spinach Crustless Quiche
I doubled the recipe, used 10 eggs and 1/2 cup of 2 % milk (rather than a small amount of cream) and carmelized one red onion.  This yielded 12 standard muffins and 15 mini muffins.  Grease the pans REALLY well and soak immediately (clean-up was the hardest part).

Pan-fried Salmon with Lemon Vinaigrette
Salmon
Salmon (skin on) (one 5-8 oz portion per guest)
Kosher Salt
Fresh-Ground Pepper
Olive Oil

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat.  Salt and pepper the skin side and place skin side down in pan (I could fit 3 portions at a time).  Drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper the flesh side.  When the salmon is cooked half-way through (when the pink edge has turned from translucent to opaque all the way to the middle), flip the fish.  Cook a couple minutes longer (this goes much faster than the skin side) until desired doneness is reached (I like it medium rare, but cook it closer to medium for guests because that's usually what people are more used to).

Pass lemon vinaigrette at the table for guests to drizzle on themselves.

Vinaigrette (I've made a couple changes, but originally discovered it here.  I use this on everything!) 
1 lemon zested and juiced
2 garlic cloves grated (this is key!)
olive oil equal to the amount of lemon juice
Salt & Pepper to taste
Shake or whisk ingredients together and toss with salad, adding a tablespoon or two at a time until desired taste is reached.
(I tripled this to dress the salad and pass with the salmon.)

Tip: If using a hand-held grater/microplane, flip it over and juice the lemon over it so it catches the seeds.

Brussel Sprout Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
The original recipe is terrific, but like I said, I'm using the Lemon Vinaigrette on everything these days (and it went better with salmon).  I even have a few pictures of this one, so I'll post my version soon--in the meantime, try the original (really, even if you hate brussel sprouts). 

Roasted Butternut Squash and Fingerling Potatoes with Herbes de Provence 
One 3-4 lb Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1-2" cubes
2 lbs Baby fingerling Potatoes (cut to similar size as squash)
Olive Oil
Herbes de Provence (or favorite seasoning)
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 425°.  Toss squash and potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and Herbes de Provence. Line pan with foil and brush with oil.  Roast for 40-50 minutes.

Yield: Plenty for 6 adults and 3 babies.

What's your favorite event to host?  Do you have a go-to recipe or one you can't get enough of right now?