{event showcase} Would Your Kids Eat This?

Marinated vegetables?

Seared scallops?

Roasted lamb loin?

My kids wouldn't eat these foods either ... but I would, and so would my friends!  So I hosted a My Child Would Never Eat That! dinner party to enjoy our favorite foods but I added a little twist.  I hired a personal chef to prepare the food in my kitchen so that we could observe her cooking techniques and learn new recipes, and then, Chef presented us with the food paired with organic wines.  It was heavenly!

Below is a quick overview of what I planned to inspire you to plan your own dinner party. 

This is the invitation sent electronically via Paperless Post.  Like the radishes? You'll see them again!

This is the menu prepared by Chef Colleen of Leen's Cuisine.  I designed the menu card in MS Publisher and tucked a copy into each napkin fold.

So much fun in the kitchen!  Thanks, Amanda and Maribel, for helping out.

One of my favorites was the roasted lamb loin!  Chef Colleen prepared it with a dry rub and then, seared it on the stove.  Thinly sliced and drizzled with a touch of red pepper sauce, it was delicious ... especially with a sip of Chilean merlot!  Stay tuned for another post on her recipes.

I love to set the table!  For this party, I created a formal and seasonal look but I embellished it with a few quirky items, such as the place card forks (details on yesterday's post) and filled containers of flowers with dried split peas and accented with clusters of radishes. 

As I mentioned above, I tucked a menu card into each napkin.  Here is how I created a pocket fold:

Lay the napkin flat.

Fold the bottom up 1/3 of the way.

Fold the top down over the last fold, about 2 inches below.

Turn the napkin fold over and fold the sides in, about 1/3 on each side.

Turn the napkin fold back over and Voila!, there should be a pocket.

Did you know?  Hosting a 'tastings' dinner party with cooking demonstration is a savvy strategy for producing a great party for less money.  It's food and drinks with entertainment rolled into one!

Ready to host your own 'My Child Would Never Eat That' dinner party?  Then start planning with my complimentary Party Planner.