The Dinner Party

Oh gosh.  I just ran 12 miles and I think I can finally start to think about food again...maybe.  After last night's dinner, I'm shocked that I was able to get my self up this morning let alone running.

We inherited these from my grandma,
I've never seen them before last night

My mom's cousin, Chris, is 68 and a retired math teacher.  She is basically one of my idols.  Not only is she a math teacher that I can look to for advice, but she is also one epic foodie.  She doesn't do the whole blogging thing, but she cooks all the time and she puts together cookbooks of her recipes for her family.  Also, she does dones of traveling where she studies various cuisines and brings back new tastes.

My mom put together a beautiful table setting on our
dining room table (I can't remember the last time we ate here!)

A few months ago, Chris went to my mom and asked if I would like to put together a dinner party with her.  She knew that I was a growing foodie and she wanted to help me get some ideas and learn some things about food.  I was obviously excited about this and said yes to the proposition immediately.  Then, we started planning.

Like a wedding or fancy reception, my dad put out cards for
each guest to find out what table they were seated at...(yes, all table 1)

Chris and I put together a 6 course meal for 12 last night.  We started with appetizers, then a soup, salad, main course, cheese plate, and dessert.  The dinner started at 6:30 and did not end until 11.  It was one marathon of a meal and everything was amazing.  Over the next few days, I will be taking you all through our meal.  Chris gave me a ton of great recipes and I learned so much.  Everything tasted amazing! I ate my brains out and I can't even pick a part of the meal that was my favorite (although I am typically partial towards dessert...).

The menu:

Appetizer:
Eggplant Rollitini
Large Saute Shrimp
Pesto Stuffed Broiled Tomatoes

Soup:
Creme of Asparagus

Salad:
Roasted Beet and Pecan with Cabernet Balsamic Vinaigrette

Main Course:
Boeuf Bourguignon
Pommes Dauphinois
Roasted Herb Carrots
Fancy Mac N Cheese (Vegetarian Option)

Trio of French Cheeses

Dessert:
Triple Delight Brownie Parfait
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcake
Truffles

And of course, there were four wines: two red, two white, all French.