I have a group of former co-workers whom I have known for about twenty years. Although we no longer work together, we often meet to catch up on family, friends and discuss the “good old days!” These girls know me well and I just love getting together with them. In keeping with my goal this year of entertaining once per month, I decided to invite them over for a Saturday lunch.
I kept the menu simple because for me the best part of entertaining is about connecting and conversing. Sure, I also enjoy planning and making the meal a little special but it is the relationship building that means more to me than the fussy details. I have often heard there is a rule in entertaining that you should not serve a recipe that you have not made before. Most of the time I break that rule. I enjoy trying new recipes as much as I like cooking for others so it is natural for me to marry those two interest. Sometimes it works out, other times it does not. Fortunately those relationships I am building over the meal are usually strong enough to overcome any culinary fiascoes.
Our lunch started with store bought Black Olive Hummus and Pita Bread. I have not tried making my own hummus yet but have thought about it. I am a huge lover of hummus!
For the main entree, I chose Caramelized Onion Quiche and a side pasta salad since they would be easy to make ahead. I thought the quiche sounded great since it was full of caramelized onions and Gruyere cheese, what not to love. However, the dish ended up being a little greasy which I had never experienced before with other quiche I have made. I assume it came from the oil used to caramelize the onions. The taste was ok but paled in comparison to my quiche standard, which is my mom’s hash brown crust quiche.
The Caesar Pasta Salad was another new recipe that I found in Good Housekeeping magazine. This one was a keeper. It was full of fresh veggies, basil and a vegetarian caesar dressing. Of course I forgot to take a picture of mine, but it looked pretty similar to the Good Housekeeping picture below.
The final new recipe I used was for Mini Key Lime Pies. These were really good and I think the hubby would agree since I came in the kitchen and caught him scarfing a few of these down when the luncheon was over. I would definitely recommend making these simple, easy tarts if you are a fan of Key Lime pie.
The food was good but the conversation was great. One item that came up in conversation was a story about a little boy who believes he is a reincarnated WWII pilot. Maybe you saw the story about this on ABC’s Primetime, if not, watch this uTube video, it is fascinating! I cannot say I have ever been a believer in reincarnation, but how in the world would this 3 year old little boy know these things???
Talk with you later friends…….
It was a wonderful lunch! I need that recipe for key lime pies. Thanks for including me.