Good Eaters are Good People to Have Around

Becca, here.


It's hard for me to define where 'home' is these days. Born in Baton Rouge, raised in Mechancisville, VA, and back to my roots now in Baton Rouge.  So with two states claiming memories of childhood and young adulthood, I say: Home Is Where Your Stomach Is.  (If I knew how to needlepoint that phrase I'd jump all over that craft project to hang at my new residence with Chad here in THREE MONTHS!!! yeah, I'm excited about becoming a wifey). 


With that in mind, I also believe it's the people you eat with that count where your home is.  Maybe it's  living in the South (not you VA- you, Louisiana!) or maybe God knew I needed people who loved cooking and food as much as I do, but there is never a shortage of good food when friends gather around.


Last weekend we threw a little surprise toga party for our favorite Greek food lover, Meg! She's always played around with a toga party, but seeing as this is our last college birthday for the gal (what will 'real world adult' parties be like?) we decided we needed to Make.This.Happen.


Here's the result!

You've got your Caesar salad, hummous, pesto-twists, and...King Cake?
Caesar was a king, right?
We won't mention the mishap of the supposed-to-be Chocolate Cake. Thank the Lord for grocery stores and the supply of King Cake throughout Carnival Season.


I made the Caesar Salad.  Obviously it's a no-brainer, but here's my twist:


Caesar 'would be oh so proud' Salad
1 head of lettuce -I used Whole Foods Romaine..but wait, this is Greek, not Rome! ha..ha...get it? :)
1 bottle of your favorite Caesar salad dressing
1 tomato (if you like!)
1 small loaf of rustic bread  for croutons(thanks again, Whole Foods! I have a complete stickered bread card!)
Plentiful handfuls of grated Parmesean-Asiago cheese blend
Plus, seasoning for croutons


Chop lettuce and mix in a bowl with tomato.  Set aside.
Roughly dice bread into bit size cubes.  Drizzle with some olive oil (as the Greeks would do, yes?), sprinkle with rosemary, thyme, and a little S&P. Bake in 425 oven for about 10 minutes, or until crispy. I think I might have broiled them for a little bit too just to crisp them a little more. 
Add your choice dressing, cheese, and mix!
Eat like a Greek would.

The pesto twists were pretty simple too.  Meg and Meredith have made them before. 


Pesto Twists
1 can of cresant rolls
1 jar of pesto


Lay out cresant rolls and slice into strips.  With a basting brush, slather with pesto. Twist the dough strips and bake as directed on container (350 for about 7 minutes).


So that was our Greek meal. 
Hooray for a friend, good food, and birthday's to celebrate!

To catch you up on other eatings that never got blogged, enjoy the photos taken from our Christmas party at our place back in December.  Maybe this is just a tease to blog later..

Natalie's spinach chicken roll-ups & Chad's twice baked potatoes 

Meredith's Spinach & Artichoke dip

My Pink Champagne Cupcakes (thanks Betty Crocker!)

See yall at the next party!

dinner party.

Ally, here.

Well, I've just hit a milestone. I celebrated my 21st birthday on Thursday, and as I am now a full-fledged adult, I've decided to become a bit more sophisticated. I celebrated my birthday with a dress-up dinner party in the backyard. I prepared the main course, asparagus and mozzarella stuffed chicken, while the guests brought side dishes and desserts. I'm telling you, there's nothing better than enjoying a great meal with great friends. And doing so in the great outdoors (well, as great as the outdoors can get in the middle of the city) makes it even better.
Here's the recipe for the chicken. You're going to love it.

Ingredients:
chicken breast (one for each person)
asparagus
mozzarella cheese
butter
black pepper
garlic (powder or the real deal)
basil
EVOO

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
   
2. Beat the chicken breast until it is thin enough to easily fold/roll. (I'm limited on tools, so I used the back of an ice cream scoop.)
3. Put a dab of butter in the middle of the chicken breast.
4. Lay whole asparagus (I did 4 or 5 pieces) in the middle of the chicken breast.
5. Sprinkle with pepper.
6. Sprinkle with mozzarella (in my opinion, the more cheese the better).
7. Roll the chicken breast until the asparagus and cheese are nicely contained.
   
8. Sprinkle the top with basil and garlic, followed by a drizzle of EVOO.
9. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

This is a great dish for a large group. It only takes a few minutes to prepare, and it's not too expensive to make. Hope you enjoy!