Late Summer Night's Party

My favorite season is summer, specifically late summer. You know the time of year when the days are still hot, but the evenings cool off perfectly for bonfires and al fresco dinner parties. These are two more things on my list of favorite things; fires are so mesmerizing and entertaining outside makes me feel like someone in a French or Italian movie. I would seriously love to scrap everything and move to either Provence or Tuscany so that I could be surrounded by all that beauty and culture. Ahh, but for now I have to make due with transforming my home into a pseudo Provencal late summer night’s wonderland.

To accomplish this European feel begin by arranging patio furniture around your yard with the focal point being a white tablecloth draped table covered in candles and flowers. I would also string up my Christmas lights for extra ambiance, oh and don’t forget about a small bonfire. (Keep it small because you do not want the fire department showing up). Finally concerning music, it should be at a background volume, out of sight and play something soft and relaxing like classical. Now that the mood is set let’s talk food.

Now the last thing I want to be doing during my party is hanging in the kitchen putting together a multi-course meal. So I have gathered a few recipes that can easily be prepared ahead and enjoyed at room temperature.

The day before your party put together some fancy olives for your guests to nibble. My grocery store has a nice selection of bulk olives in the international cheese section of the deli. Buy at least a pound of olives for four people; you will need to double this recipe if you are entertaining more than four people. Rinse the olives well and put them into a bowl with one clove of minced garlic, half a cup of olive oil, one tablespoon of red wine vinegar, the zest and juice of one lemon and half a teaspoon of each red pepper flakes and oregano. Stir this up well and let the olives marinate overnight. Make sure that you warn your guests of the pits because there is nothing festive about chipped teeth.

Ok so on the day of your party get your apron on because you will need to get down to business if you want to enjoy your guests. Start by making your main dish, Pesto Chicken Bowties. To make this dish start by cooking a pound of bowtie pasta according to the package directions, rinse it and set aside. Next sauté one medium diced red pepper, one small-diced shallot, two minced cloves of garlic and a cup of chopped baby zucchini until everything is tender. Reduce the heat and add two cups of pre-cooked diced chicken, one can of drained artichoke hearts, half a cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes, a container of store-bought reduced fat pesto sauce, salt and red pepper flakes. Remove all of this from the heat and toss it well with the pasta before adding a cup of Parmesan cheese. The beauty thing about this dish is that it is just as good served room temperature as hot off the stove.

The next dish needs an hour to marinate so plan accordingly for Spicy Shrimp with Avocado Dipping Sauce. Begin by making a marinade from half a cup of lime juice, two teaspoons of olive oil, half a cup of finely diced red onion, a quarter cup of chopped cilantro, two cloves of finely minced garlic, one seeded minced jalapeno, a forth of a teaspoon of oregano, salt and pepper. To this mixture ass about a pound and a half of pre-cooked shelled shrimp and let it marinate for an hour. While the shrimp is marinating make up the dip in a food processor out of one chopped avocado, a third of a cup of low fat sour cream, two tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise, one teaspoon of lime juice and salt. Blend this until it is smooth and serve it with the chilled marinated shrimp.

Finally to finish out your al fresco meal are some Chicken Sausage Skewers. You can find a wide variety of chicken sausages at the grocery store; I personally love the sweet apple ones, but you can use whichever flavor you want in this recipe. Begin by sautéing one inch pieces of the sausage until browned on each side and then let them cool enough to handle. Once cooled you can begin assembling by spearing a fresh basil leaf, a small piece of roasted red pepper, a quarter of a marinated artichoke heart and finally a piece of the sausage onto wooden skewers. Voila you are done.

Now on the subject of bread and desserts you all know that I am not a baker but if that is your thing then knock your socks off and make everything from scratch. Me I am a fan of the Ciabatta rolls from the grocery store and I would most likely pick up an assortment of fancy pastries at my favorite Italian bakery or suggest one of the guests bring a dessert.

So now all you have to do is get dressed, set out the food, uncork the wine and enjoy your guests. I don’t understand why people throw parties just to spend the entire time in the kitchen or running around like a chicken with their heads cut off; didn’t you invite these people to enjoy their company? So have a game plan for your party that will enable you to kick back and enjoy the late summer night’s festivities.



Nibbling Olives

1 lb. Mixed Olives
1 clove Garlic, minced
½ Cup Olive Oil
1 Tblsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 Lemon, zested & juiced
½ Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
½ Tsp. Oregano

Rinse and drain the olives then combine them with the remaining ingredients to marinate in overnight.



Pesto Chicken Bowties

1 Lb. Bowtie Pasta
1 Med. Red Pepper, diced
1 Small Shallot, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Cup Baby zucchini, chopped
2 Cups Cooked chicken, diced
1 Can Artichoke hearts, drained & quartered
½ Cup Sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 Container Reduced fat pesto sauce
1 Tsp. Red pepper flakes
Salt
1 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Make pasta according to the package directions and drain. Sauté the red pepper, shallot, garlic and zucchini until soft. Stir in the remaining ingredients and toss with the pasta.



Spicy Shrimp with Avocado Dipping Sauce

½ Cup Lime Juice
2 Tsp. Olive Oil
½ Cup Red Onion, minced
¼ Cup Cilantro, chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Small Jalapeno, seeded and minced
¼ Tsp. Oregano
Salt & Pepper
1 ½ Lbs. Shrimp, cooked, shelled & deveined
1 Medium Avocado, chopped
1/3 Cup Low fat sour cream
2 Tblsp. Reduced fat mayonnaise
1 Tsp. Lime juice

Make a marinade out of the first eight ingredients and marinate the shrimp in it for an hour. Blend the last four ingredients in a food processor and serve with the drained shrimp.


Chicken Sausage Skewers

1 Pkg. Chicken sausage
1 Jar Roasted red peppers
1 Jar Marinated artichoke hearts
Basil leaves
Wooden skewers

Cut the chicken sausage into 1 inch circles and sauté until browned. Once cooled, spear the sausage onto a wooden skewer with one piece each of the remaining ingredients.