Simple Weeknight Dinner Gathering

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One of the ways I make sure to spend some time with my favorite friends is to schedule a causal weeknight dinner with them. We usually do Thursday nights and change off cooking every other week. It’s good to do this with close friends, so you don’t feel like you have to cook up a huge fancy meal. In fact, it’s the perfect time to share some of your best quick and easy dishes with your friends.

I still set a nice table, but with place mats instead of a dressier tablecloth. I always use cloth napkins because they are reusable and don’t add to the landfills. I like to use colorful dishes to brighten up the mid-week blahs. My current favorite is my Sengware dinnerware. I love using Sengware Pomello to show off dishes like blackened tofu or fish, or a beautiful squid ink pasta. It’s really striking on the vibrant yellow.

My friend’s favorite dish to cook is quesadillas. She makes hers healthier with low fat cheese and whole wheat tortillas. She opens a can of black beans and corn and mixes them with a mild salsa. There are bowls of avocado and caramelized onion for each person to add in if they want. They cook quickly in a hot skillet to melt the cheese. Christy’s motto is cheese on both sides to ‘glue’ the whole thing together.

You can also sneak in all kinds of leftover veggies from meals earlier in the week. I love greens, asparagus and goat cheese as non-Mexican style quesadilla. Pear and a mild white cheese with a sprtiz of truffle oil is another gourmet twist that takes no more time than the traditional. You can even serve these during a fancy cocktail party.

Make a quick salsa by pulling out your food processor. Add a can of tomatoes, green chilies, fresh garlic, lime juice and cilantro and puree it all together. You can even freeze the leftovers for another weeknight! If you have some leftover rice from earlier in the week, heat it up with a little water, some chopped cilantro, and enough salsa to turn it red. It’s a perfect side dish for any Mexican fare. Another easy side dish is simple steamed vegetables, sprinkle with a little chili powder and cumin to give it a little twist.

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Create a Beautiful Table

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Everyone needs an escape from a hectic week. A slow paced luxurious dinner is my favorite way to leave my stress behind. After spending all your holiday money, you probably don’t have much left over for a fancy dinner out. But that doesn’t mean you can’t create it for yourself in your own dining room.

There are a few ways that you can change your house into a fancy dining establishment. Think of things that you have around the house that you can use to dress up the space. Look for houseplants to use. I love using my blooming Christmas cactus to add color to the space. You can also bring in a few vases of fresh flowers or clear vases full of battery operated string lights.

Grab a nice table cloth or table runner as the foundation for your table, but wait to put centerpieces on until you have the table completely set. If you don’t have a tablecloth, think of using a nice piece of fabric or even sew one out of some cloth napkins. Just like a restaurant, you want to create your own feel for the space.

Now is the time to get out your best Noritake dinnerware, as well as your best crystal and silverware. You can mix and match patterns or keep a simple clean theme. My personal vaforite Noritake dinnerware collection is the Noritake Colorwave.

Set a large plate as your base plate, then layer your dinner plate, a salad plate, and finally a soup bowl. If you don’t have a base plate just start with noritake colorwave dishes. With this set up, you clear one piece after each course, but don’t have to go through the bother of bringing new dishes out.

Use cloth napkins and put them to the left of the charger or make a fancy fold and put it in the soup bowl or water glass. On the right hand side place the knife with the blade pointed towards the guest, then the soup spoon. On the left, have the salad fork on the outside, then the dinner fork. The bread plate goes above the forks with the bread knife placed horizontally across the plate. At the top of the base plate, place a dessert fork and a spoon for coffee of you are going to serve any.

Glasses will go above the knife and spoon. Make sure to set out a glass for water, as well as one or two for wine. You can go with one wine glass if you are only serving one type of wine. Now you are ready to add a few candles and scatter some flower petals or confetti down the center of the table.

Chill your wine and make beautiful pitchers of water with fresh mint added. When your friends start to arrive, they may not recognize your dining room.

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