My kind of dinner party!

If you're like me, you enjoy entertaining but don't always like the way you get stuck in the kitchen while you listen to all of your guests having a good belly laugh in the room next door. The truth is that being a host can sometimes be a downer when you're guests leave and you don't recall having more than a 30 second conversation with anyone ! A lot of people just don't throw dinner parties anymore...but there's something pretty cool about a night in on your own turf - it's laid back, informal and certainly not as pricey (especially if you go through wine like a lot of my pals!).

So, that's why I decided on a new version of dinner parties at my house. They're fun, relaxed, less stressful for the me and everyone, yes everyone gets involved and takes part in creating a good time! The formula is simple really: invite 2 or 3 couples with a little sense of adventure and a variety of interests (some common, some not), create a menu theme, assign each couple to bring the ingredients for one of the dishes (keep it simple) , set up cooking stations, mix and match cooking partners and throw a good' ole kitchen party! As a host, most of the prep work is in planning a good menu that is simple and relatively easy to assemble in a short time. Then you get to spend your time doing the fun part of entertaining - setting the stage for a great night in.

This past weekend, two couples joined us to cook up this Fall Festive Menu:
Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Brie Salad
Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Root Vegetable and Balsamic Kale
Apple Delight

After getting a beverage in hand, the soup was underway and cooked up in 20 minutes or so. Everyone chipped in to chop veggies and mix up seasonings. All the while telling stories and sharing a laugh or two. The creative juices were flowing as everyone tried to plate their food just so. Since each cooking pair prepares, serves and cleans up after their course...everyone gets a chance to linger at the dining table AND get up and moving - so, it's a great experience for all!

We made an extra large batch of the soup so that there were leftovers, which meant a relaxed Sunday meal for moi. The following day I packaged up a couple of servings of the healthy puree and delivered it to the couples so that they could enjoy it too - it is a simple, easy way to thank your guests for coming and let them enjoy the fruits of their labour too!

The soup was such a hit that I must share the recipe with you that I modify slightly from Ken Kostick's "Ken's Soup Krazy" cook book. His book inspired me to try out a number of soups over the years and discover how healthy, easy and wholesome soups can be - they're a fall staple at my house! So, enjoy the soup...host a party and get everyone to share in the fun (& the work!)

Curried Butternut Squash Soup
8-10 cups of vegetable stock (I like McCormick's bouillon cubes)
1 good sized butternut squash (peeled, seeded and chopped into 1 inch cubes)
2 small onions, chopped
2 large potatoes, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups half and half cream (or simply use milk for a healthier alternative)

Throw everything in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until squash is cooked through. Discard bay leaf. Puree with a hand blender. Stir in cream/milk. Garnish with a bit of parsley and serve with a piece of flat bread. Yum!

You can also freeze this soup...but I recommend not adding the cream/milk before freezing - instead, add it when you heat the soup up for serving.
*Note: you can be generous with some of the seasonings to intensify the flavour (I always boost up the curry and the cinnamon)