Belle and I hold an open house dinner on the second Saturday of every month. It’s open to all our friends and all their friends, too – a great way for us to share interesting recipes and meet new people every month!

Last month was our first open house dinner, and we did an Asian theme. It was such fun, and we’re really looking forward to this month’s dinner.  This month we’ve decided to do a Mediterranean theme.

So far we have a full house coming for next Saturday and we’re hoping we still may get more people RSVP-ing.

Here is our planned menu, (although things can always change!) I will eventually post about each of these dishes, so we’ll keep updating this post with links to any new posts with the recipes (I’ve already posted about the pumpkin pie. It was such a hit the last time I served it, we thought it would be a good way to round out the meal, although it’s not Mediterranean.)

Appetizers:

  • Smoked Salmon Mousse with Baguette Slices
  • Mini Tortilla Quiches
  • Spinach and Yogurt Dip with Caramelized Onion & Pita bread

Dinner:

  • Fava bean stew with crusty bread
  • North African Shrimp (I just love this recipe)
  • Crazy Rice (while not exactly Mediterranean – okay, so it’s Caribbean, so it’s not even close – we had to think of the children too!)
  • Eggplant Salad, Country Style
  • Chicken Salad with Tarragon, Pine Nuts & Raisins
  • Beef and Rice Meatballs in a Yogurt-Tomato Sauce
  • Crisp Bitter Greens with Vinaigrette

Dessert:

For those less daring (and for the kids):

  • Homemade Tagliatelle with either Alfredo sauce or butter & Parmesan cheese. If things get really hectic on Saturday we may just use store bought spaghetti.

Next month (December 12) we plan on doing a Tapas party (Spanish) with a variety of small bites and a sampling of different beers – we thought it’d be something a little different for the holiday season. We’re both already looking forward to that one – mark your calendars, everyone!