Ponder Post: Dinner Get-together for Dancers

Friday night we hosted a get-together with three couples we know from our dancing lessons: John and Marita, Carl and Sachi, Dave and Janet. Frank and I thoroughly enjoyed the socializing and have resolved to entertain more. One of the things I think we are realizing in retirement is that friends are now folks with whom we have something in common and not just parents of friends of our kids. Also, as we get older, we may need to end the evenings earlier, but they can be more low key, less ambitious, and more flexible in when they are scheduled. I was not nearly so uptight about having these folks over as I have been when hosting parties in the past. I thought I would be since I am so out of practice entertaining. But all went smoothly, I had a good time, and I was not stressed. Cleanup was a breeze and not at all onerous. Folks brought wine, which I am sure helped. I, too, bought a bottle of wine based, not on my vast expertise as a wine connoisseur, but rather on its name, Slow Dancer.

I actually liked the taste of the wine as well as the name.

I kept Friday night's menu simple, serving marinated broiled chicken, a potato casserole, steamed broccoli and carrots, with fruit and cheese plates set out for pre-dinner munching. Since I love dishes and china I finally got to put some of my collection to good use. A while back I had bought some vintage pressed glass crescent shaped dishes at an antique store in Oklahoma, just because I thought they were pretty and unique with a fruit pattern molded in the base. I got to use them to contain bright strawberries, red raspberries, blackberries and green grapes. They were so appetizingly colorful.

The colorful fruit  was a sweet snack throughout the evening.

I guess I should have taken a picture when the dishes were full but I did not. Their  crescent shape was perfect to encircle table lamps in the living room and later around serving dishes on the supper table. The fruit got eaten but here is the glass dish. It was fun to get to use some of this stuff I have been "saving".

This pressed glass dish I think was originally intended to wrap around a serving plate
 and serve fruit. The crescent measures about 8" tip to tip.

Folks complimented the food so here are some of the details. The marinade I used for the chicken was from a Grill Mates packet; McCormick has a whole series of them. I used my second favorite which is the Garlic, Herb & Wine.

Just mix with oil, water, and vinegar.
I used olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I could not find my favorite one, Zesty Herb, even though I checked three different grocery stores in Livermore –  Nob Hill, Safeway and Lucky's. I wonder if it is discontinued in the stores. There was no empty spot or label for it on the shelves. Good old Amazon. I went there and was able to order some and at about two thirds the price in the store even with the shipping. I had to get a twelve pack, but they keeps and I go through them fairly quickly.

I like to use apple cider vinegar with this one.

Folks liked the potato casserole. Here's how it's made.

     2 lb  frozen cubed potatoes, thawed (~ 1 hr)

     1 stick of butter melted (I used unsalted)

     1 lb sour cream (I used fat free)

     1 can cream of chicken soup (I used the low fat, low sodium option)

     1 cup diced onions (I used the equivalent of dried onion flakes)

     8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together and place in 9"x13" casserole dish, uncovered. Bake 1 hour at 375°F.

After dinner we played some games. Half of us played the balancing game Suspend while others toured Frank's trains. There is little to no learning curve on this game and it is a lot of fun while it keeps you in suspense wondering if or when the tower of rods you've constructed will topple.

The games are short and do not require a lot of deep thought.
Deep thought is dubious after several glasses of wine.
So is fine motor balancing. 

Then the train crew took a turn playing Suspend and the female contingent went upstairs to look at my quilts while the aroma of Janet's chocolate dessert creation wafted through the house as it baked. We broke for a chocolate souffle-like concoction filled with chocolate ganache and served with homemade vanilla ice cream. Janet is formally trained as a pastry chef so you gotta bet it was "Mmm, Mmm, Good"!

After dessert we played Apples to Apples. In this game a green adjective card is exposed and each player tries to match it best with one of the red noun cards he holds in his hand. The player who introduced the green adjective card is the judge of which player made the best match. Often there are no good matches but the unlikely pairings can make for some good laughs.

With eight players there were lots of opportunities
 for off-the-wall, funny, noun-adjective combinations.

I think the most memorable card combination was when Carl played his red noun card "Helen Keller" in response to Frank's green adjective card "touchy-feely". It almost made up for Frank's dismay and disbelief when Marita favored my red noun card "Internet" over Frank's red noun card "Porsche Boxer" as a better fit with the green adjective card "speedy". Folks left shortly after we completed our Apples to Apples game. It was unanimous however that we all want to get together again pretty soon.