It?s a dinner party!

Bonjour mes amis! Last night we hosted a dinner party so after I got done with 6 hours of work (here I met the lovely Becca and her sweet boyfriend!!)I came home and got a-cookin?!

The menu:

Spinach Salad with brined Artichokes, Olives, and a Red Wine Vinaigrette
Cranberry Walnut Salmon
Cranberry Orange Roasted Chicken
Cinnamon Orange Cranberry Sauce
Green Beans tossed with Sesame Seeds and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Smashed Confetti Potatoes

When I got home I started by making the cranberry sauce. My version involved honey, cinnamon and orange zest+juice.

 

The pectin developed within a matter of minutes and the sauce set up beautifully.

I put the chicken in a cranberry, orange and garlic brine for 4 hours (as long as I had!! Alton Brown, don?t hate me!!) Once they were soaking I cooked the potatoes to prepare them for the second cooking. 3 lbs of salmon were placed in their cranberry-orange-ginger marinade and then the chickens came out of the brine to cook.

They went in the oven while appetizers came out and with 20 minutes to go on the chicken, I seared the skin side of the salmon and then placed it on the lower rack of the oven. The chickens came out to rest and then just 5 minutes later, the salmon was done. I heated water for the green beans and drizzled the pressed potatoes with oil to bake at 500*. The green beans steamed for 5 minutes while I carved chicken, and then plated everything while guests ate salad.

It seemed really overwhelming while I was in the kitchen, but everything really came together nicely. I was proud of myself for timing the oven perfectly (Chicken was timed right, salmon cooked for just long enough, potatoes came out right on cue) but I was upset about my counter-space disorganization. I was putting the cutting boards on the stovetop to carve the chicken because there was nowhere else to do it!

Next time, I?m clearing off the table in the pantry and using that as a ?hot plate? zone. Everything that comes out of the oven or off the stove will go there until it?s ready to be served. All the recipes are coming this week, but I just wanted to give you a glimpse of how to time this kind of meal.

 

 

Shrimp appetizer (brought by our guests! It was really yummy shrimp!!)

 

Salads are out- (my mom put these together? her vinaigrettes are absolutely delicious.)

Green Beans with Sesame and Olive Oil

 

Cranberry Walnut Salmon with smashed potatoes on the other side of the platter

 

Cranberry Orange Chicken with Cinnamon Orange Cranberry Sauce

(my brother ate all the skin before I could snap a picture! haha)

Served family style?

 

Haha and my little cousin and her friend brought a giant green cupcake for dessert! It was so cute!!

~~~

I hope everyone?s having a fantastic weekend. Please keep doing all you can for those devastated by the earthquake and if you have any good ideas for high-school fundraisers, let me know! (My principal turned down hats on and dress down. )

Miss Chocolate-Covered Katie is giving away Lucille Ball.

Just KIDDING- She?s giving away a Vita-mix 5200!!! (insert happy girl shriek here!!)

Miss Katie- I totally stole your picture and Photoshopped you in!? I hope you don?t mind!!

Posted in Dinner, Food, Uncategorized Tagged: cinnamon orange honey cranberry sauce, cranberry orange roasted chicken, cranberry walnut salmon, Dinner party, giant cupcake, green beans, Shrimp, smashed blue potatoes, smashed poatoes, tri color smashed potaotes, vitamix giveaway