dinner with the Vances

We set our table with our new china for the first time!

This weekend one of my best friends (and my sister-in-law!) Erin, married her love, Joey, at a phenominal penthouse in the city. The weekend was amazing, filled with a TON of laughs and some sweet dance moves. The weekend started off with Matt and I hosting a dinner party for all of Matt's aunts that had traveled to town for the festivities. And naturally, I forgot to take ANY pictures of the food. I got a couple of good ones of the family and toasts being made though!


The beautiful Vance ladies (and Maya and I)

dinner party turned dance party!

toasting the bride and groom!

Vance Dinner Menu

Assorted cheeses and crackers

Cold spinach dip from Cooks.com (The only change I make is to use two packages of frozen spinach instead of one) with carrots

Brie and Carmelized Mushroom Mini Tarts from "For the Love of Cooking" (I made the musrooms the night before, then heated through and assembled for serving)

Roast Chicken with Pancetta and Olives from Cooking This and That (I assembled everything the night before, just basted with the wine while cooking)

Almond Rice Pilaf from Paula Deen via foodnetwork.com

green salad

Roasted Vegetable Napoleons from epicurious.com (I omitted the potatoes and assembled the night before)

Lemon Cream Cheese Mousse Cake from Cooking This and That

Everything was delicious. This was the perfect spring menu for entertaining on a work night. Everything was able to be prepared beforehand. The day of, I just had to throw it all in the oven! I wish I had some pics, because everything was really great, but I just had to share these recipes!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

I have made many different spinach artichoke dips. It is one of my favorite appetizers. I like to switch it up, experiment with different recipes. This one from My Kitchen Cafe was a top contender. Super creamy, and the bottle of alfredo sauce definitely offered a bit of a different flavor in this dip compared to others; you could really taste it. Overall, this was a great, easy appetizer. Again, made ahead of time- perfect for entertaining! I will just post the link to My Kitchen Cafe, as I did not change a thing from the original recipe.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Blue Cheese

These were A-MAZ-ING! So delicious. Perfect little nuggets. I seem to have the hardest time thinking of appetizers when my family comes over because my mom has a gluten allergy and my sisters' have seafood allergies. I feel like that eliminates a lot of my app ideas. But these worked perfectly. My sister Danielle, who loves spinach-artichoke dip and said the one that I had made was great, said she just couldn't stop eating the dates long enough to get to the dip!

Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Blue Cheese (allrecipes.com)

1 pound bacon, cut in half

1 pound dates (I ended up only needing .5 pound)

4 oz blue cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Slice dates in half, and open them up. Pinch off pieces of blue cheese, and place them into the center of the dates. Close the halves of the dates, and wrap a half-slice of bacon around the outside. Secure each one with a toothpick. Arrange in a baking dish or on a baking sheet with sides to catch any grease. (I prepared, or should I say that Matt prepared, these the night before and stuck them in the oven right before everyone arrived)

all lined up and ready for the oven!

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the bacon is crisp. Turn dates over after the first 20 minutes for even cooking.