Party Time!

Farmer's Market goodies.

I like the colorful carrots - like Dr. Seuss! (andy)

Dad and Reilly enjoy the party.

Chomp chomp chomp

Plenty of fruit and veggies to go with the sliders and corndogs.

Yesterday was my parents Bon Voyage/Empty Nest party. It was an open house affair full of alcohol and food. Andy and I spent the day before stocking six ice chests full of beer, root beer, and wine.

We woke up at the crack of dawn yesterday to go the Calabasas Farmers Market. I needed to get a bunch of summer veggies for a salad, my mom wanted a melon and blueberries for a fruit platter, and dad wanted colorful carrots and celery for a side dish to his chicken wings. If the shopping list did not adequately describe the amount of food we had planned, allow me to publish the menu (complete with recipes):

Veggie Salad:

This is one of my favorite vegetable dishes. It is especially nice because it is pretty much the easiest thing in the world to prepare.
Serves: 6

6 small zucchini, cut into ½ in strips length-wise
3 small yellow squash, cut into ½ in strips length-wise
1 large or 2 small eggplants, cut into ½ in strips length-wise
2 red peppers, cut in half and de-seed
1 medium sized red onion, peeled and quartered (leave the base on so it won’t fall apart on the grill
½ cup olive oil
1 tbls Italian herb seasoning, or ½ tablespoon each of parsley, basil, thyme, and oregano.
1 package garlic hear boursin cheese

1. Preheat the grill to medium high heat.

2. Lay the cut vegetables out on a cutting board or cookie sheet and brush with the olive oil. Sprinkle the seasoning on the veggies.

3. Grill the veggies until tender and slightly charred.

4. Allow to cool slightly and then cut into large chunks. Place in a bowl with ¾ of the package of boursin cheese. Mix until well combined and the cheese has melted. Season as you like.

Sliders:

This is an Alton Brown recipe. It is amazing. It is a lot of work to prepare, but worth it if you want a juicy, albeit small, burger. They make good party food because it is portion controlled. The hardest part is finding good buns in the right size.
Serves: 4 (2 each)

½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powde
r½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound ground chuck
8 (3-inch) buns cut in half
2-3 tablespoon mayo

1. Pre-heat the griddle to 350˚F.

2. Combine the onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and salt in small bowl. Set aside.

3. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, and place the ground chuck in the middle of the pan. Cover the meat with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Roll meat with a rolling pin until it covers the surface of the pan; it should be very thin. Remove the plastic wrap, and sprinkle the meat with the seasoning mixture. Fold the meat in half, from side to side, using the parchment paper. Use a pizza wheel to cut the meat into 8 even squares.

4. Place the cut burgers on the griddle. Cook 2-3 min per side.

5. Smear each bottom bun with a little mayo and top with the burger meat. Top with whatever you want!

We also had corn dogs, but it is such a complicated recipe I am not going to bother posting it. The tequila-lime chicken wings, chicken-apple sausage, and chips and salsa were all store bought (shock!).

Everyone wandered in around three that afternoon, and the party continued until about two that morning when Reilly’s friends finally passed out from exhaustion. It was a great blend of friends and family, young children running around wet from the pool, and serious conversations about politics and the future. Overall, a very good day.
-Quinn