Wow! Everything looks delicious!

Yeah, what Teresa-mn said!

Wasabi arugala? ?
Tell us more!
I love them both!

And maybe you'd share your recipe
for the Tuscan cookies?

Rusty

Wow! What a great party, everything looks scrumptious!

Linda

That does look delicious and I'd also like to know more about those Tuscan cookies. Oh, and the red rice dish, if you'd be so kind.

Annie

Very nice. Everything looks delicious.

~Ann

Teresa - Thank you and as promised I am going to take you everywhere that I go and have a bite,lol.

Lunchtime we went to a new local place around my neighborhood, they do local fresh foods Mediterranean style and was I happily surprised that is very good! we will be back!, prices are very reasonably.

The place

I ordered soup and salad. The soup was probably the best tasting butternut squash soup that I ever ate. I hope that I can copy the flavors and the presentation for my next party.:) Dcarch, I need your help in this department and I encourage you to advice me on how I can better present my dishes because I think I lack in that department, but I am willing to learn...

Farro salad was perfect! love the mild dressing.

Rusty - I don't know if you garden but this season I am growing in my garden a new to me wasabi arugula from Renee seeds, I thought I leave them separate just in case someone did't like it but they were all raving about it that they loved the taste of the two flavors together.

Linda - Thank you. I was very happy that all my guests enjoyed the meal, that makes it all worth it.

Annie - I am including the recipe for all of those that want to try the cookies, they are very easy to make and you can substitute the jam of your choice, I used a peach one and a fig. The flavor of the rosemary gives a wonderful and different taste, they are very light.
The Himalayan red rice I was originally planning to make a salad with the Mahon newly harvested sweet potatoes but when I tasted it, I thought that if I made it warm from the oven it would greatly improve the flavor and it did. I cook 1 cup of rice in 1 1/2 cups of water for 20 minutes. I cut the sweet potatoes in small pieces and roasted them in the oven 325 for about 25 minutes covered in foil, a little olive oil, salt and pepper. I also had some roasted red peppers from previous dishes. I mixed all the ingredients together and added a little bit more of olive oil and salt an pepper and a dash of sherry vinegar. Had in the oven at low temperature together with the corn cakes to keep it warm.

Ann - Thank you. I try to improve in something every day and here in this forum is a perfect place to sharpen my skills in company of all of you Masters of the art of cooking.

Silvia

Here is a link that might be useful: ccokies

Everything looks amazing! What a wonderful menu. That farro salad looks interesting too.

Silvia, thank you, I'd love that cookie recipe...

I have red rice and I found the purple sweet potatoes at the Asian market, so I'm going to try something like that too, it looks good to me.

Annie

Silvia, I always feel that food, friendship and fun should be together, and together they make a gathering memorable.

Your fun dinner party says it all. Such delicious food, from appetizer to disserts.

One criticism [ trying very hard to find something wrong about your party, :-) ] I see you ran out of matching cups for the soup. LOL!

I agree with you that nicely presented food can add a lot to eating pleasure. I am no expert in that department, but I would be happy to discuss ideas. There is so much to learn for me. The first step of course is to start doing it.

Himalayan red rice, interesting. I have Himalayan red salt. I will have to try to make some.

Thanks for sharing.

dcarch

Bumblebeez - Thank you, I do a lot of tasting before I make a dish especially for company, I want to give them a good experience and next time that I invite them, they are going to look forward. Try to make the farro salad, it is one of my favorites grains, if you have a local Italian market, look for authentic Italian farro if not look for sometimes they called it spelt here, if you get this one it has be cooked longer. Add any salad greens that you like, any cut up veggies and a vinaigrette of your choice, the sky is the limit on the choices of add-ons, everything that you like you can add like nuts, beans, lentils even dried fruit. If you don't add fresh greens, you can keep it in the fridge for longer time already made.

Annie - That is so good that you found the purple sweet potatoes and the red rice. When my friends were here, I took one of the purple sweet potatoes and told them that I was going to cook for them the next time.

Dcarch - I feel the same way when I bring my friends together, I like to give them a good time sharing food and company.
I am going to give you the details beyond the scenes before the party,lol.
Drinks, wines and mixed drinks that I know they like, one guests is a non-drinker and likes soda.
Charred salsa went well with chips, they all liked it, because one of the guests I made it not too spicy.
The soup was the bomb, the recipe called for adding 2 cups of water, I didn't. And it was good! however I had more things to eat so I didn't want to make them full. Then I thought about the cute Arabic coffee cups, but I only had 6 in a set and we were 9, so I remember the other non-matching expresso and put them in. I had a ramekin cup that I don't show,lol. Note to me, get some more cute cups that match!
The BBQ went well, I marinated the shrimp in a spicy marinade to give it some flavor. 2 pounds.
The other kebabs were sausage and bought 3 pounds of kielbasa and put them in skewers with red onion and peppers and had them in a marinade of pesto, half cilantro, half parsley.
Dismiss the hot dogs, they are for my dogs, they were having a party too and they get the angus ones, no nitrates.
Now the sides.
I had 12 ears of corn, 6 went to the chipotle corn salad served at room temperature, and 6 went to a corn cakes made mostly of pureed corn and cook with cheese on top, they love this and is originally a humita recipe that I changed it.
The black beluga salad was originally with mushrooms, but I thought they don't keep too well, so I made it with a mustard dressing. One of the guest (French chef) said was the bomb! and I had leftover roasted red peppers and put them in the dish.
The red rice was assembled like I described before. I always try to buy something from the Himalayas to remind me the time that I spent there, beautiful memories, their cooking is a hot fusion of Chinese cooking and Indian. When my cauliflower is in season (soon) I make a dish that is very popular monsoon time, cauliflower and potatoes.
The wasabi arugula was just harvested for them to try, I figured since they were all foodies, they would liked that, and they did.
The desserts I had to use the meyer lemons and the pie was great tasting but rich, they all like it.
The cookies was something different and easy to make, also finger food.
And Dcarch after seen your posts, I bought the book Eleven Madison Avenue, even if I don't learn about the sauces and pickles there, it is a beautiful coffee table book.

Silvia

I wouldn't have even looked for those purple sweet potatoes if it hadn't been for your prior post, so thank you. I already had both red rice and black rice, just because I'd never tried either and I got them at Hua Xing the last time I went there. the red rice almost reminds me of wild rice in texture.

OK, did I miss the recipe for the cookies?

Annie

Annie, the recipe for the cookies is there in the link of the restaurant meal that I had and I spelled wrong ccokies instead of cookies.
Sometimes I make this black rice salad in the link, I also made a salad last year for the garden party made with red quinoa and those that tried it, like it.

Silvia

Here is a link that might be useful: black rice salad