Dinner Party Planning

I have wanted to host dinner parties for years but never felt like my apartments were conducive to it as I did not have space for a large dining room table or my kitchen was small but upon moving to Yellowknife I decided to have people over regardless. Restaurants in Yellowknife are expensive and the food is never up to par so the easiest (and cheapest) way to hang out with new friends is to invite them over for food and drinks. My place remains less than ideal for dinner parties but no one seems to care!
Here are some of my tips for planning dinner parties...

1. DO IT! Even if you don't have a perfect space. If you enjoy hosting the party your guests will enjoy the food and company.

2. MANAGE EXPECTATIONS. If you are having a causal Ethiopian night and don't mind latecomers or extra guests let everyone know. If you are having a timed, coursed molecular gastronomy meal and need everyone to show up on time and without extra friends let everyone know.

3. FORGET ABOUT 'DINNER PARTY' ETIQUETTE. If you don't want table-settings and formal centrepieces don't have them. There is no 'right' way to host a dinner party.

4. MENU PLANNING. Plan a menu where every dish does not require a ton of last minute finishing touches. Instead focus on make-ahead meals with one special extra-work dish that will impress your guests.

5. HOST WITH YOUR PARTNER. When we have folks over I do the prep, the cooking, and the cleaning but during the party my husband deals with drinks, coats, and details like that. This means I get to enjoy the conversation and the guests without having to worry about whose drink needs refilling or if we need more ice.

Well... I'm off to plan my next dinner party! #Ethiopian

 

Monoprinted Egg Cards

I have become quite addicted to monoprinting via a home-made permanent gelli plate. Monoprinting is a form of print making that results in one unique print rather than a multitude of identical copies of the print. I made some funky graphic 'egg' cards.

First I made a bunch of backgrounds prints with bright colours and various textures on old book paper. Then I made a stencil of the white of the egg and by 'stencil' I mean I but a weird blob out of some thin plastic. I printed the egg white onto various background papers. Then I made a round stencil and used that to print the yolk onto the egg white. Then I stamped on the word 'egg' and mounted the image on a card base. 

Monoprinting is fun because you can create a bunch of similar items but each one has its own quirky personality. This egg was my first 'mass-produced' try at the gelli plate but I think using the same technique for other food images would be fun. Ideas include: chocolate chip cookies, pancakes and butter, and a bowl of fruit. 

Edited to Add: I made more and am selling them here!

Recipe: Vegan Egg Nog

Uh.... I think I accidentally found the holy grail of vegan eggnogs! This is thick, creamy, and foamy. It's so thick that it basically requires booze to thin it down to a drinkable consistency. It's pretty easy to put together and does not require much in the way of speciality ingredients.  

This is an eggnog for true nog lovers!  

5 tablespoons flour
1 cup water
1/3 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons icing sugar
1/3 cup aquafaba (liquid from unsalted canned chickpeas)
ground nutmeg
booze of choice

Combine flour and water in a pan over medium high heat. Stir constantly to remove lumps. This mixture will smell like toasting flour and then start to clump together in clear-ish blobs. Stir consistently until mixture forms one sticky ball then remove from heat. Remove mixture from hot pan.

Combine 2 tablespoons of flour mixture with milk, sugar, and vanilla and blend together in a blender. Once combined set aside. 

Combine icing sugar and aquafaba in a stand mixer and mix until soft peaks form which will take anywhere from 7-15 minutes. 

Combine two mixtures in a mug and top with ground nutmeg and booze of choice. 

This recipe makes one serving but the extra portions of flour mixture which will keep for a few days in the fridge. 

I might work on this recipe a bit more and maybe try using some chickpea flour in the flour mixture to make the color a bit more 'eggy'.