Back in January, I mentioned throwing a Healthy Recipe Exchange & Potluck + Ladies Night. I had almost canceled it, but thought better of it. Thank goodness I did kept the date! It was so much fun. Two of my friends, Jen and Stephanie, met me at the weekly wine tasting before the party. [Side note: I plan my parties around the wine tastings. I really should devote a whole blog post to them... hmmm... adding to my to-do list.] It was nice to chill out before the festivities -- it was also nice to have the extra help to get things set up beforehand. The funny thing about my friends is that most of them showed up early! I pushed back the start time to accommodate those non-grad-school peeps to let them gear down after work and get cute and then they show up 30+ minutes early anyway! Good thing I'm always running early. Funny highlight of setting up w/ Jen and Steph: Giving them my loveseat cover and saying "go at it." Yeah, guess who ended up putting it on? Also, this was the first party I've hosted where my bed was not made... and by not made I mean, there weren't any sheets on it at all!
Here's a pic of all the lovely ladies:
See all the wine? Yeah, it was an awesome night! Okay, so now to the recipes (which are the highlight of this post)!
Annika's Jajek
16 oz. cottage cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Blend well and serve with crackers or Lavashak (round cracker bread).
This was a very refreshing dish! It would work well as an appetizer or as a light lunch. :)
Krista (via Rachel Ray) Black Bean & Corn Salsa
This was so yummy! Now, that it's getting warmer out, I want to make this (and add some avocado to it) and just chill out with a cerveza... too bad, it will be back to pre-Spring weather next week.
My! (via Food Magazine) Paprika Chickpeas
These were really tasty (and easy!). My only suggestion would be to up the salt and to reduce the olive oil by a tablespoon. They were a little oilier than I would have preferred. I think these would also be tasty with other spices -- like wasabi powder instead of the Paprika. At any rate, they are a cheap and easy munchy for parties.
I won't reproduce the recipe here, but you can click on the link. This was again, a very refreshing and surprisingly substantial dish. I ended up eating the leftovers of this after every left for the night... Colleen told me about how her husband was bummed that she didn't bring any home after the party! I guess she'll just have to make it again. :)
This dish was very substantial. A perfect dish for a cold January night. It was a big hit!
This is one of my favorite recipes (include a "go-to recipe"). And yes, I took it out of Real Simple way back in 2006. Scary thought, huh? At any rate, I made this for the party with peach preserves instead of apricot because that's what was in my fridge. It didn't make that much of a difference (duh!) and was quite tasty, if I do say so myself.
Jen's blondies were a big hit (as they always are!). My only regret is that I'm not a big sweets person and so did not partake in these delicious treats as much as I would right now!
Missing recipes: Mary's Slow Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad, Stephanie's Spinach Dip, & Annemarie's Cranberry Chicken. These are missing due to my negligence (I think!). I'll have to look around my papers and see where the recipes are. If these girls read my blog, please post your recipe in the comments and/or email me! Worst case scenario: I post a follow up to this one. :)
Hope everyone enjoys the recipes. The potluck was so much fun and a great success! It really brightened my spirits during a very dark time. (And distracted me from E being out of town, which reminds me -- thanks to Colleen for the photo. E took my camera with him for his trip).
Hope everyone enjoys the recipes. The potluck was so much fun and a great success! It really brightened my spirits during a very dark time. (And distracted me from E being out of town, which reminds me -- thanks to Colleen for the photo. E took my camera with him for his trip).
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