"Hot" Ladies Night.

I use the term "Hot" for two reasons; dinner was comprised of 6 hot ladies (Em, myself, Alli, Priya, Leslie and Eva) and the temperature was rising, which didn't help since our A/C was broken!

So what's better than the following refreshing items for a warm summer night?

Drinks:
Sparkling wine or I made pink lemonade and Bacardi O rum drinks

Appetizer:
Gazpacho soup drizzled with olive oil.

Main Course:
Parmesan cups filled with chopped spinach in lemon dressing with orange segments.

Tomato, Mozzerella and homemade basil pesto on delicious Red Hen bread.

Dessert:
A&W Root Beer floats with vanilla ice cream and fancy silver spoons from Emily and my's childhood :o)

Sunday Night Taco Bar.

As previously mentioned, our Sunday night dinner this week was one of our best yet! In honor of the Brothers & Sisters Season Finale, it was decided that we'd cook Southern California-style food, meaning that everything would be on the lighter side and have a "Mexican" twist to it. After some research and collaboration, the menu ended up being:

Appetizer:

Fresh-made Salsa Fresca and Homemade Guacamole with Tortilla Chips

Main Course:
Ultimate Fish Tacos with Mango-Radish Salsa (Thank you Tyler Florence!)

Black Bean and Roasted Corn Salad

Watermelon, Basil and Oaxacan Cheese Salad with a Balsamic Reduction Dressing

Dessert:
Tres Leches Cake with Whipped Cream and Fresh Berries - this one was pretty easy thanks to some shortcuts found in an issue of Everyday Food!

Drink:
Paloma - a cocktail made with white tequila (we used Cabo Wabo), Squirt brand Lemon-Lime Soda, and salt for rimming the glasses. Most of us had never had it before and it went perfectly with our menu - light and refreshing, but be careful, these babies are strong!

Needless to say, we all really enjoyed the meal and will definitely keep this one on hand for future get-togethers! Enjoy the pictures below to see the progression of the night. :o)

Here's our table all decked out in bright colors!

Em was finished whipping the cream for the cake - Alli volunteers to clean the spatula!

Getting the fish into the "hot tub."

Fresh Salsa and Guac for noshing...Yum!

Dinner's Served Taco Bar Style!

Everyone's ready to eat :o)

Looks tasty, right?

Hello, pretty cake! This thing was gone in about 10 minutes.

The group in a post-feast food and drink coma, ready for some TV!

Our Contributors.

We must say that we had a pretty amazing dinner this past Sunday! But, before we let you in on the feast that was, let's inroduce our contributors.

Emily - The Chef
Em has made quite the name for herself in the kitchen over the past couple of years. From re-creating family recipes to scouring the uncharted waters of some pretty exotic stuff, Emily's food never disappoints. She puts real effort into her passion and will be sharing her favorite receipes and food adventures with you all!

Alli - The Sous Chef
Alli is a Pescetarian (meaning she eats fish and veggies only) that loves to experiment in the kitchen! She has been known to post some recipes on her own blog from time to time and on Sunday's she's Em's right-hand lady, often contributing a dish or two herself. She'll no doubt share recipes, cooking shortcuts, info about vegetarian modifcations , entertaining tips and more.

Anna - The Preparator
A seasoned event planner by day, Anna can be counted on to add those special touches to the dinner table, including a colorful place setting or creative place cards. She also has a boyfriend with amazing bartending skills (for which we're very grateful)! We're sure she'll share entertaining tips to employ before, during and after dinner as well as some yummy cocktail recipes!

Priya - The Exotic Cuisine Specialist
Priya is the go-to girl for fabulous Indian food. Learning from the best (her mom of course!), she recently prepared a whole feast for us, taking into consideration the spice preferences of each of her friends. If you'd like to learn more about Indian cooking and traditions, stay tuned for her posts!

Allison - The BYOB'er
Allison always shows up with great wine to compliment our meals and she has been responsible for several yummy dishes along the way. She's also the group seamstress, and while that might not sound like it has anything to do with food - we beg to differ! There have been many a Sunday night where her visit entailed the return of newly hemmed pants or a great Halloween costume made from scratch. We can count on her to share her sewing tips along with updates on her new favorite bottles to pair with food.

A Recipe for a Blog.

Here's the setup.

Every Sunday a group of Chicago-based friends get together for food, wine and Brothers & Sisters. What started as a simple dinner party idea almost two years ago has evolved into an almost weekly gathering around the table to reconnect over a delicious feast. From American to Indian to Carribean and beyond, we've helped each other sample new cuisine and challenged ourselves to stretch our palettes (and in some cases, budgets!). But no matter how exotic our food may get, our mainstay is to make Sundays seem a little more like the ones we had with the families we originate from.

Therefore, the thought for this blog came out of the idea that we'd like to share our experiences with everyone outside of our table. I'm not sure how it will work out yet, but we've devised that a few of us will update with recipes, reviews, entertaining ideas, restaurant visits and even food flops!

We'll be sure to post more about our contributors soon, but in the meantime I'll share the recipe of the moment and a sure-fire hit at last night's dinner, courtesy of Epicurious.com:


Creamy Potato Salad with Lemon and Fresh Herbs




Ingredients
• 3 pounds baby red potatoes
• 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 medium green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 celery stalk, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

Preparation
Bring potatoes to boil in large pot of water. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 17 minutes. Drain; let stand until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes.

Cut potatoes into 3/4-inch pieces. Place 1 layer of potatoes in large bowl; sprinkle with some of vinegar and salt and pepper. Continue layering potatoes with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add all remaining ingredients; toss. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Enjoy. And Stay Tuned and Stay Hungry,


Alli