Ladies' Night!!

Normally I post about what I'm feeding my family, but I had the opportunity to host a dinner for a few of my closest mom friends in the NoVa area.  The Carnivore took the LOs out for dinner, a fun boys' dinner at CPK courtesy of a gift card from my generous in-laws.  Usually I cook while supervising the kids (and refereeing fights), so it was wonderful to have a couple of hours to myself without worrying if anyone was getting too close to the oven or balancing precariously on a kitchen chair to observe my work.

I wanted to make my own broccoli soup and I found a low-fat version on Allrecipes.com.  While it turned out a bit thick and somewhat bland (did I add too much broccoli?), I enjoyed using my immersion blender to turn the softened leeks and broccoli into soup.  Plus, a little grated parmesan cheese made it even tastier!



The ladies

I also found a tasty tomato and cheese pie from the Good Housekeeping Vegetarian cookbook my in-laws gave me for Christmas.  I sliced the tomatoes a bit too thickly and their moisture prevented the pie from setting within thirty minutes.  So I baked it a bit longer and it was beautiful.  (My older LO and the Carnivore enjoyed the leftovers...who says vegetarian food can't be delicious??)

Everything but Charity's cheesecakes...note the grated cheese added to make the soup more flavorful!

Jen brought salad with yummy crunchy apples and other good stuff.  Micaela provided the wine (including white wine from Cupcake Vineyards...wonderful). Kate purchased delicious bread from Great Harvest Bread Company.  For dessert, Charity baked blueberry cheesecakes in individual ramekins...so scrumptious!

Close-up of the cheese and tomato pie with Jen's salad...fine dining!

We ate dinner while watching The Help...the Carnivore and the LOs arrived before the screening and hustled upstairs to give us our privacy.  It was so much fun to be a part of a "grown-up" meal...everything was yummy and the company was great!  I think I see a few more dinners with the ladies in my future.

Do you host (or participate in) dinners with your friends?  What are your favorite dishes to make?  What is it about cooking for friends that is SO rewarding to you?