Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: The Spontaneous Dinner Party
26 Oct
I believe all food can be spontaneous. Some of my best meals were created under tight situations – a lack of ingredients, little energy, no time, no money – the list goes on. But then I threw an item into a pan and then another and another until I created something I really enjoyed, a recipe unique to the situation.
There was no question that when Foodbuzz put a call out for the 24 project – 24 meals, 24 hours, 24 posts – I wanted to create a meal with this mantra in mind. After receiving an invitation from Foodbuzz to participate, I decided to throw a Spontaneous Dinner Party on October 25, 2008.
I invited a group of friends who I knew from different parts of my life – school, the workplace and my boyfriend’s workplace. Some of them knew each other, many of them only knew me and my boyfriend. Each person was responsible for bringing one food item with enough for 6-8 people. I supplied the meat and meat substitute along with any spices from my spice rack.
The goal? Create a meal using only these ingredients and prepare that meal within an hour and a half.
How did the party go? Watch this video to find out.
As you can see from the video, I decided to make not one – but two dishes. I had one vegetarian in the group, who was also severely allergic to several foods. I wanted her to enjoy the dinner as much as everyone else, so I decided to go ahead and make two meals.
Tofu with Couscous, Mushrooms and Broccoli
Ingredients
- Tofu (one container)
- Couscous (about two cups, uncooked)
- Broccoli (three heads)
- Mushrooms (two cups)
- Soy sauce (to taste)
- Vegetable Broth (to taste)
- salt, pepper
- olive oil
- feta cheese
Directions
1. Prepare couscous and broccoli by boiling each separately in a pot with vegetable broth and water, respectively.
2. Cook tofu in a frying pan using olive oil, salt and pepper. Keep flipping until brown.
3. Put mushrooms and olive oil into a wok, slightly sauté
4. Add tofu, broccoli and couscous to the mushrooms and olive oil
5. Add vegetable broth and simmer for a few minutes until done.
6. Top with feta cheese
Mushroom and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast, Mashed Squash and Pasta
Stuffed Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- chicken breasts (1 per guest)
- Mushrooms (two cups, chopped)
- Comte cheese (one cup, shredded)
- salt, pepper
- olive oil
Directions
1. Saute mushrooms in olive oil, salt and pepper for about five minutes
2. Slice chicken breasts down the center
3. Stuff chicken breasts with mushrooms and cheese
4. Bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes
Squash
- salt
- pepper
- butter (to taste)
1. Slice squash down center and remove seeds
2. Wrap in tin foil
3. Put squash on a baking sheet and place into the oven
4. Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes
5. Remove insides from the peel, put into a bowl
6. Mash with a fork or spoon
7. Add salt, pepper and butter to taste
Pasta
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
1. Boil one cup pasta in two cups water
2. Strain, toss with salt, pepper and olive oil
Before Dinner:
After Dinner:
In what other ways was the dinner spontaneous?
- Maria was 30 minutes late due to Washington DC traffic and brought not only couscous but vegetable broth and feta
- I had enough chairs but not enough of a table for the party – luckily we came up with something last minute by using a side table at the end
- Rob couldn’t come – so Brian served as “Rob” for the night
- The squash wouldn’t cook – it took about 35-40 minutes until it was cooked enough to be served.
- I also thought the squash could be turned into spaghetti squash – but that wasn’t true, so I had to go with mashed
- I awarded one special guest a gift card – it was hiding under one of the plates (you can see this in the video)
- No one brought anything ridiculous – like marshmallows or pickles (which is what I would have done, if invited by someone else)
One other spontaneous thing that happened was using one of the books I made as a “yearbook” of sorts. Here’s what people had to say:
Conclusion
The Spontaneous Dinner Party was a success! Why? Because I created a meal that everyone could eat and did it within 1.5 hours. It may not have been the tastiest dish in the world, but it used surprise ingredients in a timely fashion. Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal. The only “hard part” was dealing with the squash – but once I had that under control, everything else went smoothly. At times, I really wanted to add other ingredients to make the dish even better – but I stuck to my guns and followed my foodbuzz proposal to the T. And I’m glad I did. Making good food is hard. But making food on the fly may be even harder. Props to all the chefs out there for what you do.
Another Spontaneous Dinner Party? Sure – but next time, at someone else’s house!
Very Cool!
oh my – i'm super jealous of your spontaneous dinner party – from the pics & the video it definitely looks like a success!!! so much fun
Rose! This was brilliant! I love the idea of the spontaneous dinner party and it seemed to go so well. I love the video, too. Great music. I like the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter next to the real butter. I love the cameo by lobster.
Great job! Next time, invite me and Mark!
that looks like so much fun! what a great idea!
hope you have a happy sunday!
Rose, this is such a fabulous post and a beautiful idea! I absolutley love the video. IT WAS SO FUNNY. I love how you introduced the “cast of characters”, with Bill serving in multiple roles.
Your table setting is beautiful. What a blast. You’re so fun! I wish you lived next door!
Wow, what a great dinner party! i love the video and think the whole idea rocks!!! it looks like it was so much fun!!!
wow!!! how fantastic. definitely an original and very fun idea. the video is SO well made too!! love!
What a fun idea!! I love it!! You came up with some awesome spontaneous dinner ideas… And the video was great!
p.s. check my blog post!
omg, i loved the lobster
hehe, this seems like what i do every night for dinner… i plan what to eat based on what i’ve bought most often!!
ooh, btw, i tried your marinade on some tofu for lunch and loved it!!! thanks for the recipe
Wow, I love the before dinner and after dinner picture! Great turnout, and empty bowls! Haha! That is awesome!
Cheers!
Rose, you are wonderful! You took on such a big challenge and were able to meet your goals with poise, grace and extreme success! I enjoyed every second of the video – especially the lobster interview and Rebecca’s outfit ;o) It was also incredible that we were able to see and hear you explain everything, cook, etc. What a great way to take your blog to a whole new level! I am so impressed by your creativity – I know I’ve told you that a million times but it’s just so TRUE!! Thank you so much for sharing this with us
)
Oh my goodness Rose! I am so impressed right now!! That video was amazing! Definitely one of the coolest things ever to be done in the blog world. It looked like it all fell into place perfectly, and you created such fantastic and yummy eats!! I hope Foodbuzz gives you some kind of honorable mention or award…because this was crazy cool. Amazing job, again!
OH…and happy Monday!!!!!
Absolutely brilliant idea. That sounds like so much fun!
What a fun, innovative, SUCCESSFUL dinner party!
That’s so awesome Rose!!! So you had no idea what people would bring? You are a BRAVE woman! I especially loved the video- you look like such a chef with that towel over your shoulder
Looks like a lot of fun!
That cous cous dish looks fantastic!!!!
What a fun concept. I might make something like this for my next dinner party. :-p
Congratulations and great job!
im putting this into my blog as a link in my next entry too. I was so impressed! hope you don’t mind!
What a cool (and brave) idea! Looks like a great time was had by all, and you were able to make something delicious out of what people brought!