Dinner Done Right

Last week I mentioned a dinner party that I helped host with some good friends of mine, and I'm finally going to share it with you all. That morning Margaret, Josh, Ryan and I headed to the farmer's market to get groceries for the evening.

We got a whole chicken for our entrée. Ryan roasted it, and it was DELICIOUS! I couldn't believe how tender and juicy it was, and it fed the 8 of us easily. We had some random vegetables from Green Frog Village that we used in various dishes as well. We also got some squash and zucchini, which I sautéed up for us. Margaret used tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil (all from the market) for some little appetizer bites. Our rolls were from the market and we whipped up some honey butter using honey that Margaret's dad made and butter from the Rock Creek farm. That was probably my favorite part. I could have just eaten that honey butter by itself!

We wanted everything to be really cute and on the verge of fancy. Of course fancy for us isn't really fancy at all, but we'll pretend it is. Since I've been collecting plates for the wedding, we had that part covered. We used Josh and Ryan's bowls and some adorable napkins we found at Goodwill. Josh made the place cards out of some pears and twine. It was the perfect little detail! He also provided the beautiful candle holders, and we used one of my table cloths.

Rob happened to be visiting from Orlando, and we were so excited he was able to come! 

I did the menu, which I was pretty proud of. I think I might even do one for the wedding if I have time. 

Ok, now for the food. You've already heard about it, not you get to see it :) If you're not hungry now, you're about to be!

Yes, that's a lemon in the chicken's butt.  

A few months ago, Ryan was a vegetarian. Now he's cuttin' chickens! 

One of our lovely guests, Melanie (above), was a lot of fun to have around, and we have Amanda (in the glasses) and Kelsey below, also quite fun. Amanda actually got engaged the very next day! Oh, I would also like to point out that we pulled this off for under $60. That was for 8 people to eat and some leftovers. Pretty decent for such a hearty meal!

After our bellies were almost full to the very top, Margaret sauntered out with a delicious blueberry tart for us to top it off. The blueberries came from Green Frog, and they were probably some of the best I've ever had. It was the perfect way to end the meal! We all talked and laughed on into the evening, just enjoying the mild night and each other's company. This is what it's all about, you guys. Friends, food and fond memories.

Josh's post about the day

Ryan's post about the day
Margaret's video post about the day