Dinner Party

My husband and I love to have dinner parties with our friends. We try and throw one once a month if possible. If you are like us and have a kid or two (or three...) finding time to go out or keep in touch with friends can be hard.

A dinner party is a great way to keep in contact. It can be as casual or fancy as you like. You can have it themed or just make whatever you have on hand. Save some money and make it a potluck - each friend brings their favorite dish. Have an early dinner followed by boardgames or a movie (one you own, since none of you probably want to pay a babysitter). Murder mystery dinner anyone?

Most of our dinners revolve around a specific food. My husband ordered some sausage from Louisiana (I think) along with spices so we could make some authentic Jambalaya. The flavors were amazing but it sure was one spicy dish!
Another time we had foods from Spain. All were quite good and very different from what we usually eat.

Here are some other ideas:
-Have everyone make a dish from their ethnic background - or from a place they've visited.
-Dress up as your favorite Hollywood star, or movie character.
-Make it all about the appetizers or a large cheese platter with crackers and fruit (for all those cheese lovers, my husband and I included).
-Have an Iron Chef party (potluck style) plan ahead what special ingredient everyone has to make their meals around and pick the winner after dinner.
-Hands only foods (no utensils allowed)
-School Cafeteria foods - I've also heard of people calling this one Trailer Trash foods - though I don't really like that name.

Be creative and have fun! I'll write about them as we have them... maybe come up with a few new ideas as well...