Dinner Party

It is no secret that I love food, I love to bake and I love to eat. I love simple, and delicious food. But really, who does.

I can't lie though, I do occasionally enjoy some fru-fur french food.

I digress.

My dear friend Inge and I have been trying for almost a year to get our families together for dinner. And a few weeks ago, we finally did. Except I messed up the dates and it wound up being 8 of us, and Gabriel had a snotty nose. So he stayed home. But really, it was amazing!

The dinner the friends it was just perfect. So perfect, I had to tell you about it.

It all started with these cup cakes, they simply delightful cupcakes. I wanted to make something that looked fabulous but tasted even better, so, I got out my Martha Stewart Baking Handbook. Found a recipe using strawberries, since they are so in season right now. And immediately got to baking. Although they were a bit more labor intensive than I thought, the frosting was Orgasmical! Seriously... (I'll post the recipe at the bottom for ya'll, just incase you want it).

Again, I am digressing.

Dinner Party.

Okay, so Inge had a dinner party, she was making the main dish, and the other two couples made side dishes and I did baked the Orgasmic Cupcakes as a bonus.

There were no rules, just knew that Inge was making a Beef Tenderloin. One of the many things I love about her is that she is very conscience of what she eats and what she feeds her family. Organic, Grass Fed, Not Processed, all fresh, things you should eat that are better for your body.

The eight of us got to talking about Organic Foods, and how a can of bread crumbs has 61 ingredients.... most of which have more than 20 letters. Really... it's Bread.Crumbs. Bread????

Soooooooooooo, making a longer story longer, Teresa, one of the guests at dinner has a blog, My Food Plans, she shares her views on food, recipes, fun stories about great places to eat, and did I mention recipes! I've been pouring over her blog and her recipes all day, cannot wait to get started making her French Lentil recipe!

Did I mention Inge's Tiramisu? Hooooolllllyyyyy Yummmm!

Dinner Party......

Moral of the Story: Don't stress about making a dish for a dinner party, it doesn't have to be fancy to be delicious. Everything everyone made was incredible, the food and company were a perfect blend.

Simple Food, Made Simply, Made Local, Made Delicious.

Cupcake Recipe: (per Martha Steward Baking Handbook)

Ingredients

• 3 cups cake flour, (not self-rising)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 8 large egg whites
• Strawberry Meringue Buttercream
• 24 small fresh strawberries, washed (hulls intact), for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; set aside.
4. In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not overbeat. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture.
5. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each with a heaping 1/4 cup batter. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack. Invert cupcakes onto rack; then reinvert and let cool completely, top sides up. Frost cupcakes with strawberry meringue buttercream, swirling to cover. Cupcakes may be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Garnish with strawberries just before serving