Party Experiments

There is a reason why it's never a good idea to make a new recipe for a party, without trying it first. Today I bought beverages and food for my teacher party. I decided to try the ratatouille recipe that I was planning to make, just to be sure. All I can say is YYYUUUCCCKKK. Okay, it was not exactly yuck. But it is like...a side dish. It is sauteed and stewed vegetables, for goodness sakes, and I don't know about you, but thyme, basil, and cayenne is the most BORING flavour combination on the face of the earth. It is not simple enough to be elegant and not difficult enough to provide complex dynamics. Pass me the curry!! I honestly can't figure out what the big fuss is over ratatouille. It's like poor person's stew. Blech. So, while plans for all the other food are finalized, the main dish is still up in the air. My new plan is to do an elegant and grown-up version of sloppy joes. Chilis, honey, mustard, hot peppers...NOW we are talking about flavour I can get behind. 7 different beans, and lots of cheese...mmmm...and I am thinking of wraps instead of buns. Keep the bread down, and also easier to eat than a traditional sloppy joe.

I also gave Matthew several options for the "Signature" Party Drink, including Sidecar, Painkiller, and complex Scotch melanges. He CHOSE a traditional bellini, so I bought the Italian version of champagne - Prosecco - and apricot Brandy. Just trying a little tiny one now, and mmmm....I think it would be divine over shaved ice, so that is the plan. The photo above is Paris Hilton's new ad campaign for a Prosecco that is in a CAN (the Italian winemakers of the past are rolling over in their graves). Say what you will about her, but a steady diet of pills, water, air, and cocaine clearly has its benefits.