Dinner at the Barn

Last night the Composer and I were making good on a gift certificate we gave his parents last Christmas--a dinner party.

We've done this before with great success--they invite the guests, we plan and execute the food and just generally act like caterers.  This year they decided to have it in an interesting space--the barn-like annex of a friend's office! I'd never seen anything like it before--just tacked on to the main building, the walls lined with art, and big tables in the middle. It's not very barn-like, but they call it a barn, so okay!

I had to prepare everything at home and bring it ready to serve, so I carefully planned a workable menu. I served three plates (and you'll see I went kind of Cajun):

1. Red beans and andouille sausage in a little Pyrex cup, with tiny cornbread muffins and two crawdads and a baby onion on each plate.

2. Crab and shrimp gumbo served over rice, with potato salad, cole slaw, and marinated green bean salad (fresh steamed, please, no canned!) on the side.

3. Homemade coffee ice cream with chocolate sauce and ginger 

shortbreads.

For a travelling menu, it worked pretty well, and the guests enjoyed it. But I will never, no never, want to be a caterer in real life. Too much carrying.