Wonton imagination...

I think the best kind of party is one that's relatively impromptu. Friends show up, you rummage through the pantry and the refrigerator and create a veritable smorgasbord of otherwise mismatched offerings. The wine is flowing and all is well in your little corner of the world. But I also enjoy planning a party and that's just what I'm going to do.

I want to make it a game party of sorts. I'll put Monopoly, Scattergories, Taboo and the Wii out (I dare anyone to challenge me to a round of anything...). A little music for background noise... But the most important and memorable thing is the menu. To encourage frivolity and mingling, I'll stick with finger foods. I think small bites should be beautiful and have big flavors, leaving a lasting impression. "Remember the ______ we had at Nicci's? Man, was that delicious. Good times. Goooood times....," they'll say (I hope).

Planning a menu is also a good opportunity to create recipes. I'm going to make it an Iron Chef-esque challenge for myself... The main ingredient? Wonton wrappers. I already know what we're having for dessert: Chocolate-Hazelnut Ravioli. I saw Giada make them a while back and I've been looking for an excuse to fry up such decadence. And I think a tart lemon-berry reduction as a dipping sauce would be a nice touch.

So I'll need to have a bunch of savory wonton-wrapped bites as well. Steamed, baked or boiled... I've been thinking miniature meat (and a few vegetable) lasagnas would be fun. Or shrimp and cabbage with a spicy sesame sauce. I've filled wonton wrappers with butternut squash, cardamom and cinnamon and they were fabulous (the sage-butter sauce I put over them didn't hurt). There are a million variations.

Any filling ideas?

What would you serve?

I'm having some girlfriends over Saturday. Now that the weather is behaving, I think I can move forward with my plan to prepare some type of soup or stew. It's easier on me (Break out the programmable slowcooker!), it makes the house smell fabulous and who doesn't love comfort food when the weather turns cool?

I'm thinking of going with heavy appetizers with some light ones thrown in for freshness and then something sweet to round things out. I'm making a take on chicken potpie, serving the stew (chicken, mirepoix, tarragon, potatoes, etc...) in ramekins and topping each with leaf-shaped puff pastry (thanks Pepperidge Farm!) just before serving. For dessert? An apple-pear crisp (with good vanilla ice cream for those who dig à la mode).

Any other ideas for an apps menu? Maybe some kind of a kebab...? I thought about white chicken chili instead of the "pot pie." (By the way, if you are in the market for some really, really inexpensive ramekins, check out the Target near you. I went a couple of days ago and they had some small ones for 2 for $1. Insane!)

A dinner party with a purpose

"Changing the world one dinner at a time." That's the tagline used to describe the purpose of Dining For Women.

All you have to do is form a group of diners, set a date and ask everyone to bring a dish. Then, all of the guests donate the amount of money they would have spent if they had gone to a restaurant that night. The money is used to support international grass-roots programs to provide "education, healthcare, vocational training, micro-credit loans and economic development, and through our members’ combined donations, we encourage women to believe they can improve their living situations." The group was founded by Marsha Wallace in Greenville, S.C., and the first dinner party was Jan. 20, 2003. That night, the group raised $750. Now, there is a Cincinnati chapter. For more information, contact Ilene Ross at 513-477-6771.

That's my kinda charity work...

Entertaining anxiety?

When you're the foodie in your group, you're held to a higher standard. You're expected to make the extra effort, serve the more intricate meals, host more parties. Usually you like it, right? After all, we foodies are sometimes control freaks. (Or is that just me?)
Did any of you read this NY Times article?
Has it ever happened to you? Performance anxiety on the eve of a party? Have you ever shown up to a dinner party, expecting to be a guest, and you end up in the kitchen all night?
Share your foodie anxiety tales!