Moving to a new home especially when it is far from your old home brings with it many firsts. And we recently had some new friends over for our first dinner party here.
For me, setting the table for a special dinner is fun. I love to mix and match and see how I can reinvent items by using them in a different way, sometimes with something new added to the mix.
My Provencal tablecloth designed with olive branches which I have had for years was perfect for my Greek themed dinner.
I had picked up the napkins on sale at Anthropology recently, knowing one day they would come in handy. I can’t resist a really good buy!
The salad plates were part of a very old set of dishes which belonged to my husband’s grandmother, and I love the contrast between those and my contemporary white everyday dishes.
I kept it simple with three small glass bud vases each filled with a couple of olive branches plucked from my newly planted olive shrub on the deck.
I lined them down the center of the table, and five clear glass votives holding white candles illuminated the table.
There is nothing that makes a table look prettier than candlelight, and I regret not taking a photo once they were lit.
The menu included some of my favorite Greek dishes.
We enjoyed appetizers on the deck.
Homemade tabbouleh , a red pepper, eggplant and garlic spread from Trader Joe’s, assorted olives, and Marcona almonds kept us happy til dinner was ready. Tabbouleh recipe to follow on an upcoming blog.
A delicious Greek salad was brought by one of our guests.
After which we dined on my Greek Chicken and Potatoes, grilled lamb chops, Greek Style Green Beans with Tomatoes. Homemade Tzatziki with grilled pita rounded out our meal.
You can find most of these recipes on my Greek Dinner post, with the exception of the Tzatziki recipe so here it is…
Tzatziki- Cucumber Yogurt Dip (adapted from Lynn Livanos Athan, About.com Guide)
Cool and creamy, this tangy cucumber dip flavored with garlic is the perfect complement to grilled meats and vegetables. It can be served on the side with warm pita bread triangles for dipping, and is also used as a condiment for souvlaki.
Ingredients:
3 -4 garlic cloves, minced finely
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Greek yogurt, strained
1 cup sour cream
2-3 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced (I prefer Persian cucumbers)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Preparation:
Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well until combined. Using a whisk, blend the yogurt with the sour cream. Add the olive oil mixture to the yogurt mixture and mix well. Finally, add the cucumber and chopped fresh dill.
Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with a sprig of fresh dill just before serving.
Recipe can be doubled or tripled if you wish.
For dessert, knowing that carrot cake was a favorite of some of our guests, I parted from the Greek theme, and baked a good old-fashioned Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting which was a real hit!
You can find the recipe here.
When the evening was over everyone went home with a full belly, a goody bag of Tzatziki , and an extra slice of cake.
I wouldn’t have it any other way!