Open House Party

I have a fair amount of cooking to do in the next month or so.  I am thankful for the work and excited to try out a few new recipes!

Yesterday I provided food for Rob and his partners in their financial advisory firm.  They recently renovated and opened a new office and were having an open house for their clients.  I kept things pretty simple as we decided to keep the budget low. 

Three of the recipes were ones I'd found on pinterest, which is coincidental because Marg and Shay have started a pinterest recipe challenge! 

(If you're interested in any of the recipes, simply click on the highlighted name.)  

These shrimp and spanish chorizo bites were a new recipe (found on pinterest).  Marinated in sherry, red wine vinegar and spices, I grilled them instead of sauteing.  They were muy delicioso.  (I have no idea if this is a correct Spanish translation for "very delicious"!)

I'd found and made these tortellini skewers last year around this time.  For some reason, people love food on a stick and this doesn't disappoint!  

I didn't find this recipe on pinterest - but these are courtesy of the lovely Ina Garten.  Super easy and totally satisfying.  If you're looking for the perfect ending to a meal or party, these decadent dark chocolate truffles are the perfect bite. 

Lastly, these white chocolate truffles were also a find on pinterest.  I've started adding lemon zest into the mixture, but otherwise I follow the recipe as written.  Creamy, lemony and smooth, these are utterly addictive. 

I also made (but didn't photograph) baked spinach and artichoke dip with veggies, spicy molasses cookies, and shortbread.

I prepared a little bit each day this week, so when yesterday rolled around, my oven needed a good cleaning.  I decided to clean it while I worked in the kitchen.  Remind me never to do that again!  It was hot and smelly in my little kitchen.  Thankfully no one rang the doorbell yesterday morning, because this is what they would have seen! :)

Skinny jeans, high boots, a tank top and an apron.  Not so cute.  But way cuter than the spandex shorts I wore the day before!