Okay so I havent figured out the text and picture thing yet but yum Chocolate and Chicken...

The wines were fabulous, my favorite was the Nora and the Borsao.

Margot was really into the Cava.

Food Friends and WIne..What Could Be Better?

Perhaps next time they would let us host on the train from Yellowstone to Seattle?







Our Fab Hostess!

More pics too come...

Success! (except for the drinking in moderation part)

Maybe next time.

We had such a great time eating good food and drinking good wine with all of you. Amazing.

I'm glad the dog only barfed once and that Yogesh's eyebrows were only slighly man-scaped. . . . Crises averted.

I'll post again soon with the final menu and photos. If you have pics feel free to email them to me. OR, you could post them on your OWN!

Thanks to everyone for making such great food and providing Ted and I with yet another opportunity to celebrate living in Missoula.

Salut!

A List Revised

Mela can come! And MAYBE Yogesh. That puts us at 10 possibly 11. Good stuff. Megs and Peter will be out of town, but are excited to help us plan the next one. . . .

German Octoberfest?
Italy?

Mmmmmm.

Empanadas!

I'm going to use the recipe that doesn't start by calling for two cups of lard. The stuffing will be tuna and olive since the beef and olive recipe I found is apparently Argentinian. Wine ... I'll look for one of Food & Wine's recommendations -- an Albarino? -- because I don't think I've ever had it. Otherwise, a Sauv-Blanc blend.

The A List.

Not to be confused with "The A Team."
So far Marcy & Freddy, Gita & Jason, Keila (we'll miss you, Brock), Nici & Andy, and Ted & Anne are underwriting the second installment of international food eating. I'm afraid Nici & Andy will only be able to stay for the tapas portion of the evening, however. I don't think Mela can make it and Meg and Peter may be going out of town. Just wanted to keep you all posted so we know how much food to make and wine to buy!

We'll see you 9 rock stars on Saturday!

LadyDena is Gita

last blog for Gita & Jason, must've interfaced w/ a blog w/ set up for my sis prior to a trip. ladydena will NOT BE ATTENDING unfortunately...g&j

Hey Foodies.
We're going to bring Chilaquiles w/ Manchego, Sangria and a fabulous spanish wine. So looking forward to it! g

Menu me, people.

It's time to get the menu dialed!

Ted and I will prepare:

Ham and Goat Cheese Empanadillas for our tapas which we'll pair with a Cava and Chicken with Catalan Picada.

Ted made that chicken dish for my birthday last year and it blew my mind. I can't wait for all of you to try it.

So, come on! Log in, sign up for your dish, and let's get this party started!

Previous Endulgances

Here are some pics from our last wine dinner. Well Okay they are just of the wine bottles that I picked out of the garbage so that we could see what we drank. I think they may be the only evidence of our fabulous night.

Who's in charge of this thing, anyway?

So, I've been utterly delinquent in posting the Spanish menu. Marcy, Freddy, Cooper, Ted and I had a great time a couple weeks ago sitting on our deck talking about Spanish food and sampling delicious Spanish wine (Cooper preferred the tempranillo). After much discussion, and even more wine we thought splitting the menu between tapas and main dishes seemed the most reasonable.

Therefore, Marcy and Freddy will bring one tapas and one main dish and their accompanying wines. The same goes for Ted and I - one tapas and one main dish . . . with wine. That leaves Mela (Yogesh is gone - bummer), Nici & Andy, Megan & Peter, Jason & Gita, Jen & Jeff, and Keila (newly invited, whose hubby Brock will join us after he finishes school in Vancouver in December. Yay, Brock!). We need one dish and one bottle of wine per person. Coming as a couple? Two dishes and two bottles of wine or the most appropriate accompanying beverage. We will also need a dessert or two. So, if you feel inspired in that arena, by all means . . . claim it!

This leads me to make suggestions on dishes and/or ingredients that Marcy, Freddy, Cooper, Ted and I thought seemed the most appropriate (Cooper was especially opinionated during our spirited discussion) in terms of availability and taste. We thought the following things sounded particularly luscious:

• fried manchego - or anything with manchego in it;
• gazpacho;
• salt cod fritters with spinach;
• sizzling chili shrimp;
  
• tuna stuffed peppers;
• empanadas;
• sweet peppers stuffed with crab salad;
• scallops with serrano ham;
• bleu cheese and bean salad;
• chorizo bread pockets;
• sangria;
• salt cod on garlic toasts;
  
• baby leek and asparagus salad;
• tomato bread;
• tiger shrimp with romesco sauce;
• coca - flat bread with yummy stuff on top;
• roast suckling lamb;
• and, good lord, so much more!

These are just recipes that jumped out at us. If you want a copy of any one of them, I've got the books. Just ask. There is so much more out there. Food & Wine magazine this month has some great recipes, too. Just pick something that excites you and makes you want to cook!

I think Ted and I are going to take on a tapas that will pair well with a cava (Spanish sparkling white). Please post your comments on here and let us know what you plan on making so we can get the menu set and not have any repeats!

Also, log in and post on any food or wine that you feel especially opinionated about. Like this photo that I took in France that shows a line up of some of the most delectable wines ever. Wines I'm not likely going to find or afford in Missoula. Damnit. That sucks.


Just remember we want it to be authentic!
Ted and I are hosting this sucker on Saturday, August 23rd at 5:30. It'll be fun!

Salut, fabulous Missoula eaters!