Gourmet Food For Dinner Parties

By Jim Brown

Gourmet Food For Dinner Parties



Many celebrations will be held in the coming weeks and football games deserve both before and after parties. The gourmet food for dinner parties would be an epicure's paradise. Many people would love exploring tables laden with specialty foods from all over the world. International foods such as smoked salmon, fresh truffles and gourmet chocolates are but a few of the delicacies that might take a guest by storm. Trays of foods can be laid out in full view, and some might distract guests from long-winded conversations. Eating gourmet foods is comfort food and when people are this comforted, they are likely to eat those foods for hours and hours.

* Most people would think that its decadent to savor the flavors of a whole salmon while at a dinner party. Other specialty foods such as caviar, smoked cheese and foie gras and pate would satiate even the most delicate palettes in the room. People buy specialty foods because friends are so special or that the occasion dictates such honor. Gourmet foods are the ultimate selection for any party but especially those like the Super Bowl or special holiday celebrations where friends can stay for hours.

* Gourmet foods will be splurges in the family budget that will be remembered by many guest for days and years because the exquisite flavors of the foods will make guests feel like they are partaking of some of the most elegant foods in the world. Many guests will love certain gourmet food items so much that it is certain that they will ask for recipes before leaving the party. Everyone is certain to be in a very festive holiday spirit before leaving for the night and some guests are certain to ask the host what some gourmet foods are and where they can be bought at this time of year. The party host might make cards available for guests that want to know more.

* Most gourmet food can be paired up with a good wine. A good gourmet food store will have an ample assortment of fine wines on hand, ranging from Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Blanc to Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot's, and Zinfandel. Guests will relish the opportunity to sample everything in sight at least once. Gourmet foods would zoom off the table and guests would always leave plenty of room for desserts such as chocolate mousse, or lemon custard cake. Some guests might be curious about the gourmet dill-rubbed Scottish Gravadlax and rant and rave over its flavor.

Most guests that consume gourmet foods might not know that there are nine different varieties of pate. Some might never consider placing roasted chestnuts on a party table, or escargot on the appetizer tray. Some dinner guests will remember what they consumed at such a gala affair. Some might want to jot down such items on the gourmet food list such as mushrooms and anchovies, and chive. Others will be sure to record what the French sauces were that were used like thick and hearty mustards and you can bet that they will want to use them on their own table next year.



About the author

James Brown writes about Artisanal Premium Cheese discount codes, Popcornopolis discount codes and Personal Chef To Go discount codes from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com

Gourmet food gifts on sale at Made In Washington

Dinner Magic Menus December Week 1

This week is slow cooker week. Plan on using your slow cooker for every meal except the fish chowder. The slow cooker does all the hard work for you, so you don’t have to worry about dinner. Just come home, set the table, and enjoy a good meal with your family. If you don’t have a slow cooker, the Hamilton Beach 33967 Set 'n Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cookeris my favorite. It has handy latches on the cover to keep the lid on tight so you can take it to potlucks and get togethers. Plus, you can set it to begin cooking while you’re away from the kitchen.

Slow Cooker Diablo Beef and Rice

Yellow Split Pea Soup
Dinner Salad and Sourdough Bread

Slow Cooked Lean Beans
Pumpernickel Bread

Pork Roast with Cranberry Gravy
Parsley Potatoes and Carrots

Spicy Turkey Sloppy Jo
Oven Baked Fries
Corn with Red Pepper

Fish Chowder that Tastes Like New England Clam Chowder

Sauerkraut Dinner in a Slow Cooker

Dinner Magic Shopping List December Week 1

Meats:
2 lbs beef stew meat
1 lb ham
1 lb turkey bacon
1 small boneless rolled pork roast (about 2 ½ to 3 lbs)
1 lb ground turkey
½ lb bay scallops
½ lb shrimp
1 lb tilapia or cod or other whitefish for chowder
1 lb turkey polish sausage or polska kielbasa

Dairy:
Butter
Milk

Frozen Food:
Corn with peppers

Fresh Produce:
6 yellow onions
1 head of garlic
1 bell pepper
1 small bunch of celery
1 small bunch of parsley
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 cucumber
2 tomatoes
1 bag of baby carrots
12 russett potatoes
1 bag fresh cranberries, or 1 can of cranberries
2 apples

Canned Food:
1 small can chopped green chilis
2 cans tomato paste (6 ounce)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes (diced tomatoes with green chilis and onions)
1 can of creamed corn
2 cans baked beans (32 ounces total)
1 can pinto beans
1 can navy beans
1 can lima beans
2 cans chicken broth
Apple juice
1 can or jar sauerkraut, (32 ounce)

Dry Food and Staples:
Rice
Yellow split peas
White vinegar
Brown sugar
White sugar
Flour
Cornstarch
Pumpernickel or dark rye bread
Sourdough bread
Whole wheat hamburger buns

Spices and Condiments:
Salt and pepper
Molasses
Kitchen Bouquet
Allspice, dry mustard, dill weed, celery seed
1 package taco seasoning mix
Tabasco sauce
Catsup
Pickled jalapenos
Grated parmesan cheese
Kitchen Bouquet Browning & Seasoning Sauce

Other items for your own personal shopping list:

2 Important Considerations Before Getting Pasta Makers

By James Smith

2 Important Considerations Before Getting Pasta Makers



Whether you're a gourmet or just a food enthusiast, you'll probably realize a whole of a difference when meals are cooked using home made pasta as compared to those ready made pasta bought from the stores. And as more and more people are eating at home and appreciating freshly made pasta, the thought of getting a pasta maker becomes ever more important. But what should you take note of before taking out your credit card? Here are some of the questions you may want to ask yourself first :

(1) How Often Do You Prepare Pasta Meals?

For practical reasons, it's vital to assess the number of times the family enjoys this Italian dish. That means, how frequently will the chef be preparing pasta for the whole family? If it's going to be a rare dish, that is maybe less than once a month, getting an add-on to an existing appliance such as the mixer may be a much cheaper and viable solution. Such attachments cost about $20 or slightly more. Though there may be some limitations when it comes to the pasta that you can prepare from such add-ons, it's definitely the best suited option.

If you or your family likes to eat fettuccine or spaghetti ocassionally, about once or twice a month, you might want to consider manual pasta makers. They're pretty hassle free and easy to clean up. But you may need some effort to turn the hand crank which propels the feeding of the pasta dough. They're relatively inexpensive, about $50 or so and will get the job done.

For heavy users, it certainly makes sense to invest in an electric pasta maker to reduce the workload. Some of the commercialized ones can even cost more than $300!

(2) How Much Do You Intend To Spend?

Since the price difference between various ranges of pasta makers can be quite substantial, it certainly makes sense to consider your needs and decide the type you require. But there many be exceptions where although you may cook up pasta meals less than a month, you might prefer electric pasta makers for the convenience and ease even though it costs much more.

It's also important to know that what you're investing in the pasta maker is not the absolute cost for preparing pasta at home. Some companies don't include the entire set of cutters with the purchase and you'll probably need to invest more to get the pasta you need. There are additional accessories such as additional add on dies, trays and dry racks.

True, home pasta making can be costly but for the quality of the meals you get and the enjoyment you go through making the stuff, everything's worth it.



About the author

James is a freelancer. Wanna find cheap pasta makers such as KitchenAid pasta makers or Imperia pasta makers? Check out the links from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com

Sauerkraut Dinner in a Slow Cooker

For all you readers of German ancestry, this recipe will strike a chord. It’s been lightened from the full fat version by using turkey bacon and turkey polish sausage.

Ingredients:
½ pound of turkey bacon, cut into pieces
1 pound of turkey polish sausage or polska kielbasa, cut into slices
1 onion, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 apples, peeled and cut into chunks
1 can of sauerkraut, well drained (squeeze it over a strainer)
½ cup of apple juice
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of celery seed

Preparation:
Cook the bacon in a frying pan. Brown the polish sausage in the bacon drippings.
Place all the ingredients in the crockpot and stir together.
Cook on low 8 hours.
Serve with dark rye bread or pumpernickel bread and herb butter.

Never miss a post. Follow DinnerMagic on Twitter.



More great recipes are at my Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner website.