6/21/18
Happy Summer Solstice! We hosted our first guests in our new apartment today (Brandon’s parents and sister, Megan), and cooked our third ever seven course meal. I came up with the idea to try to tackle a 7 course meal about a year and a half ago, and made a holiday themed spread during a Winter break from college, but it’s a whole new ballgame when you are cooking with your very own appliances and measuring cups in your very own kitchen with your brand new husband. We had a wonderful, full day of cooking and cleaning to prepare for our guests, and we think the meal turned out pretty well.
We had a fun time showcasing our new house, playing summer trivia games, and catching up with family. A major shoutout to Brandon for doing endless dishes and managing to help me cook and clean all day as well. It was his idea to have a summer solstice party, and it was a good motivator to get our apartment all finished and decorated just a few weeks after moving in! We also got to use our china, (who says its just for show?!) so thank you so much to my Aunt Tracy for that wonderful and meaningful wedding gift. We set the table in a rustic theme, with the wood chargers that Brandon cut for me from a fallen tree a few months back. He also went out for fresh flowers for our centerpiece.
So the menu:
Course 1: Appetizers
Zucchini and Cauliflower skewers
We made these on a cast iron grill pan on our stovetop, so they were a little charred and super yummy, but simple. We used our mandolin to slice super thin strips and then drizzled olive oil over the skewers with a little salt and pepper.
Strawberry salsa with chips
This was super yummy! It was only a few ingredients, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, and finely diced strawberries. Super refreshing and such a fun summer dish.
Course 2: Salad
Strawberry Peach Blackberry Salad
We added as many fruits as possible to this one! The more the merrier for this loooong summer day. We added some sliced almonds and cheese to top it off. I’m not a dressing person, but there was a simple balsamic available as well.
Course 3: Soup
Summer Corn Chowder
We made this in our crockpot. We let it simmer all day while we worked on all the other dishes. Potatoes, carrots, corn, and some yummy spices. It was served hot in fun seashell bowls, how beachy!
Course 4: Seafood
Pineapple shrimp boats
This was inspired by a meal my little brother and his girlfriend made a few weeks ago. We served a fun black fried rice with veggies and shrimp in half a pineapple to give it a summery twist. We made it in our huge wok pot on the stove!
Course 5: Sorbet
Orange sorbet
The palate cleanser, a simple sorbet made in our new ice cream maker (just orange juice and simple syrup) and served in half oranges for extra flavor and color.
Course 6: Meat
Roast beef with broccoli and squash skewers
We used our instant pot for this one! We bought a big chuck roast and added some spice, and in just 60 minutes it was tender and ready to go! The broccoli and squash skewers were made just like the appetizers, on the grill pan on the stove.
Course 7: Dessert
Chocolate blackberry cake
My personal favorite dish, gluten and all. We had a little mishap with the ganache (an incorrect ratio of heavy cream to chocolate), which required an extra trip to the grocery store for my sweet husband today, but it all turned out okay! I made the cake and frosting from scratch using the kitchen aid mixer that my grandad passed down to me. What a fun tool that is!
