I am really into food.  Like, I LOVE IT.  Love to talk about it, how it was prepared, what it tastes like, and especially, enjoy eating it.  What I  truly love though is a good dinner party.  We are fortunate to have friends who enjoy good food as well.  Many years ago, some friends and I decided to form a “Dinner Group”.  We take turns hosting our “group” of 4 or 5 couples at our homes.  The hostess plans the menu, and assigns recipes to the other guests.  The hostess is also responsible for coming up with a theme for the evening.  We have had everything from very formal, to BBQ, to just about every kind of ethnic food you can imagine, including an evening with Ethiopian food.  (It was really, really good, hostess inspired to do this theme after reading “cutting for stone”, which if you are a reader, is a must on your list).

Last weekend was our turn to host.We decided to go as casual as possible and call the theme, “eat with your hands” night.  There was not one utensil used in eating.Only serving.It was great fun.

(Please note, our food was not as lovely as some of the pics I pulled off google images, credit to those who shared images at end of post)

Here was our menu:

Grilled Avocado Guacamole

This was a tip I picked up from my pal Bobby Flay.Grill or broil the Avocados before making the guacamole and you get an entirely new flavor.Cut the limes in half and grill those too, I guarantee you will love it.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Smoke Scallops (Suffering husband’s new toy, the smoker)

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Swedish meatballs, (O.K., we used toothpicks here)

Peanut Butter Cup and Brownie Smores that were all gooey inside.

It was a blast.We ate outside, the weather was perfect, the food was fun, but best of all, the friends are fabulous.We only meet about 5 – 6 times a year, but we all look forward to this event.It is a great opportunity to have a fabulous meal, visit with your friends for as long as you want, and not have to have a huge restaurant bill and stink eye from the server for taking up their section all night, (and not ordering alcohol, most of us are Mormons)….

The best part though are the friends: