party planning

After an extremely tough couple of days all I could think about today was getting home from work and having some downtime with myself and a glass of my favourite red wine... and of course, spending some time organising the table.

When I say organising the table, I mean that I had some time to plan what I am going to cook this weekend.  This Sunday I am having a group of work mates around for lunch and I have been charged with the responsibility of providing the food.  A lot of people from work have heard about my love of cooking so I think they are expecting big things! 

I turned to my cook book and magazine collection for some inspiration but in the end I think I am going to rely on some trustworthy family favourites... At this stage (things will more than likely change between now and Sunday) this is what I have come up with....

To pick at to start with:

cold cuts - salami / sopressa

homemade fetta / rocket dip

roasted cherry tomatoes with basil and olive oil

selection of cheeses

crusty bread / crackers

To dig into for main meal:

Marinated butterflied leg of lamb grilled on the BBQ (marinated in olive oil, garlic, rosemary and mint and served with lemon and apricot jam)

Salad of cabbage (red and green), celery, apple, walnuts, mint and a fetta / olive oil dressing [or we could have peas with mint and fetta, which is also a winner]

roast potatoes with chilli and onion

and a frittata for the vegos.

Desert - I have been told that I need to leave this to someone else (despite my insisting that I can manage to do all the food), so I am looking forward to what Kate and Emma decide to bring along....

I am excited for a much better end to the week and definitely can't wait for the weekend- so many fun and exciting things planned!

Happy eating!!

Sam