Event - Dinner Party

[jack]

In the end we had: Nick, Tom, Alison and Martin, Justin, Tim+Rachel and Jennie+Rich, and George, who I am about to share a house with.

It went very well. Everyone got on well with some people, though there were certain divisions at various points (which is sadder: coporate finance or startrek?). I was worried there wouldn't be
enough food, but there was plenty. I did a pasta bake and potato wedges with readymade topping, and readymade biryani, and salads and garlic bread, etc, from sainsbury's. Tom brought dip & pittas. Alison brought pudding. I could have fed a few more people. With another side dish I could probably feed 20! So my fears of inviting too many people are over bar the trouble of spending all day cooking.

We ended up playing charades of all things. Which was funny. I think my favorites moments were all comments I made. Tom was miming "twice" but going [two] and then [make bigger gesture] and no-one could get it (we tried words starting with the syllable 'too', and words meaning two, but never quite got there) and then I said "three" :) Also, when I was miming "Garfield" for the second syllable I did "mathmos" by pointing at me, tom, alison, martin; and then "ring" by making a ring wiht my fingers; and then "field" by "make bigger" since in maths, a field is an extension of a ring. Alison got it :)

It's almost becoming a regular thing with me! Next time I'll try to vary the main dish, since the pasta bake has come out a few times now, being very convenient for dinner parties. Should it be permanently retired, or brought back in a new incarnation (this one had pesto in, which worked very well, but many different seasonings are possible: garlic? chilli? tomatoes? potatoes? less topping? more topping? a mid-layer of topping?). How about the potatoes and rice - ok? Any other suggestions?

Anyone want to be invited to the next one, who wasn't, or couldn't come, this time?

Comments

[rochvelleth.livejournal.com]

The food sounds yummy to me. Pasta bake *mmmmmmm* Does it have cheese in it? There's nothing in the world nicer than cheesy pasta bake (traditionally with tuna, but without is good). Potato wedges sound nice too, but how spicy were they?

I *want* to come next time, but you know how awkward I can be to organise stuff with :) Try my best, promise!

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

The recipe for my bake is:

Find a baking tin.
Fill half-full of pasta. Pour this pasta into a pan and boil until soft (following instructions on packet if necessary).
Cook a variety of veg. of approximate volume of the other half of the tin. Some combination of onions (fried), mushrooms (fried), beans, peas, sweetcorn pieces or baby, mange-tout, carrots, brocoli, cauliflower, or whatever comes to hand.
Beat some eggs.
Add some seasoning to taste: salt, pepper, garlic, pesto, curry, whatever.
Mix everything made so far bar 1/5 of the eggs up in a big bowl (or two smaller bowls, or the tin).
Coat tin with oil and pour everything in. Squish into a good shape.
Grate or crumble breadcrumbs and cheese on top.
Pour rest of eggs over.
Put in oven for 30-45 minutes.
Wash up.

I don't know about anyone else, but I like it. I had some of the leftovers cold this lunchtime, and it was good, though you can microwave it if you like.

I know how awkward, yes :) Given your having missed so many, I may do something like make an effort to plan the next one around tolkieny people (matthew, becky, etc) and arrange it when you are free.

[rochvelleth.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you :)

Oh God, you mput onions in it? Noooo! Er, sorry, I just happen to detest what onions to to a good pasta bake. But that's just me, and I have some very strange tastes :)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

I love onions; they perfectly complement mushrooms especially, and my kind of bake in general. But I do ask for any requests before hand; if you've any suggestions I can manage to make, and other people will eat, I'm happy to give a onion-less variant a go.

I've already constrained myself to vegetarian food. That's something else I forgot to ask: do people feel hard done by about that? I'm not sure I can stretch to cooking two main dishes, and I don't really like cooking meat, but for the sake of hospitality, I might be able to work something out. OTOH, I like to think I do fairly well wihtout it. Thoughts?

[rochvelleth.livejournal.com]

No, no, don't cook carnivorous stuff just because you have carnivores coming. That'd be terribly unfair on you.

If I had a suggestion, it'd be a cheesy pasta bake thing, possibly with potatoes. Possibly in it. Hmmm... did I mention that I can't cook? Perhaps I should stop making suggestions...

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Pip. I mean, it shouldn't be, really: I don't think I can morally object to cooking meat, I'm just squeemish. But so long as I can cook good vege food I will, and only do otherwise when someone can't eat anything else I can make (the Harts :)).

A potato bake is a good idea. But I don't have much experience with it. I'm not sure if potato and pasta would really work, but I want to try.

Anyway, you've never had my bake, I don't think, so I might just make that again when you come :)

[the-aviator.livejournal.com]

Damn shame I missed it, but I shall be back a week tuesday :)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks. I'll try to invite you again next time, then. Have a good trip.

[chess]

Me. Although I am Quite Terribly Fussy when it comes to actually nice food (my digestive system hates me), so maybe I shouldn't, being an awful dinner party guest.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Of course; you'll be invited as soon as you're in cambridge when I have one. And you'd probably have to be invited if I invite Nick, even if I weren't going to invite you on your own right :)

Well, subject to me being able to provide food. I'm lucky so far, but when it comes to it, I'm going to have to quiz everyone invited for what they can eat, and see if there is or is not any compromise.

[tienelle.livejournal.com]

And a very nice dinner party it was. Thank you. I'd apologise for scaring your mundane friends, but it's such fun I'm not sure I could stop.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Nick. Glad you enjoyed it.

Did you scare them? Remember, they're not as mundane as you might think: many are equally insane, but hide it better; stealth insanity can almost be worse. And didn't they retaliate effectively with corporate finance? :)

[tienelle.livejournal.com]

I don't understand this stealth insanity at all.

You make a compelling point, though: they can obviously take care of themselves, so I shouldn't worry about scaring them.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Well, finding something you both find interesting would make sense but I'm sure you'll be fine scaring each other :)

You probably know stealthily insane in poohsoc. Some people who aren't obviously insane, so have so much more effect when they hit you with it when you aren't expecting it...

[sphyg.livejournal.com]

Ooh, food. Making a big pan of risotto and evil garlic bread is always nice and easy for serving large amounts of people. Ditto a roast chunk of meat and lots of veg.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I need to solicit some more trivial recipes off people. The pasta bake mum and I basically worked out from first principles one weekend :)

The trouble is I can never be bothered to try them out myself, and won't cook them for others until I've tried them.

[sphyg.livejournal.com]

I don't follow recipes, I make it up as I go along ;P

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

So do I, but I call the small sum total of the experience I draw on when I make things up "a recipe" :p

Semantics: solving any argument since 1,000,000BC.