THE SUMMER DINNER PARTY FOR 8

Summer dining – by far my favorite. I love the heat; I love that people are in a good mood; I love wearing flowy, comfy clothes, and (most importantly) I love summer food! We are having guests in for the weekend, and here’s what we’re serving Friday night – it’ll enable all to be outside together and the hard part (prep) can pretty much be handled way in advance.

Photo Credit: flowerwildevents

MENU

HOUSTON’S SPINACH-ARTICHOKE DIP

MARINATED FLANK STEAKS

SHRIMP AND GRITS CASSEROLE

ROASTED TOMATOES AND ASPARAGUS

ROLLS

MINTED VODKA LEMONADE

ICE CREAM SUNDAES

HOUSTON’S SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP
(Adapted from Food.com)

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

1/2 cup grated romano cheese

1 clove garlic, peeled
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (6 1/2 ounce) jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained
8 ounces soft garlic-chive cream cheese
2 large eggs
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place Romano cheese in a food processor.

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While running, drop garlic in the feed tube. Add spinach, artichokes, cream cheese and eggs, process until thoroughly blended. Place into a casserole dish.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Fold in mozzarella.

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Bake 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Serve with tortilla chips.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

MARINATED FLANK STEAK

This recipe is THE recipe for flank steak. I got it from a very old issue of Southern Living. So good and so easy. Serve with biscuits and whole grain mustard.

2 (1 lb) flank steaks
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup commercial chutney
2 TBSP finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, crushed

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Trim excess fat from steaks. Score steaks on both sides and place in large dish or zip lock baggie. Combine oil and remaining ingredients.

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Pour over steaks, turning to coat. Cover or seal and allow to marinate 8-12 hours (or overnight), turning occasionally.

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Remove steaks from marinade (discard marinade). Grill, uncovered, over hot coals 10-12 minutes on each side (or to desired doneness). Cut steaks diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

SHRIMP AND GRITS CASSEROLE
(Adapted from Southern Living)

This recipe is great! I love that it’s not too rich – some shrimp and grits recipes are just too too much cream and/or cream cheese for me. There’s none of that here. It’s got cheddar and jalapeño jack cheeses but the secret is the chicken broth for giving it great flavor. The original recipe called for green pepper as well, but I’m not a fan of those, so I left it out. Another nice thing is that this dish can be made in advance – I made everything the day before, and then I simply popped it in the oven when I was ready – may need to cook a bit longer if you’re taking it directly from the refrigerator to the oven.
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup regular grits
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with peppers
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
6 green onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound small fresh shrimp, peeled and cooked
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Bring 4 cups chicken broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a large saucepan; stir in grits.

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Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Stir together grits, 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, and Monterey Jack cheese. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add green onions and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

In a separate pan sauté the shrimp about 3 minutes in 1 TBSP olive oil, then squeeze a bit of lemon juice over.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Stir together green onion mixture, grits mixture, shrimp, can of diced tomatoes and S & P.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Pour into a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish.

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Sprinkle top with remaining 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese.

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Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 45 minutes.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

ASPARAGUS WITH BALSAMIC TOMATOES

(Adapted from My Recipes)

Photo Credit: My Recipes

1 lb asparagus, trimmed
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes
1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
3 TBSP crumbled goat cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper

Cook asparagus in boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and garlic; cook 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar; cook 3 minutes. Stir in salt. Arrange asparagus on a platter; top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and pepper.

How beautiful is this dish?

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

ADULT LEMONADE
(Adapted from Epicurious)

Photo Credit: Allrecipes

1 cup (packed) mint leaves, chopped
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups vodka
Crushed ice
Fresh mint sprigs

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Combine chopped mint and sugar in large bowl or pitcher.

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Stir in lemon juice and vodka.

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Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours to allow flavors to blend.

Strain mixture into pitcher. Fill six 8-ounce glasses with crushed ice. Pour mixture over. Makes about 6 servings, so I’ll be doubling the recipe for my group of 8. Would also be great crushed in a blender!

It was a very fun visit with friends, and good food was enjoyed by all!

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue