The Holidays are coming!  Do you have any plans for the Christmas week?  If you have not made your plan, why not come to our party?  In place of our December wine tasting event we are going to have our first 2007 Food Network Party at 5pm on Saturday 12/29 instead.  We came up with a GREAT idea for our Holiday party this year.  Listen up…it will be a POTLUCK.  I know what you are thinking right now, but no, this is not a normal potluck. 

I have chosen many recipes online for each of you to pick one to prepare, and bring it with you to the party.  This is not an Iron Chef contest, so don’t worry.  I thought it would be fun to try some new recipes, and come share them with everyone so we can sample the food and enjoy the experience.  I am also going to take photos of each dish, so please remember to bring the dish to me first before you put on the kitchen counter.

If you don’t see anything you like on this list, that’s ok.  You can find a dish somewhere else that you would like to bring (online recipe preferred, so I can post the link), as long as it is not something you have made before.  But please do let me know though so I can post it here for other people to see.

If you really don’t have time to prepare some food, that’s ok too.  You can bring some cheeses, olives, bread, a bottle of wine or you can just come and have fun.

Here is how it works:  People who are coming for the party need to leave me a comment here to say you are coming, alone or with someone, and which dish you are going to make.  Then I will put your name next to the dish, so no one else can take it.  You don’t need to double the amount for the recipes, and you might even need to cut it in half for some of the recipes because I think we will have enough food.

Trust me, it will be a lot of fun!!

– 2007 Food Network Party Potluck Menu –

DRINKS

Pomegranate-champagne punch       
Jasmine Spritzers    
Pineapple Cosmopolitans   
White Wine and Sparkling Cider Sangria   

SALAD & VEGETABLE

Holiday Salad   
Pear, Stilton, and Chicory Salad with Crispy Chestnuts 
Ginger, Green Apple, Sweet Onion and Coconut Salad   
Papaya, Cashew and Frisée Salad   
Tropical Fruit Salad with Toasted Coconut   
Five-Spice Chicken Salad in Wonton Shells   
Crab Salad with Ginger and Dried Orange Peel   
Orange Juice-Braised Sweet Potatoes   
Plump Turkey-Stuffed Tofu Dumplings   
Eggplant and Mozzarella Roll-Ups   
Foie gras with date puree and pomegranate   

SOUP

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup   
Sweet Potato and Apple Soup   
Broccoli-Leek Soup   
Carrot Soup with Orange and Ginger   

LAMB

Jicama, Kirby and Carrot Salad with Charred Lamb   
Lamb Meatballs with Mint    

BEEF

Veal rolls stuffed with spinach and gruyere   
Grilled lemon-parsley veal chops  
BBQ Shortribs   
Beef Stew with Belgian-Style Pale Ale   

PORK

Apple-Glazed Pork Loin   
Crown Roast of Pork with Rosemary    
Ham with Orange Glaze   
Spicy Pork Kabobs with Moorish Flavors   

CHICKEN

Herb-and-Cheese-Filled Chicken Thighs   
Chicken and Peanut Stew   
Almond-Crusted Chicken Wings 
Individual Chicken Potpies   
Thai Pumpkin & Chicken Curry
Young Chickens with Apricot-Fig Stuffing   

DUCK

Braised Duck in a Chocolate Wine Sauce   
Duck with Cranberry Mostaza   
Duck Breast with Peach and Mango Salsa  
Duck Breasts with Black Cherry Sauce    

SCALLOP

Scallops in a Saffron and Rioja Wine Sauce   
Sautéed Scallops with Lemon Beurre Blanc   
Seared Scallops with Tropical Salsa   
Lime-White Pepper Scallops with Bell Pepper Sauce      

SHRIMP

Nyonya Grilled Shrimp with Coconut Sauce   
Grilled Jumbo Shrimp with Garlic-Herb Butter  
Shrimp Marinated in Lemon and Olive Oil   
Flat Breads with Shrimp and Romesco Sauce   
Shrimp, Scallops and Stuffed Squid   
Shrimp with Rice vinegar Dipping Sauce   

OTHER SEAFOOD

Clams with Spicy Sausage  
Coconut-Crab Cocktail   
Grilled Calamari   
Seared Ahi Tuna with Green Peppercorn-Thyme Crust    

DESSERT

Apple Coffee Cake   
Fresh Raspberry Tart
Tapioca Pudding   
Pear Bruschetta with Hazelnut Cream   
Banana Soufflés   
Orange Cardamom Cookies