Party | mamieggroll

Whole Lamb on Spit
(I didnt’ make or prep this, but I thought it was cool)

Today was my first catering gig for a good friend that I met through work. It was her daughter, Ayanna’s Christening. I have to admit I am exhausted and I couldn’t have done it without the Mo. While I was in the kitchen cooking, he was doing everything else outside. We make a pretty good team!

Overall, I think it went pretty well. I guess the dishes were all pretty simple to make but the hardest part was prepping, packing, and presentation. Everything had to be out a specific time at its peak freshness. I had to multitask a few times, like fry the eggrolls while mixing the salad or laying out the shrimp.

Shrimp Cocktail

Oh I almost forgot, cleaning is also a bitch as well as packing up the chafing dishes.

I was signed up to prep a few appetizers and side dishes as well as help set up the buffet table before the guests arrived at the reception. While everyone was at the church, I prepped the food so that it would still be warm and fresh when patrons arrived.

I also helped out with picking up beverages and extra things as well as loaned my chafing dishes, platters, tables and chairs. (My mom really stressed that we had enough tables and chairs to accommodate our family gatherings when we bought our house)

The Greeks definitely know how to throw a party. The booze kept flowing while the Greek music blared in the background. The mouth-watering fresh lamb on the spit roasted for hours while flavorful skewers of chicken and pork were readily available to snack on in addition to the grape leaves and spanakopita. If you haven’t busted your belly by then, there was an array of delectable desserts including home made Greek pastries and a delicious cake from Konditer Meister.

Vegetable Crudites with Spinach Yogurt Dip in a bread bowl

Today I made/prepped the following:

Shrimp Cocktail
Vegetable Crudites Platter
Steak & Cheese Eggrolls with Cheese Dip
Parsley and Lemon Rice Pilaf
Greek Salad
Fruit Salad
Chicken Fingers (For the kids)
Coffee ( I ALMOST forgot to make it and had to be reminded, oops)

Greek Salad

I also warmed/cooked the aleady prepped dishes below.
Spanakopita
Roasted Potato Wedges
Famous Peas

Kid’s Chicken Fingers and Sweet & Sour Sauce

Grape Leaves by Athina Giogas

“Diples” Greek Pastry with nuts and honey

Anne, the bartender

Beautiful tent set up

Chef grilling up the Chicken Souvlaki or as I call them kebabs

Ayanna playing with another baby girl

Beautiful Ayanna

Buffet Line

Pork Souvlaki

Konditer Mesiter Cake

Cake Balls

Rum Log

Greek Diples

Dessert Buffet

Inspired by the lovely Miss Alice

Ingredients:

Pinnacle Vodka “Gummy”
Pinnacle Vodka “Cake” or vanilla will do
“Sugar Free” Cherry Limeade Crystal light or generic brand will do ( I used Target)
Optional Gummy Swedish Fish for garnish
Optional Red Crystal Sugar for garnish

You will need a shaker

My friend Alice and I are huge fans of flavored vodka and Crystal Light (or the imitation brands which are just as tasty and calorie free).

My concoctions are usually “half and half”, half vodka and half water, straw required. After a couple of drinks, a nice buzz kicks in. The alcohol content resembles a martini, but we can’t call it a martini since we leave the ice in the glass to help curb the bite.

We were at our friend Chuba’s birthday party and she brought over Pinnacle Swedish Vodka to share.

It was love at first sight! I do like to try different flavored vodka’s but I haven’t seen the swedish fish flavor. Due to copyright issues, the actual name of the vodka is Pinnacle “Gummy” with a picture of the swedish fish on it.

She made me a few drinks using the swedish fish flavored vodka and the Target brand cherry lime powder mix. I was hooked! I loved it so much that I handed her a $20.00 bill at the end of the night and took the leftover vodka home with me.

Here I am on a Thirsty Thursday night making my own rendition of the drink. I’m feeling a bit fancy, so I am making a martini instead. I’m using the same drink recipe but adding a splash of Pinnacle Cake flavored vodka for extra sweetness.

I actually use my protein shaker to make martinis because it doesn’t leak and the cap is easy to remove. It also has a metal ball that mixes the powder really well. I love my original martini shaker but it can be hard to remove the cap at times.