"Tapas" Cooking Class Party

I love how blogging has connected me with people from all around the world and I've become quite used to the fact that I now have friends from as far from Toronto, Canada as India and Australia (plus lots of places a little closer to home). That said, I was still surprised when I got an email from Jeannie, who lives in Toronto and was looking for a fun and different way to celebrate her friend's birthday. She Googled "cooking parties" and found me!! That's Jeannie on the left - one other friend showed up much later. The sangria we made at the outset, naturally relaxed the newby chefs and the rest of the evening was filled with lots of food and much laughter.

The hardest part was in deciding what kind of meal they'd create and after much discussion, we came up with an international version of Tapas - or appetizers which can be simple bar food, like nuts, cheese and olives or more complex dishes. They can start a meal, or as in our case, BE the meal. They'll be writing about this on their own blog too! But I thought I'd share the menu with you.

Tapas Menu
Sangria
the only picture of the sangria is up top -
We were too busy drinking to think about taking a photo of the pitcher.

Plus tons of Pita Chips

Endives Stuffed with Artichoke & Spinach Dip

Vietnamese Summer Rolls with Thai Salsa

Beggars' Purses with Goat Cheese & Cranberries

Shrimp Dumplings with Asian Pesto

Hoisin Chicken Wings
(from my cookbook Every Kitchen Tells Its Stories - Recipes that Warm the Heart
due out on CD & eBook in the next couple of weeks)

Nigella's Chocopots

Related links: Food and Drink recipes cooking class parties appetizers desserts cookbooks