As my week for Girl’s Night was approaching I pondered what sort of menu I should create. There really are so many options, especially with fall peaking through. I have a board on my Pinterest page with all sorts of ideas. However, nothing on there was really speaking to me. We had been talking about doing a cocktails and tapas night in the past. So I decided to take a stab at it.
The first recipe came to me via iMessage. Amanda was dining out at our favorite restaurant in south Florida. Ever so often she or Ryan with send me a picture of the newest cocktail or plate they were trying that evening. This particular night she sent me a picture of a butternut squash flatbread that I knew I had to make. You may have already read my previous post with my recreation of this savory dish. If not, be sure to check it out because it’s the perfect fall flatbread.
In order to figure out what else I should make, I turned to my girl Giada and a few of the cookbooks I own of hers. I found an Apple, Gorgonzola, and Walnut Crostata which I thought would pair perfectly with the flatbread. I mean, what speaks fall more than apples? The crostata is essentially a rustic, open faced pie. The pastry crust was extremely simple to make, as well as the filling. I highly recommend this for a sweet or savory dish.
I needed one more recipe to round out the meal. I came across Giada’s sweet baby stuffed bell peppers that I had been eyeing for some time. I figured no time like the present; plus there were quite a few overlapping ingredients which would make grocery shopping a breeze. I made the filling of ricotta cheese, bacon, peas, and parmesan cheese for the peppers the night before to save me some time. Again, these peppers were super simple and because of their size, they take no time to roast in the oven.
Dianna brought the libations for the evening. We decided to go with a cocktail since we were sampling smaller plates. She came up with the Belly Dancer; coconut rum, citrus vodka, and white grape juice. It was actually quite delicious and refreshing. But it did pack a punch! We had another fabulous Girl’s Night to start off our fall season. Be sure to stay tuned for the next one.
The ladies were very pleased with the choices I had made. Everyone seemed to have their favorites. The only drawback to the evening is that I didn’t quite realize how much of an undertaking these three dishes would be. Separately, each recipe is very easy to make. However when you throw them all together, requiring six hands to mix, sauté, chop, and serve all at the same time, it got a bit overwhelming. We got through it though. Quattro was there to keep us in line, of course.
