Hello, darlings! My beloved Sandy and I had such a wonderful evening at my Cousin Ilene’s loft last Monday. In addition to being the Queen of Cuisine, she is also the owner of the catering company, The Party Loft, which is why it was no surprise that she whipped up a fantastic Pan-Asian themed dinner party. The table was set beautifully with gorgeous bright green charger plates, Battenburg lace linens, and fancy green napkin rings that I tried to take with me. Unfortunately, Cousin Ilene was watching, so I opted to use it as an earring, instead.
The dinner party began with a delicious array of hors d’oeuvres. We snacked on appetizing Mandarin sesame chicken, edamame bouquet of crudites, cucumber cups with shrimp and pickled ginger. In addition, we had a scrumptious selection of dim sum that included these mini chicken and cilantro wontons that I loved.
Cousin Ilene’s first course of dinner consisted of a yummy spinach salad with Ramen noodles, oranges, and toasted almonds that were dressed with sesame ginger vinaigrette. From there, she served an entrée of Pan-Asian salmon that was marinated in an appetizing blend of soy, ginger, garlic, scallions, and sesame oil. With the mouthwatering coconut jasmine rice and snow peas served on the side, it made for a superb feast.
Dessert was such a delectable treat, as the dinner guests devoured her beautifully carved watermelon boat that was flanked with fresh fruit. Servings of green tea ice cream with cookies and minted mango iced tea were the perfect bookend to a wonderful evening at Cousin Ilene’s. After all, she wrote the book on planning fabulous dinner parties with delicious cuisine – something that Sandy and I look forward to on our next visit!
