Blog Party#43: Spice it Up---The Round Up

Hi there! Welcome to the post-mortem for the latest Blog Party. I apologize for it's lateness, but not everyone has been well here lately, and that's thrown me off schedule.

It was another great party. The food & drinks were perfectly spiced, and as always, we had a darn good time. But then, get a group of food-loving girls together, it's bound to happen!

Normally I showcase serving dishes or napkins or whatever that tie-in with our theme. But this time I decided to keep it simple: nice apothecary jars from CostPlus World Market, filled with spices from Penzeys. Cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg...pretty and aromatic!


There was some great music, starting with Spices of Zanzibar



and Rough Guide to Indian Lounge



as well as Music of Indonesia 10: Music of Biak, Irian Jaya




But I know you're really here for the food, so here you go. We had a nice little group this month, and the dishes were spectacular.




First to arrive was Natashya; and yes, I was very happy to see her back!

And she gave us plenty of spice, first in her Chorizo-Stuffed Mushrooms, with the already spicy sausage as well as cumin.
She followed that with a pitcher of Spiced Rum Punch; as the name implies, spiced rum with peaches; yum!
It was wonderful to see you again, Natashya.







Our next guest was Sarina; she brought the perfect party food, spiced up!
I confess I ate quite a few of her Curried Potato Chips! Brilliant idea, no? Chips, spices.
To temper any heat from the chips, she served some Basil Lemonade, which is going to be on our picnic menu this summer, for sure.
Glad you could be here, Sarina.







It was with great joy that I opened the door to my dear friend Jeanne; it really had been ages!
With her was a tin of these wonderful Roasted Chickpeas with Moroccan Spices. Talk about finger food!
We've always been big on tea in this house, so of course her Mint Tea went over big, too.
So very happy you made it, Jeanne.









My possibly separated-at-birth sister/friend Deb was next, and she sure had the 'spice' angle covered!
Perfect little Baked Somosas with Mint Chutney! How I do love those.
But I think it was her Rose-Pomegranate Martini that left me most impressed...it was just so darn pretty!
A pleasure, as always, Deb.









Our last guest made a very special effort to be here, and although I adore her already, having J show up meant a lot.
Her too-cute Peppered beef on Rosti Hearts endeared her to the other guests, as well!
The Stem Ginger-Topped Cake didn't hurt, either. Some Ginger Champagne continued the spiciness.
J, I am truly happy you could come.



There were some great spiced offerings, but of course I had to add a couple of my own.






Chocolate Chili Cups

A warm chili; with oregano, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, coriander & chipotles in adobo. And of course, chocolate! Served in tiny tortillas cups.





Tandoori Chicken Bites

I cheated just a little, using a Tandoori spice mix from an Indian market; mixed with yogurt. Marinate chicken, then grill. Serve with any chutney of your choice. We have plenty.




Aloo Parathas

With the help of our tortilla press, this was a fun & easy bite-sized project. Make the dough, flatten, fill with a mixture of cooked potatoes mashed with ground cumin and salt (we used a pink Indian salt), fold over & flatten again. Cook in pan till those brown spots appear.




And to drink? I mentioned we're a tea household; I served up a pot of The Happy Sorceress tea! A blend I had made; it's Ceylon sonata, ginger & cinnamon. Heavenly to smell, spicy, but not overpowering.

Thanks again to everyone who came, and again sorry for the delay. You all nailed it, like you always do!

March's theme will be announced Sunday; another revisit of a past Blog Party theme. It's one of my favorites, and I hope you'll look forward to it as much as I am.






Tagged with: Food and Drink + Blog Party + Events + Appetizers + Cocktails + Canapes + Parties + Finger Food + Mocktails + Spices + Blogging