Last year, my friends had a fabulous idea to host a potluck dinner with one little hitch: Everyone must bring a Barefoot Contessa (aka Ina Garten) dish. I know, I know…how terrible, right? There are a few of us who live and breathe Barefoot Contessa, so you can be very sure that the dinner was a huge hit.

This year, our friends Mary Beth and David decided to host. Little did we know, they had a few surprises for us: Dinner outside facing an incredible sunset, lanterns hanging from trees, and plenty of candles to keep us company as it turned dark. I felt like we were on the set of a movie or magazine shoot. See what I mean?IMG_5733

 

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So as amazing as all of that is, let’s get to the food shall we? Note that each title links back to the original recipe. Well, except for the Mint Julep because I’m not so sure where that came from. I mean, it might have come from outer space it was just that tasty.

We started off with some MINT JULEPS that were absolutely divine. And then this happened in the appetizer department:

SOPPRESSATA AND CHEESE IN PUFF PASTRY

I made the TOMATO CROSTINI WITH WHIPPED FETA (but instead of whipping feta, I cheated and just used Stone Hollow Goat Cheese)

PAN-FRIED ONION DIP RECIPE

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I already felt the need for some stretch pants after the first phase of dinner, but here’s what happened next:

PANZANELLA

GREEN GREEN SPRING VEGETABLES 

SKIRT STEAK

JALAPENO CHEDDAR CORNBREAD

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I brought my trusty “go-to” ORZO WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES 

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So basically, here was my plate:

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But then the dessert happened and my face fell off. Well, not really, but you get my point.

MOCHA CHOCOLATE ICEBOX CAKE

MIXED BERRY PAVLOVA

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And finally, some friends brought mini SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKES for all of to take home to eat the next morning.

It was an amazing food event from start to finish. At one point, I kept asking David “What is that SMELL?”  He replied, “It’s called nature!” Sitting outside under the stars with friends and delicious food made for a night I won’t forget anytime soon. I hope this inspires you to create your own Barefoot Contessa themed dinner party. Thank you to our amazing Maple Valley Nursery hosts and to all of the guests/friends for bringing such amazing dishes. Of course, we have to thank Barefoot Contessa (Mrs. Ina Garten herself) for the inspiration! Maybe she will see this and invite us to her barn where we can dine together under the East Hampton stars and she will like me so much that she asks me (and my husband of course) to move in so she can cook for us every night and be our best friends. Forever.

Uh, sorry for that intense daydream I just forced on you.

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Now I know what y’all are thinking: “Um, aren’t you on Weight Watchers?” The answer is a resounding, “Yes, but maybe not that night!” Basically, I just entered in my weekly points and then just quit counting until the next week rolled around again. We still have to let loose, point people. Looking forward to the next dinner. You know, after I run a marathon or something equivalent to that to make my activity points cancel out the amount of points I will more than likely consume!