Reflections on Reflections
on the roof!
The plight of a good party is one of cathartic stress, finicky rummaging, and last minute striations into a night of smiles, chit-chatter, and not-so-short lived enjoyment (if I have done my job right).
I would hate to invite people to a party worth forgetting.
Cosplaying Martha Stewart, I made a thorough spread of foodstuffs. Anything not-from-scratch will not do, no matter how many times Ina Garten says so.
The more time spent, the more love put into the food, the more enjoyment my guests will have.
That simple-yet- exhausting equation seems to reign supreme in the thought processing part of my brain, no matter how many half-truths it may contain.
No matter what, I had an amazing time. Despite having next to no help (and quickly dismissing it when asked), I pulled it off with charisma and charm. I hope my stress was invisible.
Let me paint a picture of how the night came to fruition:
A night of grilling and chilling on my rooftop.
City views, summer sunsets, kebabs, dips, salads, and an ice cream cookie bar.
Vegetarian friendly, protein-packing (thanks, MAGA), and allergen friendly, I tried to accommodate any and all who were coming.
While it was my rooftop gathering, as a semi-newbie to the city, I still lack the friend power to fill a roof.
With an open Partiful invitation spamming the interweb, and some connected friends, the job was done.
There I was, a Friday night in late July, serving a table full of food to subtle acquaintances, friends-of-friends, and complete strangers.
My rather newfound shyness felt meek.
The food spoke for itself. The night went smoothly. I even made a few friends.
While I cannot remember quite everything I did make, below is a compiled list of the things I do, and some photos along the way.
Shareable dips/Charcuterie :
Homemade labneh (made the yogurt base!) with grated heirloom tomato
Eggplant and Zucchini Dip
All my leftover herbs whipped with Tahini and a Jalapeño dip
Snacks:
Breads:
Grilled spelt pita bread
Sourdough spelt focaccia
French butter (salted)
Salads:
Golden beet poppyseed
Dressed greens with lemon and cherries
Kebab Builders:
Beef sirloin skewers with cumin and oregano
Curry chicken kabobs
Cherry tomato
Fresh zucchnini
Shishito peppers
Grilling cheese (from RI)
Tofu
Desserts:
Spelt graham crackers
Triple chocolate cookies
Buckwheat (soft) chocolate chip cookies
* While these were intended to make ice cream sandwiches, unfortunately, they were all eaten by time the ice cream made its way to the floor*
Blueberry & saffron (Philly style) (I harvested the berries myself)
Dark chocolate (French style)
Vanilla tarragon (French style)
* *A watermelon granita did not make it’s way out of the kitchen due to lack of time! I apologize to those intolerant or avoidant of dairy**
After chatting it up with my gracious guests, I figured it was only fair of me to start sharing more of what I make on the internet. Time for my influencer era?
We’ll see. I do want a cookbook deal.
Xoxo,
Lil