Last Friday, I invited some friends over for a very casual get together. I asked everyone to bring one of their favorite dishes and come over to enjoy an evening of good conversation and good food. I made shrimp creole served over rice (recipe below) and chocolate pie. We had a wonderful evening and I don’t know about everyone else, but I ate way too much because the food was delicious!

One Universal Party Truth is that the first guest will arrive early and a half-dozen folks will squeeze into the kitchen for some unknown reason. This party was no exception, but because I had done everything ahead of time, I wasn’t stressed out and was able to relax and enjoy. I added the shrimp to the creole at the last minute and also decided to serve right from the pot on the stove. It worked out beautifully and I think everyone had a great time!

I served the creole in bowls over rice with a big green salad. I cooked the rice in my rice cooker several hours early and it kept beautifully! I absolutely love my rice cooker and it makes serving dishes like shrimp creole so easy! It cooks any kind of rice perfectly every time!

Guacamole is always a crowd pleaser and especially when served on a beautiful handmade dish!

Recipe

Guests go where the action is—besides, they want to hang out with the host. Be ready with a hospitable setup.

I like to have several kinds of wine and have different containers to hold the bottles depending on my mood and the number of guests.

We did migrate into our den for appetizers before dinner and then ate with plates on our laps…very casual!

Recipe

I was casual and comfortable and as usual dressed in jeans!

I wish that I had taken more pictures as the party progressed, but we were having such great conversation that I completely forgot about the camera! I guess that means the party was a success!

Thanks so much for reading today and for more recipes, be sure to check out my YouTube channel!