Dinner part(y)ing.

Leaves are changing, jobs are changing (wish me luck on my first day of the new gig Tuesday!), times are changing...last month we said "see you soon" (because I refused to say "farewell") to two dear friends both moving west. Janet and Michael have been a huge part of our lives since moving to Boston, so a proper send-off was in order. The theme of our little gathering was fairly simple: "things we like to eat together." Those who have been following Food and Bev for a while know that family and friendship are at the core of my food exploits - so it was easy come up with a meaningful menu.

Rules for any dinner party (more comprehensive tips here):

1. Make it scale (don't attempt anything with precise timing/requiring individual attention, especially if you have a larger group)
2. Make it personal (remember your guests' preferences; bonus points for nostalgia)
3. Make it tasty (a given)

Here's what we ate:

Pork bulgogi dumplings in bacon broth with baby bok choy: (in honor of many bulgogi cookouts at Mehul's place, shared Chinese New Year feast dumplings, and the time we had stocked up on one pack of bacon per person at a lake house in New Hampshire)

My new favorite fried chicken with biscuits, bourbon caramel drizzle, mustard greens salad with pickled peaches: (commemorating many a Bev's brunch biscuit, peach picking and comfort food in general)

S'mores cake (graham cracker layer cake with marshmallow and dark chocolate buttercream - I got to use my hand torch!): (as an homage to our group's tradition of toasting marshmallows whenever getting near/sometimes creating our own open flame)

We look forward to their early/often returns!