What we did was more awesome than that. My friends, Stacie, Donna, Brian and I were sitting around one evening and as always the conversation rolled around to food. We came up with an idea of choosing one ingredient and everyone making some type of dish using that ingredient and then we would choose a winner and the winner would have to host the same type of party the following week.
The first ingredient we did was Wine. You had to make any kind of dish but it had to have wine as the main ingredient.
So for the rest of the week we each invited more friends and told them what the premise of our little competition was and what the ingredient was and asked them to join in. When the weekend rolled around we had a really great little group of around 15 or so people and each brought a different dish.
Some of the dishes were main courses, some were desserts and so on. The best thing is that since the theme was Wine everyone brought a bottle of wine and we all shared. The food was all great! Stacie had set up a nice little buffet table with plates and everything we would need. She had marked each dish with a number so we didn't know who had brought what. She had also provided little pieces of paper that we could all write a new favorite ingredient on and it was tossed in a hat.
We all served ourselves and enjoyed the great food and voted on which dish we liked the best. Then the votes were tallied and a winner was chosen. (It wasn't me...I'll tell you right now...I never won *sigh*). The winner then chose one of the ingredients out of the hat and that was to be the ingredient for the next month! The winner also had to host the Iron Chef Party the following month at their house.
This thing snowballed! By the time the next Iron Chef Party rolled around more people had heard about it and they showed up with their dishes. Again more great food, wine, beer, mixed drinks and lots of fun, laughter and making of new friends. And again a new winner was crowned, and by now someone had introduced a big plastic crown that looked like the Burger King Crown only of course plastic with big plastic gems in it. It was awesome and we all envied the winner!
We did this for about 6 to 8 months and it just kept getting bigger. The last one I remember going to had as it's ingredient avocado. Now...lemme tell ya; I make the best guacamole in the world. Not being braggadocio here, just telling it like it is. But did I make Guacamole? No. Did I win? No. Would I have won with my
So I thought...what would be the oddest thing to find avocado in? Anyone? That's right...pie. Ok, so it would be odd in cookies too, but let's go with the pie cause that's what I did. I baked an Avocado Pie!
And trust me...it didn't look one iota as good as the one in this picture. Mine was like a greyish, greenish, brownish slimy color. Like the slime in ghostbusters... but dirty. It wasn't pretty people! I didn't even want to claim it when people were making faces and asking "Who made this!"
The dish that I remember the last winner making was a ceviche with avocado and she made small toasted tortilla shells to scoop the ceviche on top of. It was the best thing I have ever tasted...well with fish and avocado and tortilla shells anyway! Ceviche is a dish made with ingredients like fish or shrimp or crab mixed with tomatoes, jalapenos, lemon juice, cilantro, onions and sometimes avocado...of course.
You can eat it as shown or served over lettuce or in a corn tortilla but usually it's served with tortilla chips and you scoop it on top and munch down. I haven't had it in a long time, but I'm kinda thinking it might be time to try it...I found a recipe for making it with Tuna and I do love Tuna.
But never again with the Avocado Pie!
Did Iron Chef continue on? I don't know. Stacie moved away and I never went to another one again. But it was great while it lasted and if I could find another group of adventurous people like that I would be all for doing it again. It was so much fun!
Have any of you ever done something like this? Or maybe a Progressive dinner? Food, Friends and Family...they just go together don't they?
That sounds like a lot of fun except for the cooking part on my side...lol...I'm not sure about avocado pie though.
ReplyDeletethat sounds awesome!!! I would start it with you :O)
ReplyDeleteDonnie - You're not a big cook? This kinda group would entice you to cook cause you have to bring something to be included. Yeah...the pie, not one of my wisest choices in life :-p
ReplyDeleteBraley Mama - Oh Summur it would be so much fun to do something like this with you cause you're so creative! To bad you're so far away :-(
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, that is funny. Avocado pie? Never had it...usually my avocados are in the form of guacamole.
ReplyDeleteOh, eewww just the thought of an avocado pie... Sorry, I know that is rude, but I am just now developing a taste for avocados and cannot imagine eating it in a pie. That being said, I do like fresh avocados on certain sandwiches!
ReplyDeleteI used to belong to a cooking club which we held in our homes on a rotating basis. We did our cooking at the host house and then ate what we prepared. It was a lot of fun. I have actually been thinking about that lately and would love to belong to a group like that again. It is just a matter of finding the right group and then the time!
~ Tracy
Della - I'm with you. I love guacamole! That's my biggest downfall, chips, salsa, guacamole and margaritas!
ReplyDeleteMs. Bake-It - That sounds like so much fun too Tracy! I went to a Progressive dinner once where you start out at one house for drinks & appetizers, then all get in your cars & go to the next house for salad and bread, then the next house for the main course and side dishes, then the next house to dessert and then one final house for coffee. It was so much fun!
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I belong to that category of people who eat to live and not the other way round. So I prefer food in its simple, natural form.
ReplyDeleteAvocado is a great favorite of mine. I love it on bread with slices of tomatoe, raddish and egg on top. To me this kind of sandwich has a divine taste.
There are some tasty things that can use avocado as a main ingredient .
However,we should bear in mind that this creamy fruit has some more calories per 100 g than other fruit, and therefore we should eat from it moderately.
DUTA - Mmmm, your sandwich sounds divine! I'll have to try that. Definitely Avocado has lots of calories and should be eaten in moderation. I guess if we could eat all we wanted of it then it wouldn't be as pleasurable to eat!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my site! Love this idea about having a revolving Iron Chef party. I guess it's just the coordinating that might get in the way. Although, we do it for our book club.
ReplyDeleteWill be back!
Oh, Alicia! Was a fabulous idea and a fabulous post! Of course, I would have to be the coordinator, or something....maybe a judge? Oh! I just spotted the word "coordinated" up above me...and it's JEN! Oooh! I'm SO GLAD you two met!! Two of my favorite blogbuds!
ReplyDeleteAhem...sorry.
I have never done anything like what you've described...but I'm happy to live vicariously through you. And I'm positive you would have won with your guacamole!
Rock on, girlfriend...
When Pigs Fly - Well thank you for reciprocating with a visit to my humble blog. Kathryn's buddies are always welcome, they're such a talented bunch! I'd love to do a book club too. I might have to put that on my list of Iwanna's for this year. Welcome on back any time :-D
ReplyDeletekathryn - Lol, smiley face my friend. You crack me up. You're so A.D.D. sometimes :-D (Said with all the love in the world of course).
ReplyDeleteDarn fate for placing us in opposite sides of this great country cause we would rock an awesome Iron Chef party. You and your Cloudy, me and my guacamole!
What a fun venture to have a party such as this!!! I have to say, we would be competing for the same Best Guacamole award, Alicia. My fans say they've never had such pure pleasure when they eat mine! I love pure unadulterated chunky avocado, garlic, salt, some diced tomatoes, and a hint of red chile powder. Maybe a splash of lime in the serving bowl. It isn't spicy hot at all, just mmmm mmmm good...
ReplyDelete- But avocado in a pie?! You cracked me up, girl!
♥ Sue
Sue - I think you and I are sisters separated at birth...lol. Cuz your guacamole recipe sounds almost exactly like mine! I do use Jalapenos though and if I'm serving a crowd I add sour cream to make more of it.
ReplyDelete