Gourmet Dinner Club | Greek

Time for our second Gourmet Dinner Club! Jenn and Eric chose a Greek theme, inspired by a recent cookbook purchase. I was excited partially because I love olives, but mostly because I don’t often think of Greek food or wine for everyday cooking. This was a great chance to try something completely new. Their house is perfect for entertaining, and it didn’t hurt that it was a beautiful day so we got to eat the appetizers play with their puppy outside.

Need a reminder of what our Gourmet Dinner Club is? Every few months we get together with 2 other couples for a culturally themed dinner party. The hosts prepare the entree, and chooses who brings the appetizers and who brings the desserts. The hosts can also choose to invite another couple (that the others don’t know), which is how we got to meet Lauren and Rob!

Dan and I brought the appetizers: a giant antipasto platter with olives, artichoke spread, hummus, goat cheese and honey stuffed peppers, and various meats and these cheesy spanakopita bites.

Lauren and Rob brought the salad course, a Greek salad filled with some of my favorite things. Feta cheese, olives, cucumbers, YUM. It was light and refreshing, perfect for an evening when we know there is going to be a lot more eating (and drinking) ahead.

Now the masterpiece of the evening, lamb lollipops as part of the main course. They had been marinating all day and Eric grilled them perfectly. Jenn made an eggplant casserole and roasted potatoes as the sides.

At our last Gourmet Dinner Club, I forgot to take photos early in the evening (missing Dan and Alicia’s appetizers) and this time, I didn’t get photos of their dessert. Guys, I promise I’ll manage to capture the whole evening next time. Practice makes perfect, right? They made an olive oil cake with strawberry compote (fresh NJ strawberries!) and whipped cream.