Dinner Party Diaries – Volume 3 Issue 2 – Laid Back Dinner and Slumber Party
While I love having people over in general for a dinner party, a house party has the added benefit of longer visiting and catch-up time. Without the need for everyone to go home that night and with the prospect of continuing the visit over brunch the next morning, it can make for a more relaxed time with people you may not get to see as often. And, okay, let’s be honest. While I can call it a “house party” to pretend to be an adult, it’s really just a grown-up iteration of a slumber party. Therefore, I give you my “Laid Back Dinner and Slumber Party” for your inspiration and amusement.
House or Slumber Party vs. Dinner Party
Around here, we have lots of experience with getting things ready for guests. Where I will say that “house party prep” takes a hard left turn from my run-of-the-mill “dinner party prep” is in the need to have places prepared for everyone to sleep. This translates to needing to pick up in all rooms of the house. I’ll be the first to confess that for a regular dinner party, rooms that we won’t be using are left as they are and often used to hide some random thing that had (for reasons unclear) been sitting on the dining room table for a week.
When Time is Not On Your Side
So . . . for our recent Laid Back Dinner and Slumber Party, I’d euphemistically say that we were running a bit behind schedule (for pretty much the entire week). I could give you reasons, but really we all know how it happens. Life.
This meant a need to keep the menu contained to dishes that did not require a bunch of hands on time. (The house needed as much of our time as it could get.) Just to keep things interesting we also needed to account for the following dietary restrictions: no gluten, no soy, no wheat, no buckwheat, no mustard seed, no coconut, low-carb, no tree nuts other than cashews, pecans and macadamias.
We succeeded. Keep reading to see what we came up with.
Related note: Buying prepared items that meet several of the dietary restrictions is much easier when I use foods made by some of my fellow Wonder Women of Food!
The Details
Number of People: 11
Serving Style: Buffet
Guest Arrival Time: 4 – 6 pm-ish
The Menu
Appetizers
The 4 Dipping Sauces
- For all of the dips, you just mix the 2 ingredients until you get to the taste you like.
- Honey Mustard (Honey + Dijon Mustard)
- Keto Honey Mustard (Sukrin Gold Syrup + Dijon Mustard)
- Honey Sriracha (Honey + Sriracha)
- Keto Honey Sriracha (Sukrin Gold Syrup + Sriracha)
Keto Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce (Brought by a Guest)
Dips & Dippers
While I am happy to make a host of dips, sometimes time is not on my side. Here are some of my favorites to grab from the store.
- Toom Garlic Spread & Toom Basil Garlic Spread (I could and sometimes do eat it with a spoon.)
- Bitchin’ Sauce (Any flavor, but Chipotle is my favorite.)
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus & Garlic Hummus (Brought by a Guest)
- Terranean Za’atar Pita Chips (one of the Wonder Women of Food)
- Keto Flatbread (Toufayan)
- Yep, I can make my own, but again time was not on my side.
- Veggie Dippers – bought pre-cut from the store
Cheese & Charcuterie
While I may change up which flavors of each I serve based on my guests’ preferences, I lean into the cheese and meat plate regularly. For those with dairy restrictions, it’s worth noting that a lot of cases of lactose intolerance do not extend to goat or sheep milk cheeses. Disclaimer: This is not universal. So if you have a guest with a dairy restriction, ask first.
- Italian Style Meat & Mozzarella Panino (Roll-ups)
- FYI: They have new flavors available now that are fantastic. I got to try them at the Winter Fancy Food Show! (Salami & Pepper Jack, Pepperoni & Pepper Jack, Pizza Flavored, Jamon Serrano & Manchego)
- Salami & Pepperoni (From the grocery store)
- Don Juan Don Wine Goat Cheese Soaked in Red Wine (from Sam’s) (I love this firm goat cheese.)
- Manchego Cheese (from Sam’s) (FYI: This is a sheep’s milk cheese.)
- Seriously, if you need to buy large quantities of cheese, take a look at the offerings at Sam’s. It’s the best pricing I’ve found.
Entrées
Made the Chicken Parmesan Casserole with a few tweaks this time:
- Used pre-cooked chicken strips
- Swapped Rao’s Marinara for The Blonde Italian’s Vodka Sauce (low-carb, zero added sugar, alcohol-free) (one of the Wonder Women of Food)
- Added sliced Hearts of Palm for some additional texture
- Dumped it all in a crockpot and heated on High for 3 hours, stirring occasionally until warmed through and cheese melted. Then dropped to Warm. Remember: everything is already cooked, so you’re just bringing it up to temp.
Sides
Lightly Seasoned Cauliflower Rice
Desserts
Peanut-Date Protein Bars (Brought by a Guest)
Dippers by Dietary Preferences
- Graham Crackers or Teddy Grahams – for no dietary restrictions
- Kinnikinnick S’moreables Graham Style Crackers – gluten-free, allergy-friendly
- High Key Vanilla Wafers – gluten-free, low-carb
Breakfast
Bacon and Three Cheese Egg Bites
- I was going to make them from scratch but ran out of time, so . . . I bought these ones and heated them en masse on a tray in the oven. Perfect.
Build Your Own Parfait Bar
Depending on the dietary restrictions of my guests, here is my approach:
- I choose a couple of different vanilla yogurts as a base. Usually, this includes a sugar-free variety (like this Chobani), a regular version, and a dairy-free version or two depending on which allergies or restrictions I’ve got in house. (For example, I usually have at least 1 guest with a coconut allergy, so I may wind up with an almond based yogurt and an oat based one or some other combination.)
- I grab a tray / bowl / container of freshly cut berries from the grocery store.
- I select a granola option or two. Again, I pick based on which dietary restrictions I have in house. Here are 3 that I like and use regularly:
- Witzi’s Raw Granola – gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, low-carb
- NuTrail – gluten-free, grain-free, low-carb
- SeedWise – gluten-free, grain-free, non-gmo, soy-free, egg-free, peanut-free, dairy-free, tree nut-free, sesame-free, low-carb
- For a sweet drizzle, I set out regular honey and keto honey substitute.
Wine Pairings & Other Fun Beverages
We wanted to do a “Napa Sampler” so we chose a sparkling wine, a white, and a red from some of our favorite wineries.
- Domaine Carneros Blanc de Blancs (2018)
- Peju Province Winery Sauvignon Blanc (2023)
- Sequoia Grove Lamoreaux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (2015)
Plus we had some other fun things for our guests to try.
- Some Sugar Free Electrolytes for hydration
- Interesting Small-batch finds from Spirits & Spice
- S&S Peanut Butter Flavored Whiskey
- Mix it with some Creme de Cassis or some S&S Very Berry Blackberry Liqueur for your own PB&J sipper
- Mango Pineapple Cream Liqueur
- S&S Peanut Butter Flavored Whiskey
- Some infused rums from our trips to Rhum Island on St. Maarten / St. Martin (a fun visit if you find yourself there)
Laid Back Dinner and Slumber Party Recipe Ideas
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