11.28.2017

Dinner Party Recipes: Kale Caesar & Beef Tenderloin

Happy Tuesday friends!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Our first married Thanksgiving was nice, albeit tiring! I was glad we were able to fit in all the families, and it was so nice for Bryce and I to be together (we did Thanksgiving and Christmas apart when dating), but I went back to work exhausted yesterday, haha!

We visited Bryce's grandmothers Thursday-Friday and I think Millie had the most fun of us all, as she got lots of play time in the wide open outside at their houses in the country! We then came home to Richmond Saturday, and got visits in with both of my grandmothers and parents the rest of the weekend. In between all the family time, we squeezed in buying a Christmas tree (though it's still in a bucket of water outside) and I began to work on some of our other Christmas decorating. I also took advantage of some of the crazy Cyber Week deals and bought a few gifts. If you haven't checked out my gift guides yet, be sure to check them out: Here for ladies, and here for gents!

And now for today's post! When I jumped back into blogging a couple weeks ago, I got some requests for recipes! I always love posting tasty, and attainable, recipes on here. I thought as a follow-up to my recap of Bryce's birthday dinner party (here), I could share a couple of recipes we served that night!

I'm a bad blogger and don't have pictures for the beef tenderloin, and my salad pictures aren't the best, but I know you'll forgive me!

First up is the Kale Caesar with Toasted Breadcrumbs from the cookbook Host that I received as a bridal shower gift. This recipe was perfect for a dinner party, as it was easy to prep ahead. If you ask me, the toasted breadcrumbs were the best part! As always, my personal comments are italicized.


Kale Caesar with Toasted Breadcrumbs
serves 4 (this was not our main course and kale is hearty, so I actually served 8!)

Ingredients
for the breadcrumbs:
2 tbs olive oil
2 slices country bread, roughly torn into chunks
salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the dressing
1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese
6 tbs olive oil
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the salad
1 large gunch kale
1/4 cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese
toasted slivered almonds (this was not in original recipe, but I'm nuts about nuts in salads and decided to add them!)

Directions
Make the breadcrumbs
In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bread pieces and toast until crispy and golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate an season with salt and pepper.

In a blender or food processor, pulse the toasted bread until pea-size crumbs form (about 15 seconds).

Set aside.

Make the dressing
In a bowl, whisk together the garlic, 1/2 cup pecorino cheese, olive oil, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Make the sald
Toast the slivered almonds. I put mine on foil in the oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes, until slightly browned.

Remove the stems and ribs from the kale and slice the leaves crosswise into 1/4-inch ribbons. in a serving bowl, toss the greens with all of the dressing and using your hands, massage the kale for 30 seconds to help tenderize it. Let the kale rest for 5 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs and toss. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of pecorino cheese and almonds and serve.


Next up might be the simplest recipe I've ever posted! It's actually one of Bryce's Nana's recipes. You might remember her Peach Cobbler recipe, here! I have no picture, as I was enjoying wine and company too much for photos by the time we got to the main course, but trust me that this is a crowd pleaser! Even better, prep is easy peasy and once you put it in the oven, you have pretty much 0 work to do until it's time to serve, meaning you get to visit with your guests!

Easy Beef Tenderloin
serves 4 (I obviously doubled the recipe, as we were serving 8)
Ingredients
1 lb raw beef tenderloin
butter, softened to room temperature
garlic salt (I also think truffle salt would be amazing here!)

Directions
Wash and trim tenderloin. Pat dry.

Let it come to room temperature, usually takes about an hour and a half if cold from refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 500F.

Place in foiled pan (2 layers of heavy duty foil).

Cover with soft butter and lots of garlic salt (I know this is not technical, use your judgment!).

Bake at 500F for 18-20 minutes and turn oven off. Do not open oven door!

Leave in oven for additional 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with foil. Let rest for approximately 10 minutes before slicing.

Voila! Yumminess abounds!

What are your go-to recipes for dinner parties?

Have a great day!