Sangria and Tapas Dinner with Friends

Our fabulous friends Mark and Dean, who relocated late last year to Arkansas from the Bay Area, were in town visiting. (Charles and I miss them and know they will be back someday) I decided to create a special menu just for them with Sangria and Tapas as the theme. There is nothing better than have little bites of goodness and then moving onto a new bite a few minutes later.

Tapas are small irresistible mouthfuls of some savory served with chilled wine, beer, sherry or sangria. They are a national institution in Spain and enjoyed with enthusiasm in almost every bar before lunch or dinner. The word “tapa” means lid, and comes from the sliced of bread that the innkeeper would place on top of a person’s wine glass to keep out the flies and dust between sips. The Andalucians then thought of the idea of balancing some kind of small food on top of this piece of bread, and tapas were born. Spain is definitely on my bucket list!

Menu:
Handcrafted Red Wine Sangria
Spanish Appetizer Platter with Manchego Cheese, Quince Jam, Fig Cake, Marcona Almonds and Crackers
Citrus, Thyme and Garlic Olives
Grilled Shrimp with Mediterranean Sauce
Deviled Eggs with Pimentos
Roasted Pork Tenderloin Crostini with Quince Paste
Roasted Bell Pepper Salad with Sherry and Garlic Dressing
Garlic Croutons with Chorizo
Sautéed Garlic and Lemon Mushrooms


























Quick Entertaining Tips:
1. Create menu and shopping list a week prior to the party
2. Take care of shopping two days prior to the event
3. Prepare as many items the day prior and place into plastic containers
4. Determine the order of the items to be served by cooking time
5. Walk through your preparation and visualize your dishes a few days before
6. Empty your dishwasher prior to the event
7. Set table a day before the event and shine your glassware
8. Create your ipod play list a week prior with Spanish music
9. Light candles an hour before
10. Arrange the appetizer platter 45 minutes prior to your guest’s arrival – cheese is better at room temperature
11. Enjoy your own party!