Little Bird Has Landed!

Attendees: Lisa, 3-B, Little Bird, Noncommittal Nancy, Peanut
Cocktail: Drinker's Choice! (some wine, some vodka tonics, and some vodka martinis)
Appetizer: Stuffed Mushrooms
Main Course: Chicken cordon bleu, onion tart, pear & endive salad (with crumbled blue cheese & walnuts), and roasted tomatoes
Dessert: Chocolate Souffles (yeah, you read correctly).

Little Bird flew south from Brooklyn on Friday to see 3-B (and me!) in DC. On Friday, we took her out to a night on the Hill and perhaps partied a bit too hard. Nonetheless, 3-B and I were going to make a meal in her honor that she would never forget. Lisa, who went to high school with 3-B, joined in the festivities and we were finally able to get Noncomittal Nancy to commit! Peanut made it home from the Jersey Shore (I can't wait till summer to host a dinner party on that roof deck!!!) just in time.



I had to pound chicken breasts for the chicken cordon bleu. I don't have a mallet, so I used an empty bottle of wine, which seemed very French. Oh, and the bottle of wine wasn't empty when I was ready to start pounding, so I was justified in having my "chef's glass"!



It's amazing how much you can get done when you've got a co-chef! 3-B and I worked together to create these hearty stuffed mushroom appetizers.



The pear and endive salad with crumbled bleu and walnuts (and a homemade vinaigrette) almost stole the show!



3-B and I also worked together on this one- I made and rolled out the pie crust, she made the onion tart filling. This was a strategic dinner choice that served as the entree for the vegetarians (big piece), and a side for the carnivores (small piece).



I love chicken cordon-bleu, and how pretty is this plate with the roasted cherry tomatoes!

But really, we were all excited about dessert and the promise of chocolate souffles! 3-B and I literally started clapping when we turned on the oven and saw them RISING!!!



Here they are as soon as we took them out...



A big thanks to my good friend Biagio who runs Biagio Fine Chocolates, the most amazing chocolate shop in DC (www.biagiochocolate.com). I was at his store Saturday morning immediately after yoga, where Biagio himself helped me pick out the perfect chocolate for my souffles! They were AMAZING!!!



And since Little Bird didn't help us cook, we forced her to do the dishes. Kidding! (But she is oddly good at them!)



So, partners in crime once again. In elementary school, a teacher once nicknamed 3-B and me Tweedledee (who was probably 3-B) and Tweedledum (probably me). We pulled off an amazing dinner party and I'm really going to miss her when she heads back up to Brooklyn next weekend! But I'll get by (after all, I do have a new pair of fabulous red pants!!!).