I live for a good dinner party, and now that I have a bedroom separate from my living room, I have them all the time. Last night, it was a double date kind of dinner party. The menu was as follows

Appetizers

Block of Manchego Cheese

Olives/Sun dried tomatoes

Avocado spread

Tzatziki

French Bread

Entree

Blue Cheese Salad

Yellow Rice

Herbed Roasted Whole Chicken

Piri Piri Sauce (Food and Wine, January 2013 issue)

Wasakaka Sauce (Food and Wine, January 2013 issue)

Dessert

Dark chocolate bar

Milk chocolate bar

Brie

Grape Jelly

For me, the easiest and most economical choice for a dinner party is a whole chicken. I love them! I get a Whole Foods organic bird for $2.50 a pound, and this past week the birds were on sale so I got it for 1.99 a pound. This feeds up to 5 to 6 people. Then, thirty minutes before it is time to stick it in the oven I cut up some different vegetables, in this case I used onions and sweet potatoes, put them on the bottom of a roasting pan, then I combine butter or oil with herbs, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  I stick it in a 400 degree oven for 55 minutes. Then, without fail the bird comes out juicy and delicious.

 

Herb Roasted Chicken

5 pound whole chicken

1-pound sweet potatoes, roughly chopped

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 tbsp. butter, softened

2 tbsp. fresh tarragon, minced

1/2 tbsp. ground fennel seeds

zest of one lemon

juice of one lemon

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

In a bowl whisk together the butter through the pepper. Place the onions and sweet potatoes in a roasting pan then place the whole chicken breast side up on top of the vegetables. Break the bird’s wings and legs. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken, inside and out.

Wasakaka Sauce (Food and Wine Magazine, January 2013)

Makes 1 1/2 cup

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4  cup minced garlic

1/4 cup minced red onion

3 fresh chiles, such as as cayenne–stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced crosswise

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped oregano

salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, combine the lime juice with the water and bring to a boil.Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Let the sauce cool before serving. (I made this sauce the day before to enhance the flavor of it)

Piri Piri Sauce (Food and Wine Magazine, January 2013)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

3 fresh red chiles, such as cayenne–stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

3 Thai chiles, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the bell pepper, onion, cayenne chiles, Thai chiles, garlic , and paprika and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 12 minutes.

Scrape the mixture into a blender and let cool slightly. Add the vinegar and lemon juice and puree until almost smooth. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl. Let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour before serving.