Dinner Party for 12? Yes Please!

So some weeks ago in Nigeria we had the Sallah holidays which translated to a super duper long weekend as we had Monday and Tuesday off then I was extra lucky because as I'm just a humble corper I have CD on Wednesdays which means I don't work. I pretty much had a whole week off work and it was amazing! However it also meant that on Sunday when I realised the weekend wasn't about to be over I had this nagging urge to make the most of it. And make the most of it I did! My friend Efe and I decided to throw a dinner party for 12 at my house and so this meant doing all the cooking and planning and of course the all important guest list! Haha.

It was a super duper last minute decision but it worked and the date was set for Monday, time 7pm. Did I mention that we were walking around the grocery store when this happened? We were looking for something basic like toothpaste but came out with a basket full of food and some wine for good measure. 

On the menu for the dinner party was:

Starters:

Crepes

Mini burgers

Mains:

Traditional Lasagne

Jamaican Chicken Coconut Curry

Basmati Rice

Dessert:

Banana Rum Cake with Coffee Icing

Cocktail:

Tropical Rum Punch

So with all our ingredients gathered the day before, we woke up bright and early like excited children on Monday morning and started cooking, yes we made everything from scratch. Well except the Lasagne sheets. Lol. If you're interested in any of the recipes we used then drop me a comment and I'd work on putting those out there properly but for now here's some pictures of the cooking process and the finished work.

The chicken pieces for the curry had been marinated with curry and other spices overnight to make sure the flavour really sank in.

Adding in the coconut milk to the nearly cooked chicken

Almost done now... Just a few minutes left.

Initial stages of the makings of the banana rum cake...

Garnished with fresh banana slices and peanuts.

Browning the mince meat for the lasagne...

Preparing to make our mini patties for the burger canapes...

Meat left to 'rest' for a few minutes before moulding and grilling..

 Mini burgers garnished with tomatoes and mozarella cheese...

 Crepes! ^_^

After we were done with the majority of the food, we set the dinner places and decorated the dining table with some of my tealights and other candle-y bits for a romantic feel and then waited patiently for the guests (and their bottles of wine of course) to arrive.

Finally at around 8.30 when most of the guests had arrived, the food was brought out to the table and like they say... the rest is history!

At the end of the night everyone couldn't stop going on about how delicious the food was and the proof was in the empty plates and dishes. We literally had no left overs at all. Zero, zilch, nada!

Given the success of the first dinner party and our joint love for cooking, Efe and I decided to start a new dining concept in Lagos and you'd be hearing a lot more about it very very soon! But let's just say for those who like to meet new people, eat delicious food and not pay with an arm and a leg then we just might have something cooking for you... Literally. Haha.