Come Dine With Me

I have to say that I'm surprised to see how many Canadian/American shows are knock-offs or spin-offs of British programs. A "new-to-Canada" show has been airing on the W channel - Come Dine With Me. It's a quirky cooking show where 5 contestants prepare and host a dinner party for each other one person at a time. They are then rated by the other contestants on the quality of the party. Winner gets 1000 British dollars - or whatever they call them there. If there was ever a reality show that I would want to be on - that would be it. Hopefully it comes to a Canadian city near me.

I love to host dinner parties. I'm not claiming to be a phenomenal cook - but I do love coming up with a menu, cooking it all up and hosting a real, grown-up dinner party. (Yes, we make the kids eat at the "kids" table - they gobble their food down and are promptly sent to the basement to play!).

Saturday I had a hankering for Thai food. I've never really cooked it - but with the internet I feel invincible - I can try anything. (For the record, George did electrical work in the house merely following the directions on YouTube.) I googled Pad Thai, called Mike and Meghan, invited them to dinner and started chopping. You know, it was relatively easy and I had most of the ingredients in the house - just needed some fresh limes and bean sprouts. I chopped it all up early in the afternoon and threw it all together just before they got here.

The timing was a little touchy. I kind of stressed out a little in the end - trying to get it all ready at the right time but not over cooked. Note to self: don't try two new recipes for the same meal. But I have to say that I woke up this morning craving MORE Pad Thai. It was SO good I'll gladly make it again next weekend! The recipe is on my side-bar. I did trade the shrimp for chicken and omitted the shallots (they're kind of like onions, and I know someone who doesn't like onions!).

Tips For Pulling Off A Dinner Party
While Having Five Kids Running Around The House
1. Don't invite persnickety folks who care about fine details.
2. Chop early in the day then go play with those kids running through the house.
3. Clean only the areas your guests will see. #1 main floor bathroom - it's the only room in the house where guests are alone with the door shut. Clean the floor, mirror and hang fresh towels.
4. Have your husband or child vacuum 10 minutes before your company is expected. No earlier - it will NOT stay clean.
5. Large closets. At the last minute toss it all in the large closets.
6. Run the dishwasher and empty it before your company arrives. That way they CAN help with clean up by loading the dishwasher. (Unloading is too personal - so get that done)..
7. Remember #1 - don't invite persnickety folks.

There's a verse in the book of Romans (chapter 12) that says "Practice hospitality." Too many people think they need to be Martha Stewart in order to invite someone into their home. But that verse doesn't say "Be perfect hosts" it says "PRACTICE hospitality". Let's practice. Let's be gracious with each other as we practice. Let's say to one another "Come dine with me" - 'cause it's fun and 'cause it's biblical. Who needs a reality show to get us to dine with one another - let's just do it.

If you want to practice your hospitality feel free to practice it on me. I am very gracious. I promise, I won't even notice if the bathroom towels are fresh or not!