Having dinner with friends more often is something we all want!
What we fear: I have to clean the house, cook a stellar meal, and everything has to be perfect.
What it can be: the house is “clean enough,” peeps can wear loungewear and flip-flops, and nothing is perfect but we have a great time. I like to call that California-casual!
Once a month, paid subscribers receive a dinner party playbook with recipes, conversation-starting questions, and even a music playlist.
Hosting a casual dinner party just became super-duper easy!
Hello and welcome! If you like tacos, kimchi, seasonal produce, and bright flavors, you’re in the right place. For those who are new, I’m Betty, a food writer, recipe developer, home cook, and Southern California gal.
Every Friday in this newsletter, I help you plan meals with California Cuisine recipes to inspire you, no matter where you live in the world. California is the most ethnically diverse state in the U.S. and is home to many peeps from Asia, South America, and the Mediterranean. The cuisine here reflects that and is a beautiful mash-up of flavors!
Other places to find me: my food blog, podcast, YouTube, and Instagram.
Want to close your eyes for a moment? I read the post to you in the audio link above.
2 Cooks 1 Table
Welcome to the table! Because I am a fan of so many talented food writers (and I know you are too!), each monthly dinner party includes recipes from a guest chef.
This month, I’m super excited to be collaborating with ! She is a long-time chef, cooking teacher, and recipe developer who writes the newsletter, Next Level Gluten Free.
You saw several of her delicious recipes earlier this month in the July menu plan!
Rachel and I became acquainted through a food writers group, but became fast friends at the food writers’ retreat we attended earlier this year. She is so much fun to be around!
If you’d like to learn more about Rachel, her gluten-free journey and expertise, and where she finds her recipe inspiration, you’ll want to listen to the podcast interview I did with her, linked below.
Rachel and I had fun coming up with today’s dinner party plan!
In this month’s menu, you’ll find Rachel’s Roasted Seafood with Potatoes and gorgeous Peaches Amaretti. My contributions include a Grilled Caesar Salad (yes, really!) and Iced Matcha Lattes. You are going to love this summertime menu!
Don’t feel like making every recipe? Make it a community effort by having guests prepare and bring one (or more) of the dishes. As the saying goes, many hands make light work!
**If you are already a Paid Subscriber to Rachel’s newsletter, Next Level Gluten Free, I am happy to comp you a one-month paid subscription to my newsletter so you can also enjoy this dinner party menu. Please send me a DM through Substack or email me at bettyeatz@substack.com and I will take care of it!
Spotify Playlist
Of course, I’ve put together a playlist for you! This one is two hours of fun music that I call “modern vintage,” meaning current songs played in a jazzy old-school style.
I was inspired by the concert my husband and I recently went to: Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. Enjoy this one while prepping dinner or as guests arrive. I love the free version of Spotify for all my playlists!
Conversation Starters
Usually, no one is at a loss for words when it’s a gathering with good friends. But! It is fun to throw out a question or two. Their answers might surprise you!
Two questions that Rachel and I thought would spark some fun conversation:
The rest of today’s post is for paid subscribers. You know I’m fond of you all, but once a month, I treat my paid subscribers to a post that’s just for them. Won’t you join us?
Paid Subscribers receive a monthly cooking class (more info at the end of this post), brand new menu plan each month, a monthly dinner party playbook, plus have access to all recipes. See the complete list of goodies in my Premium Content Library.
Paid subscriptions are $5 per month or $50 per year (yes, that’s 2 months free!). Upgrade during July and receive my new book, Coffee Shop Iced Drinks, as a thank you.
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