Women's Night Take Two

I hosted Women's Night for the ladies in the neighborhood last August and it was my turn to do it again this past Friday. I decided to keep things really simple - some dips and a Bundt cake and BYO alcohol.

On my way home from work on Friday, just a couple hours before the gathering, I decided that I needed something more finger-foodish to offer so I ran into Harris Teeter for some sushi, which turned out to be a hit.

There were two pregnant ladies as well as a vegetarian in attendance so I made sure to get some veggie rolls.

The other two options were cream cheese rolls and Philadelphia rolls

I also made a roasted red pepper and a pesto dip. The former was just okay, but I really liked the latter. If you're a pesto fan, give it a try.

My mom shared a recipe for a healthified spinach-artichoke dip with me so I gave that a whirl. It was just okay as well. I think the problem was that it tasted healthified even though I put way more shredded Parm on it than the recipe called for.

The Southern Living I got about a week before Women's Night had a recipe for a chocolate chip Bundt cake in it, and I thought my Friday night get-together would be the perfect opportunity to try it. The person providing the recipe said her sister often requests two cakes at her birthday - one just for her and one to share. I didn't think it was THAT good, but it's a recipe I'd make again.

The part of the recipe I really liked was the praline topping. I think maybe I should try my banana bread recipe in a Bundt pan and use this praline topping with it. Yeah, I'll be sure to let you know how that experiment goes...

All in all, this Women's Night was a success and was much better than my first. I'm sure it won't be my turn to host again for a while but maybe the next time it is, the weather will be cooler and we can have the get-together on our as-yet-unfinished patio.