Happy Monday? I’m still recovering from an extremely fun and productive weekend while I plunge into another week of happenings! Over the weekend I hosted twelve friends for Spanish Tapas, attended an Elon University event and painted a street for a new project I’m working on at my day job. Yeah, so leisurely. But, while exhausting, so incredibly special when packed into one weekend.

My friend Masha and I planned Friday night’s menu when fun in mind – and with the intent to keep it simple and easy. We shopped and prepped almost everything on the menu the night before. Stuffing the dates and piquillo peppers, preparing the puff pastry and components for miniature tomato tarts and laying out all the platters…

The day of the party, everything was a breeze to plate and finish. This menu unique – complete with lots of good Spanish wine from my friend Mark and sangria from John – was the perfect pick-up menu for a casual night with friends. We packed into the kitchen and enjoyed small plates while grazing back and forth to the table.

This menu is perfect for a mixed groups – including those who eat less carbs or are vegetarian. It’s also great for a crowd as recipes can be doubled with ease. We purchased the entire menu from The Fresh Market as they are stocked with speciality ingredients and quality meats, cheese and an amazing olive bar! I’ll share the recipes this week!

Spanish Tapas Menu for Twelve

• Roasted Shrimp with Chorizo and Garlic
• Roasted Tomato Tartlets with Goat Cheese
• Mixed Cheeses, Meats, and Olives
• Spanish Marcona Almonds
• Roasted Garlicy Mushrooms
• Stuffed Dates with Blue Cheese and Almonds 
• Cold Asparagus Salad with Hardboiled Eggs
• Stuffed Piquillo Peppers
• Honey Roasted Pineapple with Ice Cream