A simple, yet impressive party

(I know that the picture is sideways, but I couldn't get it to cooperate, but hopefully you'll get the idea)
Another successful party occurred this past Saturday and the food was a hit.  I chose all Ina things and took her advice on only cooking 2 of the 3 courses that I served.  For appetizers, I served olives, naan bread, hummus, 2 varieties of cheeses, and water crackers.  White and red sangria were the drinks (my mom made those and they were yummy).  For dinner, I made an arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette and parmesan cheese shavings and paella with halibut, shrimp, and sausage.  While most of the people in attendance had never heard of paella, they all tried and raved about it.  Paella is really nothing more than a rice/veggie/seafood/sausage dish that's flavored with saffron.  It's incredibly easy to make and tastes incredible.  Ina's paella is loaded with flavor thanks to the hit of Ouzo at the end (Ouzo is a Greek liquor that tastes like black licorice- it's really good with seafood).  It's different, yet I find it to be comfort food as well. 

Now onto dessert.  I chose to serve a dessert that could be made the night before and required zero fuss on the day of the party.  I made individual chocolate ice box cakes with really good chocolate chip cookies and a mascarpone/chocolate/whipped cream filling.  The recipe couldn't be simpler- mix mascarpone cheese (cream cheese would be a good substitute as well), heavy cream, vanilla, Godiva liquor, sugar, and cocoa powder until it forms stiff peaks.  Put a layer of good chocolate chip cookies on the bottom of a springform pan followed by layer of the whipped cream mixture, and keep layering until you reach the top of the pan.  However, to make these fancier and more special, I used individual spring form pans so everyone had their own.  A nice shaving of semi sweet chocolate over the top finished the dessert and people went crazy for them.  If you've never had an ice box cake, I highly recommend it- it's incredible. 
As if an individual ice box cake wasn't enough, I also served a variety of chocolates and caramels including, chocolate covered cherries, sea salt caramels, toffee, and chocolate mints.  They were an excellent topper for the dessert!

The party was held outside at my parent's house and they have the perfect backyard for entertaining.  The party started on the upper deck, then moved to the lower deck for dinner.  I wanted the table decorations to be simple, low, and not big since the food was served family style and the bowls remained on the tables.  I simply chose 1 flower (red gerber daisies) and placed them in low, small vases on the tables.  According to Ina, the food should be the star, not the flowers or tableware, so I really let the food shine for this event.  The plates and napkins were fun, upbeat colors so the party wouldn't have a "stiff" feeling to it. 

Overall, everything was successful and Ina's food never fails:  it's easy to prepare, easy to cook, and easy to eat.  Anyone who chooses her food will come out looking like a rock star chef, but only you will know how easy it truly it is.  Also, this made the party fun- I wasn't a part of the actual party, but I wasn't stressed and still had a good time.  The moral:  choose a simple, yet impressive menu, make things in advance, choose simple decorations, and have fun!