I love organizing and cooking for a dinner party. But, what I love even more is to have a “working” dinner party! That means everyone participates in all the cooking festivities as a team.
For a stress-free “working” dinner party, I have an easy summertime recipe that’s fun for crowds big and small. The great thing about this recipe is that as the host, you can plan and prepare ahead of time so that the assembly can go quickly and easily for your guests.
Before you dive into the recipe below, here are some helpful tips:
1. Turn on some music and pop open a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rosé champagne and give a chilled glass filled with this bubbly goodness to all your guests.
2. Purchase some fun and fashionable cast iron skewers for a cool presentation. What do I always say? Presentation is KEY!
3. Purchase bacon from the butcher. It’s fresher, thicker and yummier for this recipe.
4. Wash the hearts of romaine ahead of time and cut them into chunks.
5. Buy fresh shredded Parmesan cheese.
6. Use your fave Caesar dressing. I like using Cardini’s . (I know, so non-caloric!)
7. Use a Ziploc bag to mix the lettuce chunks, shredded Parmesan cheese and Caesar dressing. Shake it up while dancing to a Flo Rida song! This is a quick and easy mixing tip with virtually no clean up. Great idea for camping, too.
8. Use the tiny sugar cherry tomatoes.
9. Buy havarti cheese. If your deli has havarti with dill, even better!
10. This recipe asks for sourdough bread, so try to find a loaf with smaller slices. You’ll see why when you have to cut them into small squares.
11. Spread mayo on top of the bread instead of butter and see how the grilled sandwiches turn a beautiful golden brown.
12. Grill the sandwiches immediately before eating so your guests get a hot grilled bacon cheese mini sandwich with a savory mouthful of Caesar salad and a pop of cherry tomato. Yum!
BLT Skewers
This recipe makes as many as you and your guests like!
Ingredients:
Pre-sliced sourdough bread
Havarti cheese (1-2 pieces of thinly sliced cheese per sandwich)
Bacon, fried to a crisp (3 slices per sandwich. Depending on how big your bread slices are, you can make it up as you go)
Mayonnaise (I use light mayo. I need to skimp on something - right? ha!)
One container of cherry tomatoes
3-4 bunches of romaine hearts
One bottle of Caesar dressing (the creamier the better!)
Shredded Parmesan cheese
10-to12-inch skewers
Directions:
Pick one of your guests to help you place the cheese and bacon between two slices of bread.
Choose another guest to spread mayo on the outside of each bread slice and another guest to grill the sandwiches in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side. They’re done when golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Your grilling guest should quickly hand the sandwiches over to another guest with a serrated knife and cutting board to cut them into four squares.
Then, the cutting guest should pass the mini square sandwiches to the guest who will be threading them on to the skewers.
If not already pre-mixed, have a guest mix the romaine hearts, Parmesan cheese and the dressing to be threaded on the skewer.
Another guest will be the cherry tomato expert and will slide those sugar babies on the skewer next.
Have your “working” dinner party guests keep alternating mini grilled sandwiches with chunks of lettuce and a tomato until they reach the end of the skewer.
This is by far one of my favorite summer recipes. It’s great for a crowd and for those guests who like to participate in the cooking action! The exciting part is watching how everyone works together in assembling the ingredients. The skewers always look amazing, too. If you’d like more recipes for “working” dinner parties, Just Ask me!
It's a cinch if you plan ahead!
