My Heart in the Oven

I find such delight in dinner parties and meals with unexpected people. Cooking with or for other people fills me up, even if I do have a million dishes to wash and never have enough seating. One day I'll fill my house with people; a simple, elegant dining room, a stunning, utilitarian (sexy) kitchen, full pantry, curious wine cellar, and lots of laughter and munching and crumbs.

Until then, I make do in any way I can. Dinner parties, quick meals together, grocery and farmers' market excursions; what and how a person eats is an important way for me to get to know someone. If we're compatible in the kitchen, chances are I love you. Do you ever catch yourself peeking into other peoples' grocery carts in the check-out aisle? I love making up tales about who someone is based on what they put in their cart. Yesterday, I saw this tall fellow with big feet and basketball shorts buying pizza, chips, children's cereal, and Gatorade. Fascinating that an athlete can survive on that; all I could think was as soon as you stop playing basketball, you're going to get real fat.

Or the firemen who wander the aisles in twos and threes, checking grocery lists, discussing meals and warming my heart. Bonding over food.

I got the idea for a series of dinner parties a few weeks ago; I wanted that joy and that creative control over my diet.

My first idea was for a kind of Stone Soup party. I wanted everyone to bring an ingredient: any one item that they may need to get rid of, or haven't ever used before, or are just curious to see how it would fit with other things. I didn't want to know or to plan; I wanted to see what a dynamic group could come up with.

Kate arrived with wild rice, chick peas, and salsa. Jen brought potatoes. Sarandi brought coconut milk and rice noodles (and something else?) Jordan brought fresh corn and yellow squash. Rosy brought green tomatoes, and basil and chives. From my kitchen, I provided curry powder, jalapeno, roasted red pepper and some staples, like salt and pepper and olive oil.

The meal was:
Potato and Yellow Squash Curry
Fried Green Tomatoes
Blackened Corn Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Basil

I was given the suggestion to document the event, but was unable to gather camera materials in time. I'll have to take this suggestion next time. I have some footage from a visit to Michigan a few years ago; Jen, Gareth, Laura, Jordan, Jesse and I were making burgers and other things, and I was obsessively videotaping everyone's hands as they chopped onions, formed patties, stirred juice. I wonder what I did with that footage.

(I've been steering myself away from my media production interests, but have all these ideas I'd love to try out. Like the Swing Set Symphony. But that's another issue, for later exploration.)

It was fun to see Jordan and Sarandi, Rosy and Kate and Jen interact. I like throwing people together and watching them connect over something like food or music or racial justice or peace action. Warms my little heart.

I have some other ideas already brewing, and I'm eager to see who I can get to come back, who I can persuade to come to a cooking event for the first time, who will surprise me.

One idea is to focus on home cooking. Have everyone make one dish that they grew up eating which defines their idea of home and family. That would make for some wicked story-time.

Another idea is to have a potluck of only dessert. I've thought, too, about basing a potluck on a single ingredient or set of ingredients, a la Iron Chef, and I'd like to have more Stone Soup parties, of course.

I wonder how many dinner parties I could get away with having? One a month?

I'm running away with this idea; it's a bright light in the face of an otherwise puzzling evening. It hurts to talk and not understand. But that's another post.

Have you, oh five readers, had any awesome potluck experiences? Do you have any amazing potluck ideas?

Hell, what's your Favorite Food?