Cooking for Friends

So I must say it has been a long time since I have updated this post..I am sorry if anyone was actually following...Haha..So This past Week I had one day off My work life has been really busy! SO being a cook I cook even on my days off for this friday dinner party I prepared a leg of lamb marinated in lemon, thyme, and oregano, and finished on a wood fired grill. Accompaniments were a type of chic pea puree almost like a Hummus but with out the garlic, also I made Dandelion greens cooked in vinegar, For starters we had a cheese plate and some Tempanade of olives and artichoke hearts..This I thought was slightly large undertaking...But being ever in search of something harder I decided to take the invitation to cook again on the following Sunday...So my day started early with a brunch A very nice and smooth service around 2 I departed to Bowling Green, Ohio to cook this Dinner for which I had no prep or ingredients. The only thing I knew for sure was I had eight hungry bellies I had to fill by 6....So I arrive and begin to provision this dinner...Still at this point I had no Menu planned, nothing! I was to prepare salmon because the hostess provided the protein...At the store I frantically toss veggies and fruits into the cart hoping to find inspiration in something and a menu to come together! So finally with zero time left I manage to come up with a moderately alright menu which eventually turned into one of the best meals I have ever prepared...The feast began with a nice assortment of cheeses and some nice red wine..Serving Buffet style I started with Baby portabella caps filled with an herbed goat cheese served with a spicy mayonnaise type sauce..Salads included a beet and fennel mixture dressed with chopped cilantro, olive oil, and citrus squeezed over the top. The second was an arugula, cherry tomato, and pink grapefruit, dressed with an avocado dressing..The protein was the salmon with a cilantro dill citrus crust served over browned potatoes and caramelized onions Along with this I wilted beet greens in hot pepper infused oil with sugar and red wine vinegar..For dessert I prepared a light chocolate mousse with stone fruits..A white sangria was made to accompany dinner..Over all I think it was a successful cooking adventure, for no planning and a very strict time crunch!!..after 3 hours of hard cooking I took time to step back and observe and realized I destroyed this kitchen to a degree that I was not remotely prepared to clean...Thank goodness for willing guests to clean my mess!