First things first…when I am my mother’s age I can only hope and pray that I have friends who are as kind and funny and wonderful as my mom’s cohorts are. Every month, a group of women from my parent’s neighborhood get together and drink wine and eat food and talk about everything from education issues to fashion trends. I know these ladies know the value of this time they get to spend together but being on the periphery of this crew I can really see how truly lucky they all are to have each other. They are as different as they are the same, they listen to other view points and they’re even patient with me when I get “passionate” about a topic. Did I mention there’s wine involved?
My mom was hosting “winers” (that’s what they call it) this month so I asked if I could prepare the menu. It’s a dream of mine to be a personal chef however living in Northern Indiana I don’t know too many people wanting to hire a chef for their “dinner party”…so this was a great chance for me to cook for a (small) crowd.
My mom was thinking Italian and I was totally on board. I already knew I would do my meatballs, recipe here. I just made the meatballs slightly smaller and served them with toothpicks.
Speaking of my mom…here she is bringing in the wine!
No, I am not 13 and no, she didn’t have me when she was 13. The woman must possess the same anti-aging DNA as Christy Brinkley…I’m sure it skips a generation, actually I know it does.
So not only do we indulge in amazing wines (all under $20)…they also do a signature cocktail for each get together. Being that this was an Italian theme, we decided to go with an Italian Greyhound. I think it’s traditionally made with Gin but we decided Vodka was the way to go, it’s just…
2 cups vodka
4 cups red grapefruit juice
1/4 cup campari
rosemary sprigs
Just mix together the liquid ingredients and pour over ice…then snap a sprig of rosemary to release the oils and throw that in. Heaven in a glass…
Back to the food…besides the meatballs, mom thought that toasted ravioli would be great…I agreed (who isn’t going to agree that toasted ravioli is a good idea?)
I used a recipe from The Six Sisters, click here for the post. It worked great because I was able to find fresh ricotta stuffed ravioli at Bamber’s Superette in South Bend.
How we have access to an authentic Italian grocer in Northern Indiana is beyond me but Bambers is just that, click here for information about their amazing market…and to see how cute the owners are.
Here are some photos I snapped when preparing the toasted ravioli…
And here I am with the ravioli fresh out of the oven!
And here I am with my BFF Meg…
And here’s the end result…Ta Da!!!!
My mom got a marinara from Bambers to dip these in…toasted raviolis plus good marinara equals angels singing.
We also did some caprese skewers…just fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and a grape tomato on a small skewer.
You can drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on these if you would like…I call this “tastefully stupid easy”.
We also did an antipasti plate filled with authentic Italian meats, cheeses, olives, and marinaded artichokes…
Paula (mom) can roll a mean prosciutto…
That black substance on the sharp Italian cheese that I can’t remember the name of is a balsamic jelly…there are no words to explain the epicness that is balsamic jelly. We added some crackers on the side as well.
Here are some photos of the spread…
And here is a photo of my mom’s living room, because it’s awesome…
She buys most of her furniture at junk shops…feel free to pin this, I would.
And here are some photos of the winers having a good time…
To say that I am fortunate to know these ladies is a gross understatement, they all freaking rock…and I have no friends around here so it’s pretty cool that they let me hang out with them.
I hope this inspires you to get together with your friends and eat some good food and just be yourself. I’m all about a judge free zone and let me tell you, this is it! Oh, and maybe try some of these recipes too…
Cheers from the winers!
The Good Cooker
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The Good Cooker 
I LOVE my Winers! Lauren, your food was amazing…..just like you!
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This is awesome! So proud of you and your blog! You are inspiring me to try harder!!!
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You winers are amazing! Thanks for always letting me crash the party! Love you guys…
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Awe, Thanks Michelle that means a lot! And YOU are awesome…I know you could whip up any of this! I'm always here if you have questions!
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