Masquerade Dinner!

A little Mysterious (tis the season)
A lot of Fun (as always)
A little Celebratory (it’s the 10th anniversary of B&T!)
A little Fancy (Dress up! Black dresses, sparkles, dark suits / pants, etc)
Very Delicious (Tickle those taste buds)
Different from our ‘norm’

This pretty much describes what I have in mind for this October masquerade anniversary dinner! Please read the FULL description before committing to your RSVP – this event will be different than the rest in more ways than one, and will require everyone to bring a dish. Read on…

DRESS:
This is going to be an elegant ‘sit down around the table’, dark and mysterious themed dinner. I’m encouraging everyone to dress the part by wearing something “dark and elegant” – the basic color scheme of the evening will be black with gold, deep purples, deep reds, etc. And of course….wear your masquerade mask!

EVERYONE IS A COOK / BAKER:
Everyone will be asked to bring a dish. Dinner will be served in three distinct courses – appetizers, main dishes, and desserts. Since this is a very small event with individual courses, everyone should have their own unique dishes rather than teaming up. It's the only way to get good variety! You should sign up for one of these courses by replying to the specific comment (I will leave a comment for each course – you must reply to the correct course that you want to cook for – make sure you are under the right one). We need 3-4 people in each category (about 1/3 of the number of attendees – please keep an eye as this number may go down if people drop off and are not replaced). If a course is full, move on to another one please! When you comment, you can tell us what you’re bringing OR give a clue to avoid duplicates while keeping an element of mystery (example: I will bring a dish using chicken). Once you comment please do not change it – it will get very confusing if everyone is changing their minds. Comment once and stick to it :). Please AVOID the following foods altogether: NO mushrooms, shellfish, tree nuts, alcohol that has not cooked off, and no overly spicy food. We have regular attendees with sensitivities and allergies to all of these items, so let’s just avoid them during this special event.

It will be difficult for everyone to bring something specific to the ‘masquerade dinner’ theme, however, if possible, please get creative! Perhaps your dish can match the color scheme or can be decorated in a way that matches the theme. Fall food and unique recipes are encouraged! We want to be surprised or intrigued – so be creative – add a mystery ingredient, or surprise us with a unique dish. I’ve posted a few “masquerade food” links below and you can also google it if you want to attempt to match the theme in some way.
Pinterest
More Pinterest
Masquerade Party Food

SERVING and EATING:
Please bring dishes that can be easily moved from the kitchen to the dinner table and passed around ‘family style’. You do not have to plate each individual serving as we have done in the past for our ‘sit down’ dinners. Each person will help themselves while remaining seated. Please, no huge heavy pots, crockpots, or piping hot casserole dishes for passing. If you choose to bring your food in something heavy or hot (to keep warm) please plan on moving your food into one or two ‘passable’ vessels for serving. If you really want to plate individually, please keep it small and place individual servings on a few trays to pass around the table. You don’t need a ton of food – not everyone will eat every dish and most will take a small ‘tasting portion’ since there is so much to choose from. There will be three ‘rounds’ or courses. EXAMPLE: I will announce “appetizers” at which time all of the appetizer cooks will get up, bring their apps out of the kitchen and place them on the dinner table for passing. The food will then get passed around. When apps are over, the “appetizer people” will return their dishes to the kitchen before the main dishes are brought out, etc. In between each round, we may have a little ‘mystery’ question, game, or conversation.

RSVPS:
After reading this and checking your calendar, if you are unable to follow through, please change your RSVP a minimum of 7 days prior to the event – no later - sooner is better. That will give me time to adjust while allowing time for shopping and planning. I would like to keep this event at 10-16 people. Thank you!

PROVIDED:
Serving utensils, plates, water, coffee, tea. I only ask that at the end of the night everyone clean up and take home their own serving dishes and leftovers. If you use one of our serving utensils, please wash it and put it back. You may bring a take-out container in case their are leftovers.

WHAT TO BRING:

Your dish
Serving utensils (or you can grab one from our collection, use it, wash it, and return it to the box at the end of the night.)
A TAKE OUT CONTAINER - Take out containers are no longer provided. If you are interested in leftovers, please be sure to pack your own container!
$5 cash donation - VenMo code will also be available.
YOUR APPETITE! YOUR SMILE! YOUR MASQUERADE MASK!

Looking forward to seeing everyone!! :):)