SUNDAY SUPPER

SUNDAY SUPPER WITH WILD GARDEN

Sunday Supper might be one of my favorite events ever for so many reasons. One, it takes place in my house. Two, it always involves great friends and great conversation. Three, I get to cook with other people and try out new recipes. This particular Sunday Supper was in collaboration with Wild Garden and it was probably one of the easiest Sunday Suppers I have ever hosted. Usually my darling friends come over earlier and help me put dinner together however, they were all simultaneously nursing their hangovers and were all about 3 hours late. Thanks guys. Thanks. Good thing I had Wild Garden marinades and their pre-made packs of sides to take care of most of the dishes for what turned out to be a fantastic Mediterranean inspired feast.

It’s all kinds of amazing how much work it saved us by using these Wild Garden marinades. For our skirt steak dish, which was to be used to create your own pita, all we had to do was take skirt steak and the ‘Shawarma’ marinade and mix it together, cover, and marinade overnight. Keep in mind that these are considered ‘quick’ marinades and can be used 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to cooking but I’m just a big fan of overnight marinating. A little goes a long way with these guys. I think I used 1 and a half packs of the ‘Shawarma’ for about 3 pounds of skirt steak. Also what’s fun is adding additional spices and herbs yourself. If you like to play around like I do, you can think of the marinade as a base and layer on additional flavors you think would pair well together. For the grilled chicken, we used the ‘Persian’ marinade for our overnight soak. Again, I played around with additional spices and herbs. Recipes can be found towards the bottom.

However, I couldn’t let Wild Garden show me up like that! So I made a fresh Mediterranean inspired salad and my own tahini yogurt sauce to accompany our feast. Both of which were super simple to make and were used as toppings for the beef shawarma pitas and as sides to the chicken. Along with the marinades, Wild Garden also offers pre-made sides such as couscous, bulgur, and rice with lentils. I am a huge fan of the rice with lentils! All of these packs can be warmed up in the microwave or placed in a dish and put in the oven. A couple can even be eaten at room temp straight out of the packet. They are safe for my vegan buddies and gluten free fanatics. I have a couple vegetarian and vegan friends and have been able to feed them with the Wild Garden items with zero problems.

* Note that Wild Garden marinades are sufficient enough for 1 pack to marinade 3 lbs of meat. I just made my extra juicy. =)

So what’s the history behind Sunday Supper. Well, I’ll tell ya. I’m a self proclaimed ‘Monica’ and have a deep love for hosting. It’s stressful and overwhelming so obviously I love it. I’ve always hosted things at my place. Spaghetti nights, Fajitas and Ritas, epic roof parties, Friendsgiving dinners, the list goes on. This is why my dream place has always been one with a large kitchen and open floor plan. My love of hosting has contributed a lot into why we purchased the place we have now. A lot of the time, these events we have are open invite with large groups of people and it’s usually the hubs and I holding it down in the party prep department and also taking care of a majority of the cooking. Sunday Supper was my way of scaling it down, sharing the work and having a more intimate dinner. It literally melts my heart when my friends are cooking with me in my kitchen. Something about gathering together and making a meal feels so magical and special. I would totally rather host dinner and cook together than go out to a restaurant.

There are so many great aspects to my Sunday Suppers but the absolute best part has to be the conversations. This particular night went from Halloween costume ideas to an in depth discussion about the vagina and the magical world of the female orgasm. The night ended in a TV binge with people passing out on the couch and one sprawled out on my rug in a starfish formation. Each Sunday Supper has always provided me with lasting memories and a new perspective on the most random issues. We have covered topics like the BLM movement, LGBTQ community, Asians in Hollywood, Miley Cyrus, and generally just celebrating each others’ successes. Wine flows, tequila shots come out of nowhere and it’s overall a great time with people I love. I suggest you put together your own Sunday Supper with your friends. It doesn’t have to be difficult especially when Wild Garden can step in and take care of your main dishes. It’s a great way to gather around the table and share in some amazing memories and conversation. I guess this is my take on a family dinner because really… “friends are the family you choose”.