Brian made Aperol Spritzer. I enjoyed this refreshing beverage, which isn’t surprising since I like bitter drinks and prosecco. Keely made Limoncello Vodka Collins, which I somehow failed to take a picture of. I’m a lightweight, so I found this drink to be way too strong.

Brian also made Butternut Squash Hummus. The butternut squash and maple syrup gave the hummus a sweetness which was a nice twist, though almost too much richness. Whereas I can usually down buckets of hummus with chips or veggies, I was satisfied after a couple bites of butternut squash hummus. Maybe that’s a good thing.

I made Parmesan & Chipotle Popcorn. You can’t really go wrong with a little extra spice and cheese on popcorn, so this was a tasty snack. And super easy to make – it even uses microwave popcorn! People at the party said they liked it, though the few pieces I tasted when freshly made were even better.

Shayna made Herbed Goat Cheese and Spiced Pecans. The herbed goat cheese looked fantastic with its adorable presentation in a jar, though I wished the herb flavors had infused more into the cheese. The pecans had a great crust of spices and a little sweetness.

Brad made Fig & Goat Cheese Bruschettas. I think the sweetness of fig contrasting with the salty pungency of goat cheese is a great combo, but I found the fig preserve to be a touch too sweet. Maybe I just needed a little less of it.

Kamy made Butternut Squash & Ricotta Bruschettas. The salty sweet of the butternut squash and caramelized onions with the creamy ricotta was really nice. Kamy cut the Bruschettas into bite size pieces – perfect for popping one into my mouth whenever I wandered past the table.

Kamy also made Smoked Salmon Pizzas. These were fantastic. The dough was light and soft but with a good outer crust. I think mascarpone is a wonderful thing, and with chives mixed in it was a great base for the smoked salmon. What an awesome idea for a pizza!

Alyssa made Anna’s Tomato Tart. Alyssa felt these were a bit greasy (there’s a lot of butter in the crust and oil on the tomatoes), but I thought the cheesy tomato flavor with just a hint of mustard was really nice. And we all agreed it was a good crust that could be used for lots of things.

Dina made Kale Salad with Pancetta & Pecorino. This dish was a bit blah for me. I like kale, pancetta, and pecorino, but didn’t feel that the dressing did anything to brings these ingredients together.

Crystal made Fiesta Corn & Avocado Salad. The texture of this salad was my favorite part – pop from the corn, crunch from the bell peppers, creaminess of the avocado, and juicy tomatoes. A refreshing side.

Mollie made Sautéed Shredded Brussels Sprouts. I liked that they were not overcooked and maintained some crispness, but other than that these were disappointingly uninteresting. I’d use the shredding and cooking technique, but season differently for more depth of flavor.

Heather made Spaghetti Squash with Garlic & Parmesan. I am partial to spaghetti squash – perhaps it’s the kid in me that just thinks the texture is fun. This was a decent spaghetti squash dish – not the best I’ve ever had, but passable.

Sheana made Italian White Beans & Escarole. I loved this dish. It was creamy, garlicky, and rich – probably because it had a ton of pecorino and Parmesan cheese. Sheana used dandelion greens because she couldn’t find escarole. I think you could use any bitter green and it would be delicious.

Josh made Tuscan Roasted Potatoes & Lemon. If you’ve been following this blog, you know that I’m not much of a fan of potatoes. These actually weren’t bad as far as potatoes go for me, though the thing I liked best was the crisped bits of lemon.

Rita made Herb & Apple Bread Pudding. This bread pudding seemed heavier on the egg than others I’ve had. I could see having it as a brunch dish. But I’d use more pancetta!

Michael made Lentil & Kielbasa Salad. The dish gets served with goat cheese toasts. It was hearty without feeling heavy. Together with the toasts, this salad could stand as its own complete meal.

Kris made Rigatoni with Sausage & Fennel. This was one of the best dishes of the party. The creamy tomato sauce has a heavy dose of white wine, which came through in the flavor and was so good with the fennel and Italian sausage.

Alicia made Roast Chicken with Radishes. She said the radishes kind of shrunk away and disappeared during the cooking, so I only got to try the chicken. I found it somewhat bland.

Erin made Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken. A bite of chicken with some nicely seasoned skin and a piece of caramelized lemon was pretty good, but I found that the chicken itself didn’t absorb as much of the lemon flavor as I would have liked.

Brad also made Cherry Pistachio Biscotti. I could have eaten the whole tray of this biscotti. The chewy tartness of the cherries complemented the nuttiness of the pistachios, and the sugar sprinkling gave the biscotti sparkle and a touch more sweetness.

Ahuva made Tri-Berry Crumbles. This dish is actually from a different Ina Garten cookbook, but it was delicious so we’ll let it slide 😉 The three berries are blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, topped with a crunchy oatmeal topping that really made the dish. For days after the party, I dreamed about having this dessert warm with vanilla ice cream.

Erin made Limoncello Ricotta Cheesecake. The ricotta made this cheesecake nice and light. The limoncello gave it just a hint of lemon flavor, and I couldn’t decide if I wanted more or liked the subtlety. It turned out to be really good mixed with the Tri-Berry Crumbles, which I saw many people at the party doing.

Tracey made Vanilla Rum Panna Cotta with Salted Caramel. The panna cotta was a touch runnier and not as creamy as some I’ve had. The rum flavor definitely came through. It was good with the caramel stirred in, especially when I got a bit of fleur de sel for salty sweet contrast.