Dinner Party! {and my fav cookbook from my Junior League days}

I know I have not been keeping up with shopping and outfit posts very well lately... truthfully it's been such hot, busy summer that I am just throwing on the thinnest, lightest little dress or some-such that I can - and wearing flip-flops, with a ponytail - so nothing interesting enough to even get a quick snap... plus the weather is making me a little crabby, I will admit. Once we cool off a bit I will be back to thinking about clothes & shoes & accessories & jewelry...

On a fun note though, we had a little dinner party last week with some friends and I made two of my favorite recipes from my all-time-favorite-cookbook (and I love to buy cookbooks) St. Louis Days St. Louis Nights.

But back to the cookbook: truly, just some of the best recipes: Southern Prize Shrimp Dip, Honey-Almond Brie, Apricot Chicken Divine, Carrot and Zucchini Casserole...

For this dinner, I made JLSL's Crostini with Roasted Red Pepper Spread and Peppery Shrimp. Super easy and delish... my interpretation here of the recipe for the shrimp isn't so exact but it doesn't need to be - variations have all turned out fabulous for me:

Crostini with Roasted Red Pepper Spread

14-15 oz jar roasted red peppers - drain and arrange on paper towel to dry. While they're drying, combine 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp capers and a smashed and peeled garlic clove in a food processor bowl and process very fine...

add in the peppers and coarsly chop with on/off pulses... you can store this mixture in the fridge up to five days!

now make your crostini - cut a baguette into about 1/4 inch slices (mine tend to turn out thicker - I have a hard time with this... but it really is good to have them thin so they get nice and crispy)... brush with olive oil and bake about 10 minutes...

take out of the oven and spoon on some pepper mixture, then top each piece with a fresh basil leaf...

and, voila:

Now, the Peppery Shrimp:

5 lbs of unpeeled shrimp (I used 3 lbs), a pound of butter, 16 oz to a bottle of Italian dressing, some pepper (recipe calls for 2 oz - but I usually use less), and lemon juice (recipe says from 4 lemons - I just squeeze in from the little yellow bottle until it seems about right) It is also a nice touch to add sliced lemons on top

yes, this is a lot of butter but it is worth it - just don't make it every week - melt it in a saucepan and then add the remaining ingredients and pour over the shrimp in a big roasting pan

Bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes and you're done! Serve with French bread to soak up all the yummy sauce and a big green salad.

Happy Wednesday night!

xoxo