Recipe: Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Fig and Honey...and a Dinner Party with McCormick Gourmet!

Ever craving something cheesy and carb-y but don't want to completely overdo it?  This grilled goat cheese with figs and honey from Cooking Light is just perfect to satisfy those cravings!  Check out my post and the recipe over at Marcus Samuelsson's blog!

A few weeks ago, the awesome folks over at McCormick Gourmet asked me if I would like to take part in their Dinner Party Chain and host a party that featured recipes using McCormick Gourmet spices and a McCormick Gourmet Dinner Party Kit.  Knowing that Mother's Day was coming up, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to create a delicious dinner for my mother...so I said YES YES YES!

It took forever to decide what to make for the occasion, but once I realized it was going to be 80 degrees on Sunday, I decided on a light, summery menu.  You've already seen the roasted vegetable bruschetta with queso fresco (featuring McCormick chipotle chili powder and roasted ground cumin!), but I also made a pesto pasta salad with roasted asparagus, green beans, and cherry tomatoes (seasoned with MCormick tuscan seasoning) and a deep dish strawberry rhubarb pie (infused with McCormick roasted ground cinnamon).  The recipes for the latter two dishes will be coming in future posts!  But suffice to say that the food was enjoyed by all and there were absolutely ZERO leftovers when the night was over!  Success!

Who says dinner party food has to be super complex and fancy schmancy in order to taste good?

Here are some gratuitous pictures of the family from the evening!



My brother, probably still slightly hungover, making a perfectly lovely face at the thought of eating an entirely vegetarian meal.  He cleaned his plate.  'Nuff said.



My sister, nibbling on a crostini before dinner actually started.  My mother declared a moratorium on eating before I got there, so they were all starving and this was just one of many pre-dinner nibbles.



Dana again, laughing with her mouth full.  Probably at my brother's face.



My Aunt Jackie, eating some pesto pasta salad! Those are mini sun-dried tomato-stuffed ravioli. SO GOOD.



My father, right before we started discussing me paying back my student loans.  Things got ugly after that so it's a good thing I snapped this picture in the nick of time.



And then, of course, the guest of honor herself! My mother.  She's about ready to dig into her first bite...



Smiling mom = mission accomplished.

Thanks so much to McCormick for providing me with the means to host this dinner party and to make Mother's Day so delicious for my mother!

But wait! There's more! You guys can participate in the Dinner Party Chain by going over to the McCormick Gourmet facebook page and submitting an idea for your dream dinner party!  If you do, you'll be entered to win a dinner party kit similar to mine that is themed to a holiday of your choice so that you can enjoy hosting a party of your own!  Go forth and submit!