Best Girls Dinner

A few weeks ago I hosted an intimate dinner for some of my best local girls. Motherhood had brought beautiful chaos into all of our lives and it was so nice to just sip, chat, giggle and eat together...not just as busy moms, but as friends. I incorporated a fresh menu full of seasonal eats, sentimental details and my love for YoungLiving essential oils.

Menu:
Lemon-Tarragon Flatbread with Fontina and Prosciutto

Ingredients:
Flatbread dough (recipe below)
1 package of  quality prosciutto
Whole milk ricotta
Quality fontina cheese
Lemon- Tarragon dressing
1 drop of lemon essential oil

You can make your dough or get already made pizza dough from your local grocery store. I mixed 3
1/2c flour with 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt. Then I slowly added 1 stick of room temp butter until incorporated. Add 10-12 Tbsp of water until dough forms. Knead for 5 minutes, cut into 4 discs and wrap up. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. When dough is ready, roll out to about 1/2 inch thickness. And grill each side on high heat for about 1-2 minutes. Let cool, spread with dressing. Mix lemon essential oil until ricotta and spoon on top of dough. Place prosciutto, sliced fontina and fresh basil leaves on top and serve. The whole milk ricotta is amazing, I would never use a low-fat ricotta. So delicious!

Pan Grilled Chicken with walnut and spinach pesto

Ingredients:
5 chicken thighs
2 c spinach
1/2 c walnuts
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c Parmesan
1 piece of garlic
Salt
1 drop of black pepper essential oil

I love using chicken thighs because they are an inexpensive organic option and so flavorful! I made the pesto first by adding the spinach, olive oil and garlic into a food processor (or blender) pulse and then add in walnuts and Parmesan. Pulse until smooth. Add salt, pepper and black pepper essential oil; stir, set aside until serving. I grilled my chicken in a grill pan with olive oil, and salt. About 10 minutes or so per side. Serve with pesto on top.

Grilled Eggplant with Goat Cheese and Walnuts

Ingredients:
1-2 eggplants
Good quality goat cheese
1/4 c walnuts
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 drop of oregano essential oil

I drizzled my eggplant with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Placed on the hot grill pan and grilled for about 3 minutes per side. Then I let cool slightly. Mix goat cheese with oregano essential oil and sprinkle on top with walnuts.

Artichokes and Tomato Panzanella

Ingredients:
1 jar of olive oil marinated artichokes
1 container of grape tomatoes
Leftover bread
1/3 c chicken broth
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 drop of basil essential oil

Let dried, leftover bread soak in chicken broth for a few minutes. Heat pan with olive oil and basil essential oil, add in tomatoes, artichokes and bread. Remove when bread a crisp yet still moist. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grilled Pineapple served with ice cream and Nutella

Ingredients:
1 pineapple
1 c Nutella
2 scoops of vanilla ice cream per bowl
1 drop of orange essential oil
1 drop cinnamon essential oil

Slice up pineapple and grill each side for 2 minutes. Place in bowls on top of ice cream. Mix Nutella with drops of essential oil and drizzle over pineapple. Serve.

I love using fresh ingredients, essential oils, resourcefulness, creativity and love in my dishes. The girls brought wine and we happily ate and shared stories. At each friend's place mat I had a card and gift to mark their seat. I made a Epsom salt bath soak for each friend with various essential oils that I thought they'd love. Lavender for my busy working friend to help relax. Lemon for another friend for energy. Joy in another to uplift. Panaway to help sooth. Lemongrass for my bohemian traveling friend. I mixed them all with some coconut oil and painted the tops to make them personal. Special, unique details are the best.

Hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we did!
Xo Lo