Book Club * Spring Dinner

This week, I hosted my Book Club for dinner. 

It's a wonderful time of year to host 

because we can have dinner out on the porch.

You may remember last year's Book Club post-

Spring Dinner on the Porch.

I love to do something special for these ladies

and they are always so wonderful and appreciative.  

We could actually have fun together in a dark basement 

but this is so much better...

The table was set

with my Grandma Evie's Rose Chintz china. 

(You can read about it here)

and some pretty pink glassware.

I used this asparagus platter and tongs that I found at the Flea Market.

The flowers are from my garden...

Things are not as far along as they were last year, so none of Alice's peonies...

Weren't these gorgeous?

The Menu:

Chardonnay from Blustone

Tossed Salad with Dried Cherries, Sliced Almonds and Goat Cheese 

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

Baked Rice Pilaf

Roasted Asparagus 

Tiramisu Cake

Just click on the highlighted links above for the recipes.

The Salad

The Kabobs were grilled to perfection by Mr. Grand.

These were so simple to make and so delicious.  

I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com, one of my go-to websites for recipes and ideas.  

It had so many fantastic reviews, I thought I couldn't go wrong.  

And I didn't!  This recipe is a real keeper.

The Rice Pilaf was baked in the oven instead of cooked on the stovetop.  

I added some diced carrots for color. 

It was easy and tasty and went well with the chicken.

To make the Asparagus, I sprinkled it with kosher salt and roasted it for 8-10 minutes at 425*. 

It's done when you can easily pierce the ends with a fork. 

Simple and so springy!

You may recall this Tiramisu Cake from a recent post I wrote:

I couldn't wait to make it again, but this time I grated dark chocolate on top 

and it looked a little more elegant.

It was a wonderful way to spend an evening 

with such good friends and great conversation.

And the peonies should be blooming soon...

Yay!

Linking to:
Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound