Weekend Party at the Kallos'

What a great weekend! We had friends over on Saturday and had a great time, but I have to admit that I was not so good at taking photos this time around. I (of course) was running around chatting with everyone and manning the grill. I did manage however to take a few before the party started.

A quick cheese, prosciutto and melon tray was great for snacking. The cheeses were Dubliner, a great sharp cheddar like cheese, and a wonderful smoked Gouda.

The main dish was ribs (I am so bummed I forgot to take a photo) a recipe/technique I learned from our good friend Cody Bullis. They were great as usual. I made WAY too many so everyone was pleased to take some home for lunch on Sunday.

We also had Asian Cole Slaw which I love and I made the mac & cheese I recently posted about. But, believe it or not, the highlight dish of the night for me was this Layered Summer Salad, http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/layered-summer-salad-75160.aspx.

This salad is full of fresh vegetables and I was able to use more of the fresh basil from the garden. I was a bit worried that it would get soggy by letting it sit with the dressing for 5 hours, however I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. Very crispy and cool, perfect for a hot summer day, I can't wait to make it again!

As an added bonus we celebrated Peter, Brian, and Becky's birthday (all coming up this week) with a fantastic Devil's Food cake from Cakes by Darcy, http://www.cakesbydarcy.com/. Everyone loved this cake so much! I can not wait for another excuse to order from this bakery.