Dinner parties are one of my favorite things to do. I am not a club type of girl because...
a) Loud places and crowds make me tired.I love a homey, laid back pub or a non pretentious happy hour, but they are hard to come by in LA (the Daily Pint does a pretty good job and Q's is nice if you get there embarrassingly early and there is the ever delicious Border Grill, although they have significantly scaled back their HH menu).
b) $12 drinks annoy me.
c) Not being able to hear anything your friends say is frustrating.
d) Trying to look cool enough is exhausting.
A dinner party means you can actually talk to people you like (hopefully you like them, since you invited them over) and there is no corkage fee and you can bond in the kitchen. Perfect.
I made a huge batch of dough (recipe here) and we all brought toppings for our pizza "concepts" and a bottle of prosecco.
Happiness ensued.
I highly recommend it.
P.S. There is still time to enter the fabulous giveaway from Shoestring Home! Comment on this post for your chance to win.
oh, I had a pizza dinner party last summer and it was so much fun! I love having guests bring ingredients. It's helpful, and I think people enjoy being involved in the process a little! Yay for prosecco also..yum!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love a dinner party. I think I would have loved to come to yours:)
ReplyDeleteI love dinner parties! My favorite table setting is having friends around it. I'm with you about going out. Pizza is one of my favorite foods too. mmmm....
ReplyDeleteI love dinner parties as well. This looks lovely. I also find my self more and more annoyed with the whole club scene. Thankfully my friends are starting to see how boring and not fun it can be in a dark club where you can't hear anyone.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun idea! I've been in a dinner party rut, so I'm looking forward to utilizing this theme next time. And who doesn't like pizza, especially when you bring your own topping? It's perfect :)
ReplyDeletei had a very similar party just a couple weeks ago - i made the dough and asked people to come with toppings. one brilliant girl brough chocolate chips and marshmallows so we could make dessert pizza!
ReplyDeleteyour photos always make me feel good!
ReplyDeletelove your dinner party concept; laid-back is the way to go!
ps. i followed your chalkboard tutorial this past weekend.. my new board is hanging up right now. thank you so much!
i'd say there's absolutely nothing dorky about dinner parties! especially when they include pizza.
ReplyDeleteThat looks really fun! Good for you for letting the nerd hang out there. I love it!
ReplyDeleteI love a nice small group at home too - so much more warm and intimate.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! Oh, if only I lived closer, I would invite you over for delicious quiche with feta cheese, kalamata olives and Bellini's!
ReplyDeleteDorky dinner, it turns out, is delicious! Wish I was there!!
ReplyDeleteI love having friends over for dinner! I've never done the bar/club scene, and don't see the attraction. Dinner parties / games afterwards is SO much better!
ReplyDeleteYour pizza looks DELISH!
we are husge dinner party people too. so fun! great post.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the idea! I'm throwing a housewarming party for my family and I've been stressed about what I can make that will please everyone and not be uber expensive. Homemade pizza is perfect. I've spent a lot of time since our honeymoon trying to recreate Rome pizza.
ReplyDeleteI love dinner parties -- much more than hitting the club, especially when I was living in LA. Yours looks like a delicious delight!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fabulous time! Great idea for a party, I love Bon Appetit.
ReplyDeleteOh goodness that looks good - I'm coming over!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree on all the reasons that you list for not going out! Your pizzas look like they turned out wonderfully. Never had presecco with one but I think I may just have to try!
ReplyDeleteA nice, quiet, not fussy dinner. Sounds perfect. That pizza looks amazing-we will think about this for an informal gathering. Thank you. I am now wnating that pizza-NOW!
ReplyDeletewow, that pizza looks delish! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea - a good ol' pizza party, but for grownups!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a club girl either, for the same reasons you listed.
that pizza is a work of art! (and I'm sure it tasted great too)
ReplyDeleteFrom one non-clubber to another, that pizza looks awesome! Sounds like a great way to spend a night with friends -- especially since it doesn't require driving! ;)
ReplyDeleteI love this! We do pizza and prosecco parties too! The bubblies and the warm cheesy goodness makes such a cozy dinner.
ReplyDeleteOh my word how fabulous are you!! Those pizzas look yummy! I agree wholeheartedly with the dinner party thoughts....... If you're a dork so am I!
ReplyDeleteAs far as a behind the scenes from me.... I'm thinking about a video of a day at the studio..... We'll see if I can get it together!! Will you teach me how to cook? I need serious help in that department!
Looks like a wonderful party. P.S. I love your header -- great color and composition :-)
ReplyDeleteThis looks like so much fun and not dorky at all :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea, I'll have to try this!
ReplyDeleteYou've pretty much described my favourite evening, and one I carry out very often, right down to your choice of pizza toppings. In fact last Friday we did the exact same thing with some friends. I make pizzas too, and enjoy the homemade food and good old fashioned conversation. Would it be incredibly geeky to add a board game on to the list, too?
ReplyDeleteO, it looks like so much fun! I am not a club type of girl either.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun party - looks like fun. I am a huge fan of homemade pizza and I completely agree with you on the club/bar scene... just not me anymore.
ReplyDeleteLOVE this! If we lived in the same city we would be friends. I only like going to unpopular place b/c the crowds make me dead inside.
ReplyDeleteHome is best.
This looks fabulous and frankly is making me hungry! I'll have to pull this idea out after we move--we'll be around the corner from several friends, so I'm convinced that starting a weekly Supper Club will be my next venture!
ReplyDeleteWhat a yummy Idea! I pretty much hate going out to ridiculous places for all those reasons too. Also, here they haven't banned smoking yet in public places, so there's that to deal with as well. Booo. This is the perfect solution!
ReplyDeletedear GAHD these look incredible.
ReplyDelete....and now I'm hungry. Wow these look amazing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun dinner party-so much better than trying to make conversation in a noisy, busy restaurant. Your pizzas look absolutely fabulous, I love making them at home so much more than ordering delivery!
ReplyDeleteFor those who like prosecco, you should try this one. It's so good and affordable! http://winelibrary.com/reviewwine.asp?item=26597
ReplyDeleteI love your reasons-i'm-not-a-club girl list. I am exactly the same way! :) And those pizzas look delicious!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! :)
This is a great idea, I agree with you dinner at home with friends is always so much nicer. The pizza's look so yum!
ReplyDeleteHa! Pizza parties sound like a fantastic idea! So nice to have a laid back evening with friends without all the hassle of going out and fun also if you get the guests to make their own pizza with toppings of their choice - perfect!
ReplyDeleteok, so i'm trying to make this dough as we speak.. does it foam at lot at the beginning when you dissolve the 1tsp with 1 cup water and 1/4 cup flour. i tried it a few times with two different yeasts. i just don't want the yeast to be dead and for me to waste my time. any tips with this recipe?
ReplyDeleteCaroline, don't worry - mine didn't foam much either and it made me nervous. I added a couple teaspoons of sugar to feed the yeast, even though it probably wasn't necessary, and it rose beautifully in the end. Not sure why they describe it as foaming a lot in the beginning, if it isn't just me that didn't see it happen.
ReplyDelete