POM Dinner Party Recap #5: What We Did With Our Leftovers!

Well... sadly, I have just about come to the end of my recaps on my POM Wonderful Dinner Party... if you are joining me here at the end and would like to catch up on the previous posts and recaps. please click on the links below!

Recap # 1: Preparations and Decorations
Recap # 2: Drinks and Appetizers
Recap #3: The Main Course
Video Tutorial: How to Open a Pomegranate AND a Giveaway!
Recap #4: Dessert

Now, you might think that this story ends with dessert... but you are wrong!  What do you always have after a dinner party?  Leftovers, of course!  We ended up with a LOT of leftovers, because we ended up 3 short at our dinner party! :(  It was ok... the rest of us enjoyed the extras and it made it possible for us to all squeeze in at one table.  Here we are enjoying some of the specialty POM drinks...

By the way... Lucas is holding the cheesecake in his hand... I just didn't get it in the picture!

Now, I knew that Ryan and I would get tired of eating leftovers, so we called in reinforcements: family!  We had Ryan's parents, as well as his sister and her two boys join us for Sunday lunch. 

Hello, Pom Party # 2!  Yes, we had TWO Pom Parties!!!  We just reheated everything and did it all over again! 

While I reheated everything, Ryan entertained the kiddos in the back yard.

Then it was time to eat!

What a fun weekend!

I am so grateful to POM Wonderful for such a generous shipment of gift bags for the guests, the two cases of beautiful, juicy pomegranates, and all of the fun goodies!  I am HOOKED on pomegranates now, and this opportunity gave me a chance to cook new dishes with an ingredient I was not that familiar with.  NOW, I will definitely buy lots of poms to use each fall and winter!  (I LOVE that you can freeze the arils to use later!)

Thanks to all of you for reading and for taking this journey with me (either via blog or actually at the dinner table)!

Don't forget... you can still enter the giveaway by clicking here.  Then you can take your own POM journey!

POM Dinner Party Recap #4: Save Room for Dessert!

To see the earlier recaps from my POM Wonderful Dinner Party, take a look at these links!

Recap # 1: Preparations and Decorations
Recap # 2: Drinks and Appetizers
Recap #3: The Main Course
Video Tutorial: How to Open a Pomegranate AND a Giveaway!

So now... it's time for dessert!

I knew this dinner party was going to be a lot of work, so I had to get a few things done ahead of time.  So last Friday night, I was at a Zumba Party.  I didn't get home until almost 9:00 p.m.  After dancing for 2 1/2 hours (and leading 5 songs myself!) the last thing I wanted to do was come home and cook.  But there was work to be done at the Bridges household! 

From the beginning, I wanted to make cheesecake for dessert.  I LOVE cheesecake.  (Seriously, doesn't everyone?)  I was picturing this rich pomegranate syrup drizzled over cheesecake and pom arils sprinkled over the top. 

My wonderful husband was helping me so much as I got ready for this dinner.  He was helping me measure out ingredients for the dessert and all of a sudden, he was looking for the mixer.  Now, I am a control freak in the kitchen.  It's hard for me to give directions and not step in.  But I was so tired, I thought, "Let the man work."  So I did.  And before I knew it, he had mixed up two cheesecakes, poured them into the crusts, and popped them in the oven. 

Luckily, I had made the Molasses for these cheesecakes on Thursday, so that was done.  All I had to do was wait for him to call "Time!"

Thirty minutes later, we had two wonderful-smelling cheesecakes.  The whole house smelled like a bakery.  It was hard not to dig in right away!

This dessert was perfect.  It was not too heavy and the Pom Molasses was rich and sweet.  I opted to use the Pomegranate Cherry Flavor of POM juice, which added a little extra sweetness.  I will confess, I think I have eaten 3 pieces since Saturday.  And I am thinking about eating one as soon as I finish this post!

Cheesecake with Pom-Cherry Molasses:

(This cheesecake recipe was adapted from Philadelphia Cream Cheese Classic Recipes, Publications International, 2001)

Cheesecake Ingredients

• 2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese (I used light)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 ready-to-use graham cracker crust (I used a reduced fat crust)

Mix all ingredients with an electric mixed until well-blended.  Pour into crust and bake at 340 for 40 minutes, or until center is almost set.  Cool 3 hours or overnight.

Pom-Cherry Molasses:
I heated 16 oz. of Pom-Cherry juice with 1/2 cup of sugar.  Heat until boiling.  Boil for 2 minutes, then reduce to medium-low heat.  Allow mixture to reduce until it has thickened enough to coat a spoon or fork (slightly thinner than pancake syrup).  Then remove from heat and allow to cool.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

To serve: top a slice of cheesecake with molasses and pom arils. 

YUMMO.

Next up: Leftovers...

We Interrupt these Recaps for a Little Tutorial AND a Giveaway!

I've been busy recapping my POM Wonderful Dinner Party from this weekend!  If you'd like to take a look at my other POM-Related posts, please click on the links below!


Recap # 1: Preparations and Decorations
Recap # 2: Drinks and Appetizers
Recap #3: The Main Course


There is still more to come, such as...

• a very easy yet delicious dessert made by Ryan
• what we did with the leftovers!

But I wanted to take a moment to share some information with you.  The first time I bought a pomegranate, I didn't know HOW to eat it!  I cut it in half and then went, "Now what???"  I couldn't figure how to get into it to get all those little seeds (which are actually called arils) out!  Plus, I had always been told that you had to spit the seeds out.  So get a mental picture of this... I am standing over the sink, spitting these seeds out and my hands and shirt are completely stained with pomegranate juice.  I thought, "This is for the birds!"


So after that, I started looking into this.  Turns out, YES!  You can totally eat the arils/seeds!  They are good for you and can really aid in digestion!  As you've seen, they are great in salsa, as a garnish, on top of cereal, on yogurt... LOTS of possibilities for these little guys. 


But in order to eat them or use them, you've got to be able to get INTO them!  So I did a little cutting demo at my dinner party and now I am going to share the video with all of you here, so that you'll all know how to open a pomegranate, too!

Enjoy!


Now, POM Wonderful gave me gift bags for all of my dinner party guests.  I happen to have ONE left!!!  The gift bag is awesme.  It has 2 Pomegranates in it, a Wonderful Inside bracelet, a brochure with "How to Open a Pomegranate" in it, a set of recipes for using pomegranates, AND... a coupon for a FREE bottle of POM 100% Pomegranate Juice!

To be eligible for this drawing, you must leave a comment on this page related to pomegranates.  If you've never seen one, be honest!  If you have a favorite way you like to eat them, tell me that, too!

I'll draw on Friday afternoon!  So get your comments in before then!

Pom Dinner Party Recap # 3: Movin' on to the Main Course!

I've been busy making up for lost blogging time this week!  In case you missed the first two recaps from my Pom Dinner Party, here are the links:
Recap # 1: Preparations and Decorations
Recap # 2: Drinks and Appetizers

So... before I tell you about our salad and main course, I've got to show you the hilarious apron I received from POM Wonderful.

What a great conversation piece, no?  This apron inspired lots of laughs!

Moving on...

Here's a peek at our menu:

One thing that I like to do when I am cooking a more complicated dish is get all the prep done ahead of time.  That way, you aren't having to measure out ingredients in a rush.  Before our guests arrived, I prepped my chicken dish and got all my ingredients measured for the rice and the squash dish.

Can I just say that it would be AMAZING if I could have someone to do all the prep for me all the time???

The salad was so tasty...

This was very simple to make.  I started with some mixed greens.  Then I added crumbled goat cheese, pomegranate arils, walnuts, and a homemade Balsamic-Pom Viniagrette.

Viniagrette:
Mix equal parts balsamic vinegar, and pomegranate juice.  I added about 8 oz. of each.  Then I added 1/2 cup of sugar.  I brought this to a boil on the stove, then simmered for about a half hour, allowing it time to reduce and thicken.  When it cooled, I added mixed about a half cup of the reduced sauce with a few tablespoons of EVOO.  (No exact amounts here-- just mix it to your liking.)  Shake well.  The reduction is so flavorful!

Our protein was Pomegranate and Lemon-Herb Chicken. 

This recipe is from the POM Wonderful site and was created for tilapia.  However, I used it for fish.  Click here for the original recipe.  I opted for regular breadcrumbs over Panko, mainly because I am not as familiar with Panko.  I skipped the step where you toast the breadcrumbs with oil on the stovetop.  Instead, I sprayed my chicken with a light mist of cooking spray after I had rolled it in the breading.  This helped it to crisp in the oven.  The chicken was very tender and moist! 

The Pom-Autumn Rice Pilaf was AMAZING. 

Click here for this recipe from POM Wonderful.  I wasn't sure how all these ingredients would taste together, but this recipe was my favorite thing that we made for this dinner party.  Soooooooo delicious!  I would make this again and again.

Finally, we also had a vegetable dish: Pom Squash and Onions with Toasted Breadcrumbs. 

Click here for this recipe.  This recipe was supposed to have mushrooms, but OOPS!  I totally forgot to add them!  It was still wonderful.  I also used a combination of yellow squash and zucchini.

Ready for dessert???  It's delicious, simple, and guess who made it... RYAN!  Coming soon...

POM Dinner Party Recap # 2: Cocktails, Mocktails, Drinks, and Appetizers!

If you're just joining me, I'm recapping my POM Wonderful Dinner Party! Click here to view my previous post about preparations and decorations!

Now... on to appetizers and drinks!

Don't you love appetizers?  It's one of my favorite parts of a dinner party.  Fun drinks run a close second! :)

For my POM Dinner Party, I decided to make two pomegranate-starring appetizers:

• Creamy Goat Cheese and Pom-Stuffed Celery
• Pom Salsa with Baked Tortilla Chips

Both of these recipes are from the POM Wonderful web site.  Originally, I had planned for one more pom appetizer, but then I decided that two were enough.  I knew we had a LOT of food coming, and I wanted to make sure we would still be hungry for dinner!

I LOVED the stuffed celery.  Click here to view this recipe.  I changed it just slightly.  I used 2 oz. of goat cheese and mixed that with a block of light cream cheese.  This made the texture a little creamier and just slightly sweeter.  The little pomegranate arils on top were perfect with the cheese mixture.  It added a pop of tangy but sweet flavor in each bite.

The Pom Salsa recipe also came from the POM Wonderful web site.  Click here to view this recipe.  I wasn't sure about this recipe when I made it.  I was thinking, "How sweet will this salsa be?  Will I LIKE sweet salsa?"  The answer is YES.  I LOVED it.  It wasn't over-the-top sweet, like fruit salsas sometimes are.  It was tangy, sweet, and it had just a little heat from the chopped jalapeno peppers.  And how beautiful is this salsa?  So colorful!

Now... on to the drinks!

We had one cocktail, one "mocktail," and Pomegranate Lemonade!

Our cocktail was a pomegranate martini.  How can you go wrong with that?  I didn't measure these out exactly.  I used lemon-infused vodka, Pomegranate juice, and a splash of orange juice.  Delish!

Our "mocktail" was a "Fizzy Pom." 

Originally, I planned to make this a shot, but then realized I would need a lot of little shot glasses (which I don't have... think I threw those out when I cleaned out my dorm room... LOL) so... it became a mocktail!  All I did for this was mix ginger ale with a splash of pomegranate juice.  I think this would be great with champagne in lieu of the ginger ale, too.  Next time I will try that!

I also decided to make fresh-squeezed pomegranate lemonade. 

To make the lemonade, use the 1-cup method:
1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Start by making a simple syrup.  Add the sugar to boiling water.  Stir until it is dissolved.  Then add the lemon juice.  This is your concentrate.  To that, just add 4 more cups of cold water.  Now you've got perfect lemonade.  Then add 8 oz. of pomegranate juice to turn it into pomegranate lemonade.  That's all there is to it! 

Now... on to the main course! Stay tuned...

POM Dinner Party Recap # 1: Preparations and Decorations

Happy Sunday morning to all of you!  I know I've been laying low this week as I prepared to host my POM Wonderful Dinner Party!  If you've been reading my blog, then you know that a couple of weeks ago, I was selected to host a pomegranate-inspired dinner party by POM Wonderful! 

Well, last night was the big night!  The dinner party was a great success! 


Now, you know the types of recipes that I usually make and post... and I am not what I would call "gourmet."  Most of my meals are easy-to-prepare and have just a few ingredients and are 30-minutes-or-less kind of meals.  This dinner party was different than my usual style.  I love eating pomegranates, but having a dinner party themed around one food item was a new ball game for me.  This took a lot of planning and preparation and it was a challenge for me!  But I am so glad that I had the opportunity to do this!  Thank you, POM Wonderful!


My planning really started about 2 weeks ago, and a lot of this took place in my head and in my spiral notebook. 

The cooking actually started on Thursday evening.  That night when I got home from teaching Zumba, I was busy juicing pomegranates and making Pom Molasses and a Balsamic-Pom Reduction for my salad dressing.  I was also busy playing around with the decorations.  I wanted to really show off all the beautiful pomegranates, but also incorporate the beauty of fall.  Luckily, the trees around my house are these amazing shades of fuscia, yellow, red, and purple, so I didn't have to bring in artificial leaves... I just gathered from my yard!

I created a display on my living room mantle using POM Wonderful pomegranates, autumn leaves, a candleabra, fall ribbon, leaf garland, and tea light candles.  I also brought in some artificla sunflowers, just to add a pop of yellow to the mix. 

I decided I would use our breakfast area to serve appetizers, so I created a centerpiece using a horn-a-plenty, articicial fruit, leaves, votive candles, a pumpkin, and of course pomegrantes!

I created another centerpiece for the dining room using pears I bought at the farmer's market, pomegranates, leaves from the yard, and some decorative acorns I found at a craft store!  (I would have used real ones, but I couldn't find any anywhere!)

I used the pomegranates as my place-card-holders.  Perfect!

I was pretty pleased with my little "tablescape." 

daylight...

candlelight

I had one more little "display."  I have a small server in my dining room that needed a little something.  So I paired a basket of poms with two fall tea-light holders I had and that brought it all together.

I thought the decor really celebrated pomegranates and the feel of autumn!

Now I know what you REALLY want to see... the FOOD!  Stay tuned for some tasty appetizers!