I’m so excited that I was selected to participate in Foodbuzz’s February 24×24. This is a Foodbuzz event showcasing 24 Foodbuzz Featured Publishers hosting dinner parties around the globe in a 24 hour period.

My dinner party is Valentine themed –

A Southern Valentine’s Day Dinner Party

We are in Alabama, The heart of the south ♥

Let’s get started…

We had cocktails –

Mint Juleps with Bourbon

2 1/2 oz Bourbon

1 tsp powdered sugar

4 mint sprigs

1/4 cup club soda

…with heart shaped ice cubes, no less.

Also, we had-

Pink Martinis

1 oz Vodka

1/2 oz Whipped vodka (whipped cream flavored vodka)

1/2 oz Triple sec

Splash cranberry juice

Cherry, for garnishing

Chorizo Stuffed Mushrooms

1.5 lb white mushrooms, caps removed

1/2 lb chorizo, cases removed, crumbled and cooked

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/3 cup Fontina cheese, shredded

2 tbsp dried parsley

Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs

12 eggs, hard boiled

3/4 lb (or 6 oz.) Pimento cheese

3 tbsp mayo, (not low fat!)

1 tbsp fennel fronds (you could also use fennel seeds, about 1 tsp)

1 tsp mustard seeds

Dash dry mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Crab Stuffed Roast Beef

4-5 lb Eye of Round Beef Roast

Salt

3/4 pound crab meat

2/3 cup bread crumbs

1/3 cup mayo

1 egg, beaten

1/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

Trim the beef of excessive fat – but keep in mind you do want some fat left on it; this will flavor your roast. I just can’t stand all that extra unnecessary fatness. Rinse and pat dry.

Place your roast on a large sheet of plastic wrap, then salt the heck out of it. You want to cover the entire roast with one layer of salt. You can use regular salt or sea salt. Either will do the job. Cover tight with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours. If you can’t wait that long, at least give it a few hours. The salt will draw the carbohydrates from the center and makes your meat very tender.

Meanwhile, make your stuffing. Mix together the bread crumbs, mayo, egg and Old Bay; fold in the crabmeat. Cover and refrigerate until time to stuff the roast.

Rinse the salt off of the roast, pat dry and slice it lengthwise about 1 inch from each end, making a pretty deep cavity. Preheat oven to 500°.

Gently spoon the stuffing into the cavity, packing it in as you go. Tie closed with twine – continuing to push the stuffing in as you go to keep it as neat as you can.  I did four evenly spaced ties.

Place the meat in a large pan and roast for about 1 1/2 hours until meat thermometer registers at least 125 (medium rare), 140 (medium), up to 160 (well done). I took mine out of the oven at 145° and everyone seemed to happy with the done-ness.

Slice and pour the juices from the pan over the roast.

Mini Mac N Cheese Cups

8 oz dried macaroni, cooked and drained

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed (I used my food processor)

1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded

1 cup mild cheddar, shredded

1/2 block cream cheese, softened

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/2 stick butter, softened

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350° and spray two mini muffin pans with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine the sharp cheddar, Ritz crackers and melted butter. Press mixture into muffin tins to form a crust.

Whisk together the eggs, milk and sour cream; set aside.

When the macaroni is done, combine that with 1/2 cup of mild cheese, softened butter and cream cheese. Add the egg mix to the macaroni and stir to combine.

Evenly divide the macaroni mix to each muffin cup. I sprinkled a little extra bread crumbs on top before I baked them.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until slightly brown on the tops.

Southern Collard Greens with Prosciutto and Vidalia Onion

2 1/2 cups fresh collard greens, washed

1 Vidalia onion, washed and sliced thin

4 thin slices Prosciutto, cut into 1/4 size pieces

1-2 dashes hot sauce

1 tbsp salt

Place greens and onion slices in a dutch oven and pour enough water over them just to cover. Bring to a boil; reduce to low and cover. Simmer for an hour and add hot sauce and salt. Simmer for about 20 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in the prosciutto.

Grits with Gorgonzola

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup old-fashioned grits (not quick cooking)

4 oz Gorgonzola cheese

1/4 block cream cheese

Bring broth to a boil; add grits. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15-20 minutes until thickened; stirring occasionally. Add cheeses; stirring for about 1 minutes. Remove from heat and cover for another 3 minutes.

Chicken Meatballs with Remoulade

1 lb ground chicken

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 tbsp onion powder

2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Lawry’s seasoned salt

1 tsp dried parsley

3 tbsp Mayo

2 tbsp Creole mustard

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp Ketchup

1 tbsp horseradish sauce

1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400°. Combine chicken, egg, bread crumbs, Worcestershire, Lawry’s, onion powder, salt and parsley. Form into golf ball sized meatballs. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Mix together the remaining ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use for the meatballs.

…And for Dessert

Valentine Cake Pops

Adapted by Willow Bird Baking

Go here for the recipe, but keep in mind I didn’t include the cheesecake middles.

Ready for party pics?

Yours truly.

My guests – L-R: Mark (husband), Ben (cousin’s BF), Meighan (cousin), Katelyn (daughter), Mother (obvious), Miles (step-father), Lishia (friend/fellow nurse), and Brantley (son).

All of my guests eating. It appears like it’s silent but I can assure you that didn’t last long.

The husband.

My best/fav cousin/sister Meighan.

 Lishia!

Katelyn and Lishia.

The Table.

My mother (aka Mimi) enjoying a cake pop.

We had a fantastic time!

Enjoy!

~Dixie Chik~

Many thanks to Foodbuzz for the fabulous dinner party, and for your endless promotional efforts aimed toward the foodblog community; also a special thanks to Eva!