A Spring Dinner Party Menu & What I Cooked Last Week
A Meal at Home with Friends, My Husband’s Favorite Tzatziki with Warm Grilled Pita, Greek Chicken Meatball Bowls, Japanese Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Edges & Scallion Yogurt
Hi everyone,
I hope you had a great week! I recently got the itch to host again, so Doug and I invited two of our friends over—Laz (you might recognize him from my Instagram, he officiated our wedding!) and Cam—for a spring-themed dinner party. Since Cam is pescatarian, I knew fish would be on the menu. Below, I’m sharing a full rundown of everything I made, including recipes for my favorite healthy chocolate chip cookies and an easy spring salad dressing.
First, here’s a recipe for Greek chicken meatballs with Doug’s all-time favorite tzatziki. It’s such a delicious, well-rounded dinner—I hope you give it a try!
What I Cooked Last Week! ↓
Greek Chicken Meatball Bowls
This bowl is such a fun and delicious dinner—the meatballs have tons of flavor and pair so well with the buttery lemon-dill rice, crunchy veggies, and creamy tzatziki.
You can download the PDF recipe above and watch the video here :)
My Husband’s Favorite Tzatziki with Warm Grilled Pita
When my husband and I first started dating, I quickly realized he loved anything with this tzatziki. Eight years later, he still goes crazy for it!
Japanese Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Edges & Scallion Yogurt
I’m obsessed with Japanese sweet potatoes. Slow-roast them until soft and caramelized, then smash and bake again until their edges get crispy.
A Spring Dinner Party Menu
Hosting can sometimes feel a little stressful for me—probably because cooking is my full-time job, and I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure everyone has an amazing experience and truly loves the food. But this time felt different. I wasn’t as stressed, and I actually really enjoyed it. It felt fun to cook and curate something special for everyone, and I think I’m finally getting better at just letting go and enjoying the moment.
Below, you’ll find a breakdown of all the dishes I made and how I prepped ahead—I always try to get as much done before guests arrive, so I can be present and enjoy the conversation once everyone’s here. One thing to note: a few of the recipes I made this time are from my cookbook, so I can’t share them just yet (you’ll have to wait until early next year when the book’s out!). But in the future, I’ll try to pair my menus with recipes from my archive to make it easier for you to recreate at home.
If there’s a specific kind of menu you’d love to see (date night? cozy brunch?), leave a comment below—I always love hearing from you!
Nibbles
I love having small bites out on the counter when guests arrive. The moment people walk in, I want them to have something to nibble on. Usually, I’ll put together a cheese board, but since it’s spring, and I already had two appetizers planned, I wanted a lighter start to the meal. I ended up keeping it super simple with some green olives, cornichon pickles, and Parmesan crisps, all arranged in little bowls. Whenever I serve olives, I always put out a small bowl for the pits, and I’ll drop a few pits in there ahead of time so people know what it’s for!
Appetizers
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