Jeffrey and I had some wonderful friends for dinner on Saturday night. I wanted the menu to wow them but also to be simple to prepare so I could have fun at the party, too. For me, it's too stressful to cook an entire dinner just before people arrive (yes, even for me!) so I chose dishes that could mostly be prepared in advance and then finished at the last minute. This is what I made:

Watermelon Cosmos - Mixed in the AM and chilled.
Guacamole - Prepped in the AM and chilled.
Shrimp and Swordfish Curry - Made the base in the AM, then cooked it with the seafood for 7 minutes before dinner.
Basmati Rice - Cooked 15 minutes before dinner.
Coffee Granita - Made the mixture in the AM, refrigerated it, then froze it before dinner.
Shortbread Cookies - Made the dough and cut out the cookies the day before, then baked them before dinner.

The dinner was pretty good - I don't think anyone was disappointed! - and I had a wonderful time, too! Try this menu for your next party. It's a good one!