Hahaha. Just Kidding. I didn’t eat Guinea Pig.

I’ve heard it tastes just like chicken though!

So, here’s the thing…I don’t cook. I live a pretty simple and standard bachelorette life. Some drinks in the fridge, and a can or two of soup, just in case I should starve.

However, as I get closer and closer to wanting a serious relationship, I’ve considered that I might *want* to cook for my man one day and I really wouldn’t want to embarrass myself.

So, not too long ago I went to visit a friend in Austin, TX and she invited me to a Guinea Pig Dinner. A Guinea Pig Dinner is where everyone makes a dish they’ve NEVER made before and we all get to be the guinea pigs! This is where the cooks and the non-cooks have an equal opportunity to make something fabulous or not! (Was my thinking.)

Anyways, my friend picked me up from the airport and we headed straight to the supermarket. Thankfully, there were FREE recipe cards and I was able to pick out a dessert I knew I would like (and seemed easy enough to make) and picked up all the ingredients on the spot.

My friend left me to her kitchen, and she was no help at all!!!

Ok, I know that is the point, but I’d be meeting all these new people and I really wanted to make a good impression! Still, she left.

Well, guess what? The dog ate it.

Hahaha! No! Actually, it turned out great!!! Everyone ate it up!

Well, there were leftovers, but the host ate it up over the next few days! LOL!

Oh, you probably want to know what it was that I made, right?

Ready? Drumroll….

Cream Cheese Banana Pudding!

It was made with vanilla pudding, Nilla wafers, bananas, cream cheese, whipped topping, milk, sugar and bananas.

Sounds yummy, right? (And high in fat, but who cares?)

I even made a smiley face out of the bananas on top! LOL! Nothing says, “nice to meet you, I hope you like this” like a smiley face from cut-up bananas! 😉

In any case, I was so inspired by this idea (and that no one got poisoned), that I brought it back to NYC!

This past Saturday evening I hosted the 1st NYC Guinea Pig Dinner! It was a success too!!! 15 people came, and just about everyone made a dish. ALL the food was GREAT! The ones who didn’t make a dish, bought dessert, but that was a last minute request of mine because I thought we might be lacking in that area.

Ya’ see, when organizing for a dinner of this size, it’s important everyone share what they’re making (appetizer, main, side or dessert), so that not everyone brings the same thing. However, it is also just as important to share what food you are making because we ended up with 4 chicken dishes. Not that it’s a bad thing, but variety is good too.

Ok, back to the story…

This time I made two dishes! I got courageous!!! 😉

They were easy, but yummy too!

I made “Annie’s Fruit Salsa” (courtesy of www.allrecipes.com) and served it with Stacy’s Cinnamon Sugar chips. A hit!

I also made Cilantro & Mint Melon Salad, (again, www.allrecipes.com) and even though I forgot to put it out (it was in the back of the fridge!) the after party enjoyed it!

So, the point is that I’ve been DREAMING of being comfortable cooking, confident that when the time comes, I can make my man a meal! Having these dinners is an easy way to learn, and without pressure! Everybody is in the same boat! And it’s fun too!

Got questions about hosting your own Guinea Pig Dinner? Please feel free to ask!

‘Til next time, thanks for reading and Happy Dreaming! 🙂