If you’re new to the chocolate dinner (I Heart Chocolate) posts, you can catch up by reading the first one here.

Today I’m going to unveil the invitation and menu for our chocolate inspired dinner party!  I kept the invitations pretty simple because I’m only inviting a few guests and the party is pretty self-explanatory.  I designed the invitations in Photoshop, but feel free to get really creative.  I think it would be so cool to send out handmade invitations.  Think old-school cut-out hearts, doilies, and construction paper.  Your guests would love to get a homemade Valentine in the mail.  Also, craft stores are filled with neat scrap-booking supplies for DIY cards.  Go get those creative juices flowing!  If you’d like to use the invitations I designed, just send me an email (natalie{at}thecitysisters{dot}com) and I’ll send you the jpeg files.  

Now on to the really important part:  the MENU!  I found some really tasty recipes, and all but one dish will contain chocolate.  For some reason I couldn’t find a vegetable/chocolate side dish.  What is the world coming to?  If you know of a good one, please post it in the comments section of this post.  I’d love to hear your ideas.  So, without further ado…the menu…

Appetizers

• Chocolate grapes
• Toasted baguette topped with chocolate and chorizo

Salad

• Strawberry salad with chocolate balsamic dressing

Entree

• Braised short ribs with chocolate sauce
• White chocolate mashed potatoes
• Roasted asparagus

Dessert

• Molten chocolate cakes with espresso whipped cream

Wow, I totally just drooled on my keyboard.  While chocolate is featured in (almost) every dish please note that the meal will not be crazy sweet.  Chocolate is a wonderful addition to savory dishes and anyone who has ever had Molé can attest to that. 

I will be posting the full recipes for these menu items along with pictures of the dishes over the next few weeks.  I have an idea for my table decor (which I’ll share at a later date), so I decided to design a menu to use with the place settings.  The menu gives your guests a taste of what’s to come.  It’s a nice touch and they will be very impressed!  As with the invitation, if you’d like the jpeg file of this menu, just send me an email.

Stay tuned because the next post will cover…Appetizers!!

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