Okay, it’s not what you think. No one dies, no clues, revolvers or candlesticks. This party is all about cooking dinner using “mystery” ingredients provided by the guests.
Here’s how it works. Decide how many to invite – up to 12 people max. Send invitations – get creative! Use a chef’s hat or kitchen utensil design on your invitation. Ask each person to bring a food (enough for the group) from a specific category: vegetable, starch, bread, dairy, spice/herb, etc. You provide the meat to fit your budget: ground beef, chicken, filet mignon – whatever! Obviously, you would ask several people to bring food from the same category.
As guests arrive, have a place set aside in the kitchen for the food items to go. When everyone is there and all the food is laid out, put your heads together and come up with a menu. You must use every ingredient, but you can also add staples like flour, eggs and milk from your own pantry and refrigerator. Come up with at least a three course meal: appetizer or salad, entree with sides and dessert.
Then assign each person a job. Got a doctor in the group? He’d make a great sous chef, prepping veggies. Others can be in charge of dessert, cooking the sides and clean-up. For those who may not be into cooking, they can set the table and pour beverages, while keeping the conversation going.
When the meal is cooked and you all sit down to enjoy it, everyone will have a sense of satisfaction knowing they were a part of this “Mystery Dinner” and it will be a fun way to spend time with friends over good, home-cooked food – especially if you come up with some interesting food combinations.
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