First Fridays

With the start of the new year, the buzz of resolutions is in the air and leaving many of us with the question of what we would like to accomplish in 2012. For the two of us, keeping up The Postgraduette and expanding our blogging horizons is certainly at the top of our list. A new year brings a time for growth and a fresh perspective, two things we promise to offer to our readers.  Most people resolve to work out more, eat healthier, or open themselves up to new experiences, which while it sounds simple, can be tough to continue throughout the year. This is where we come in. If you’re like us and are on a budget while still trying to enjoy the finer things in life, than read on.


As the first friday of January and 2012, we have decided to have an impromptu dinner party for some of our close friends. While it has been many of our friend's new years resolutions to spend less money when it comes to going out on the weekends, we have decided to have dinner and drinks at home before heading out. Tonight's destination is Union Street in the Marina.


As every good dinner guest should know, showing up empty handed is a serious faux pas, even in the postgrad world. Whether it be a bottle of wine or a bouquet of flowers, bringing something to share always makes the party a little more fun! A few nights ago, we stopped by Chantal Guillon and picked up a box of macarons for one of our friend's own dinner parties.

And now for our own dinner party. For a casual postgrad dinner party you should always try to use what you have on hand before heading to the grocery store. As part of our first friday dinner party, we challenged ourselves to make a meal entirely out of ingredients we have on hand. On tonights menu:

We borrowed this recipe to make the roasted chicken and this recipe for the cookies (which were extra yummy, thanks to the leftover homemade Christmas caramels that we added!) For the salad we made an easy dressing using balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Our quick and delicious meal took only about ten minutes of prep and was the perfect start to our Friday night festivities!