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I was chosen as a finalist to host a fun POM party using those big red beauties in season.  I love dinner parties, so I was definitely up for the challenge!  Because the party had to be held right after getting back from FNCE in Boston, I had to hustle to plan the menu, go shopping for all the ingredients, and get everything set up by the weekend.  I’m excited to share with you my POM party recap, it was a lot of fun!

When I first got the delivery of pomegranates I couldn’t believe my eyes.  There were so many and they were the biggest, most beautiful pomegranates I’ve ever seen!!!  That sure is a lot of ’em to work with.

I think I got this many arils just from 3 of these!

I had anticipated that 8 guests would come, but somehow we invited much more and everyone could come!  Since our table only seats 6, and we were expecting 12, I had to figure out a menu that would be filling and fun, while not being able to have a sit-down, formal dinner. . . TAPAS!!!!  I always love tapas and ‘little bites’ at parties so I thought that would be a perfect idea.  I had several different courses spread out on my counter top and everyone munched as they pleased.

I decorated our table in the festive colors of fall, complete with personalized name tags 🙂

and real flowers . . .

cute little pomegranates all in a row . . .

This basket was stuffed with pomegranates and fall fruit like oranges and pears.  Love the colors!

Pomegranates seemed to find themselves all over our house.

On to the menu!

POM Party Tapas Menu

First off, what’s a dinner party without some booze involved?!  And what’s tapas without sangria?!  I whipped up some POM sangria with a mixture of 1 bottle of sweet red wine (cheapest you can find), 2 cups POM juice, 1/2 cup triple sec, 1/3 cup brandy, 1-2 oranges sliced and juice squeezed out, sliced grapes and pears, and a few POM arils.  We went through two pitchers.

And just in case someone didn’t want sangria, we had quite a few bottles of wine and some beer to choose from.

If you couldn’t tell I am in love with dates in any shape or form, so I had to put together something that included them.  Dates are also a huge hit at parties.

Munchie Course

Dates stuffed with Manchego Cheese, POM arils, and wrapped with proscuitto

Each little bite had the creamy, caramel flavor of the date, the smooth and nutty flavor from the Manchego cheese, and an intense pop of sweet and tangy from the arils, all wrapped in the salty goodness of crispy prosciutto.  The perfect sweet and salty combo!

I also made a small batch of a vegan version stuffed with peanut butter and POM arils.  Can’t go wrong with this one either.

Salad Course

Mixed Green Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Walnuts, POM arils, Cotija Cheese, Cilantro, and a POM Vinaigrette.

Main Course

Taco Bar with slow-roasted POM infused pork and chipotle POM blackened chicken.  For taco toppings I had POM salsa mixed with orange segments, black beans, fresh cilantro, and POM arils, as well as avocado and tomatoes.

The chicken was marinated in a glorious mixture of POM juice, canned chipotles in adobo, and various spices and then grilled to perfection.

mmmm excuse my lack of photos here, I was enjoying the party!

Dessert Course

We had a decadent truffle-filled dark chocolate cake with POM reduction.  Oh boy this was good slightly warmed and the truffle filling just barely ooozing out.

Dark chocolate + POM reduction = explosion of deep, dark, sweet richness of heaven in the mouth

Gotta love the apron! ha!

And if you’ve ever had a hard time cracking open a pomegranate, this cutting board will help!

Check out my ‘How to Open a Pomegranate’ Video:

Please check out Pink Martini if you like the tunes in the video (hopefully I won’t get in trouble for that), but they are awesome and I LOVE all of their music!

Everyone had a great time at the party and it was fun to chat and eat some tasty food.  We even played a round of Gestures!

Wonderful Inside

At the beginning of the party I explained that everyone had to write a positive message on each person’s pomegranate at the table throughout the night.  So that way when everyone left they each got their own POM with a boost of positive energy.

Not only did everyone learn how wonderful pomegranates can be inside, but they also got a reminder of how wonderful they are inside too!!  For an example:

I love the positive energy 🙂 (still on post-FNCE high)

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The next morning I was sooo looking forward to this breakfast.

It’s a mixture of plain Wallaby yogurt, cottage cheese, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 tbsp chia seeds, a handful of pb puffins, handful of plain oats, sliced naner, POM arils, 1 chopped date, and a slather of peanut butter. mmm

Then with my pork leftovers . . .

I put together a tasty salad for lunch.

I hope you enjoyed my POM Party post!  It was a ton of fun!

What’s your favorite way to use pomegranates?

Leave a comment on your favorite way to use pomegranates for a chance to win one of two POM gift bags!  Winners will be chosen this coming Tuesday evening, November 30th.

• 1 canvas bag
• 1 coupon for a FREE bottle of POM juice
• Set of Chef Series recipe cards

It sure has turned chilly here and it’s getting harder to get on the bike, but I’m determined for some saddle time tomorrow!  Then we are heading over to my Aunt’s house for some great food and family time 🙂  Family is really what it’s all about and I’m so thankful to have them in my life.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend!