You just moved in, unpacked, decorated and now you want to show off your new spot to your friends and bask in compliments and those delightful oohs and aahs. You need a cool housewarming party idea to go with your new space and your new you. How about a Moroccan Chicken Tagine Dinner with all the bells and whistles? Picture it! Mint tea, exotic flavors, wax luminaries, a little belly dancing entertainment, unique, original and chic! Roll up your sleeves and lets do it!!

A little intro to Moroccan Tagines:

Moroccan cuisine is unique, healthy, flavorful and synonym of sophistication. The main attraction of a Moroccan dinner is the Tagine. A Tagine is both the conical shaped clay dish and the entr'e itself that usually consists in a chicken, lamb or meat stew with one or more vegetables.

The meal:

Cocktails, Kalamata Olives, cheeses and beef kabobs, as appetizers, are a great way to start your evening, followed by an eggplant salad. Use some warm pita bread for both the salad and the entr'e. Now, comes the main attraction, the famous Tagine. Though they are hard to find, Tagines are becoming more popular. Authentic Tagines are only made in Morocco and out of clay and not cast iron which. Cooking in clay enhances the flavor during the cooking process. Make sure the Tagines are lead free and safe for cooking as many out there in the marketplace contain lead and represent a health hazard. For a gathering of more than 4 people use the Tagine to serve and present rather than cooking in it unless you have more than one. Remember to keep the dinner a secret at all times until you unveil the lid table side or as a center piece. If you want to be daring and have a blast make all your guests eat using the pita bread and their fingers (there is Moroccan etiquette for finger eating too?)

While they are still raving about the entr'e serve them a hot and sweet green tea with mint. You can use typical Moroccan hand decorated tea glasses to serve the hot tea and garnish it with fresh mint leaves and some baklavas.

Entertainment:

While you and your guests are enjoying drinks and smooth Arabian fusion music (Buddha bar style) sneak away and in no time switch the music, dim the light and open the door for a belly dancer to come in and put on a show with audience participation that will make this housewarming party a ?More Rock'n? one. A belly dancer can be hired from $75.00 to $125.00 for a 30 min show.