Hello! I have some great news…

You’re invited! That’s right, you’re invited to view my POM dinner party.

We had a lot of fun, a lot of food and ton of pomegranates! So come on, the party started!

My party was held on Friday, November 12th and 7 of my closest friends and family attended.

For my POM decor I decked the table with a tan and red color scheme. A brown paper tablecloth lined the table and greenery ran down the table’s center. Pomegranates were the centerpiece of course and each guest had their own pomegranate with their name on it.

At each seat there was a menu.

Menu

Beverages

Pomegranate mojito

Wine

Unsweetened pomegranate iced tea

Appetizer

Maple shrimp wrapped in bacon with pomegranate horseradish sauce

Salad

Mixed greens with homemade vinaigrette topped with goat cheese, pomegranate arils, pine nuts and homemade croutons

Entrée

Roasted pomegranate chicken

Pomegranate cornbread stuffing

Green beans

Dessert

Homemade pomegranate ice cream

Each guest was also given a brief list of interesting pomegranate facts about nutrition and history of the fruit. I also asked guests to rate their impression of pomegranates before and after the party on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being POMs skeeve me, 10 being I’m in love with POMs! They were also asked to briefly describe their opinions.

Before the party guests said:

“3,No clue! I know they are healthy”

“5, I don’t know much about them”

“8, I know they are healthy but tough. I don’t know how to open them.”

“5, difficult to open.”

“5, I don’t know anything about pomegranates.”

“2, hard to open!”

I also found these little pamphlets at the grocery store and wanted to share them with my guests.

POM Wonderful was so generous and sent me a lot of products to help me get ready for my party. They sent me TWO cases full of pomegranates, a bunch of coupons for pomegranate juice, an apron, recipes, a cutting board and goodie bags for my guests!

Everyone was thrilled about their bags!

While I was getting ready for the party I recruited someone as a pomegranate fan…

Sandy was curious to see what all the hype was about and she told me that she loves pomegranates :)

Before my guests arrived I had a glass of wine with my sister Carrie and her husband Ryan. They were nice enough to let me host the party at their house!

Pomegranates were just showing up everywhere that night!

Before I knew it, it was 7:00 and my first guests were arriving!

Looks pretty refreshing! Want to know what was in them?

Pomegranate mojito

These measurements make 2 drinks.

•1/4 cup pomegranate juice

•2 tsp sugar

•10-15 mint leaves

•1/4 cup clear rum

Combine ingredients in a shaker. Use a spoon to muddle mint leaves. Pour beverage over ice. Fill rest of glass with club soda.

While everyone was arriving and mingling we started off with an appetizer!

Maple shrimp wrapped in bacon with pomegranate sauce

•1 package of maple bacon

•1 pond of shrimp, deveined

•1/4 cup horseradish

•1/4 cup sour cream

•2 TBS cranberry pomegranate juice

Begin by peeling and washing the shrimp. Next, cut each strip of bacon into thirds. Wrap each piece of shrimp with bacon so that bacon is tightly wrapped around shrimp. Place shrimp on a cooling rack over a shallow baking dish. Broil shrimp wrapped bacon for about 10 minutes, flipping them over half way through so that both sides are crispy.

While the shrimp are cooking, combine horseradish, sour cream and POM juice. Stir until all ingredients are mixed.

Serve shrimp while hot, with dip on side.

Before we sat down for dinner I wanted to show my guests how much fun opening a pomegranate could be!

I was sporting my apron! Isn’t it so cute!?

There were several helpful tips that I gave my guests:

-Cut the top and the bottom of the pomegranate off so that you have a steady fruit to work with.

-Cut along the membrane so that you do not rupture too many arils. And if you do, no sweat, it happens.

-To get the arils out you have 2 good options 1.) take each section in a bowl of water and worth the tasty morsels out. 2.) use a wooden spoon to knock the arils out.

I said feel free to try it out yourself!

I think everyone had fun trying and realized how easy pomegranates are to open!

After practicing their POM skills, everyone was hungry and ready to eat!

We started with…

Mixed greens with homemade vinaigrette topped with goat cheese, pomegranate arils, pine nuts and homemade croutons

To make the croutons I used:

•Half a baguette

•a drizzle of olive oil, drizzle of balsamic vinegar

•mixed Italian spices

-Cut up baguette into cubes and place on baking sheet. Pour olive oil, balsamic vinegar and spices over bread. Bake in oven at 350° for 20 minutes or until crispy.

In the dressing I used:

•3 TBS pomegranate juice

•2 TBS lemon juice

•2 TBS olive oil

•1 TBS Dijon mustard

-Combine all ingredients until mixed well.

To make the salad I washed the greens and tossed in the dressing. I topped with half of a goat cheese log, pomegranate arils, pine nuts, and croutons.

We chatted and ate…then it was time for more eating!

Green Beans

•1 pound of green beans

•2 TBS olive oil

•3/4 cup water

•oregano, salt and pepper

-Wash green beans and cut ends off. In a large pot add olive oil, water, spices and green beans. Put on medium heat, covered. Green beans will steam. When they become soft, they are finished.

Roasted pomegranate chicken

•6 chicken breasts with bone

•1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

•salt and pepper

-Begin by washing the chicken. Drizzle olive oil over chicken and make sure it is evenly distributed. Sprinkle spices over chicken. Bake in oven at 350° for 1 hour or until chicken is crispy.

To make the glaze:

•1/4 cup pomegranate juice

•1/3 cup honey

•1/4 cup white cooking wine

•1 TBS lemon juice

•1/8 TBS cinnamon

-Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat. Continue to stir until glaze begins to bubble. Bring to low heat until sauce thickens. Pour over chicken.

Pomegranate cornbread stuffing

•4 TBS butter

•3/4 cup chopped onion

•3/4 cup chopped celery

•3 cups chicken broth

•2 eggs

•6 cups cornbread, cubed

•8 cups white bread, cubed

•1/2 cup parsley

•1/2 cup pomegranate arils

•1/2 cup pine nuts

-In a sauce pan, melt butter. Saute celery and onions until soft. Add chicken broth and heat until simmering.

-In a large bowl combine remaining ingredients. Pour vegetable mixture into bowl. Pour into a greased baking dish. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes covered with foil, then an additional 30 minutes uncovered.

After dinner I had one more treat up my sleeve!

Homemade pomegranate ice cream

•1 cup sugar

•3/4 cup whole milk

•3/4 cup heavy cream

•3/4 cup nectarine pomegranate juice

-Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into ice cream machine and let the magic happen :)

I also threw in half a cannoli shell in the ice cream for a little added crunch!

So what did everyone think about pomegranates AFTER the party?!

“9, Awesome! Fun to prepare!”

“10, They are awesome!”

“8, Love them, surprised about the benefits.”

“9, POMs are delicious.”

“10! Delish!”

I was pretty sure that everyone had a great time based on the comments about the tasty food and excitement about the pomegranate demonstration. But when I read the comments, I KNEW that I had a successful POM party!

Thank you again, POM Wonderful for giving me this opportunity. I had a great time and so did my guests :)