Mission accomplished! :)

So last evening's meal went pretty successfully! My first attempt without cheating with pizza delivery or ready bought food! *Yay!* I took practically the whole day preparing for it in my hell's kitchen. It was so darn hot in there that my face remained flushed the whole evening. Did not have time to take pics of my dishes but I managed to capture just this one shot while we were eating.

The menu included:
Pickled cucumber and carrot
Egg drop soup with tofu and enoki mushroom
Sesame grilled asparagus
Steamed corn with butter
Beer braised BBQ ribs
Kung Pao chicken
Fruit & mochi ice cream for dessert

I guess my biggest challenge was coordinating the cooking so that I could serve them hot when the guests arrive. I think it helps that I had all my recipes typed out on a piece of paper and I did all the prep for the ingredients and sauces early in the afternoon. I also used different modes of cooking and included a few dishes which were really quick and easy to cook (e.g. steamed corn & grilled asparagus). I prepared the pickled cucumber and carrot a day in advance and cooked the soup slightly earlier and kept it warm in a slow cooker. All in all, it worked out pretty well but I don't think I will be repeating this anytime soon. Well, not until the weather improves!