Plate-up an Italian Feast

It's the season to Plate Up for DV and host your own Italian Feast for friends.

We have made it so easy for you to join the fun with our Plate Up campaign, raising funds for this year's Dancing CEOs. You simply say yes by picking a date and registering on the My Giving Table website. My Giving Table will set up a unique event link for you to share with friends to invite them to join your feast.

Our favourite pasta makers at Pasteio Pasta will put together a delicious pack of freshly made, hand crafted pasta for you, all you need to do is collect it, cook it and serve with a smile to create great memories with friends. We pay Pasteio out of the ticket proceeds and the rest goes to the charity. We make it that simple for you to shine and be kind.

I thought I would share with you my own delicious and colourful salads, as seen in the beautiful photos from our recent sun filled Sunday Lunch at Hanworth House. I hope you will get as much pleasure preparing and hosting your Plate Up feast as I did in sharing an afternoon with my friends.

The trick is, keep it simple and fresh, you don't need to be a famous chef to share some magic and spread some love. I recommend visiting one of the great weekend markets before your lunch. I went to the Saturday farmers market at Kelvin Grove looking for the freshest and prettiest tomatoes and fruits - go with what looks and smells ready to eat and what is in season. Choose your ingredients around what looks and smells amazing and try some fruits that you may not usually try, particularly if they are fresh and in season.

I found beautiful and rare Feijoas and Persimmons at the Kelvin Grove Markets and chose them as a treat for the table- most of my guests were unfamiliar with the delicate and delightful flavour of Feijoas, they created a talking point and a new experience.

Sharing food is meant to be a fun and joyful experience, be brave and creative and choose fresh and colourful ingredients and you will simply wow your guests. Thanks to Pasteio you can even opt for some delicious cannoli to be included in your pasta pack, so dessert is also covered.

My simple Caprese Salad was a beautiful work of art, if I do say so myself, pretty and fun to prepare. Layer the delicious tomatoes, the mozzarella and fresh basil in order, starting on the outside of a big round dish. Work around keeping the layers consistent, overlapping them as you work into the center, it can help to make the slices smaller as you come into the middle.

Personal hack - don't put your tomatoes in the fridge as they won't ripen fully or develop the rich sweet flavour that they do at room temperature. Pick a selection of tomatoes, I chose some super ripe Romas, sweet small heirlooms in different colours and some round Urbanas in a brilliant red. Drizzled with olive oil and balsamic glaze, the taste was fabulous.

For a delicious Fig and Walnut salad, simply pick lovely fresh firm, sweet smelling figs, cut them in half and lay gently on a bed of rocket. Add in some dollops of goats' cheese, or a nice soft blue cheese, sprinkle pomegranate jewels and walnuts over the top and drizzle with pomegranate molasses, balsamic glaze or even a little bit of honey, some olive oil and a little salt and pepper to season. Voila magnifique.

For my lunch I also added the dessert fruit salads of a plum and peach, and a feijoa and persimmon cut delicately and plated to shine in simplicity. No fuss or bother required when you have delicious, fresh fruits and vegetables.

I have popped the ingredients list (so very simple and easy) for my salads below in a reel to give you some pointers - it really can't be easier and more enjoyable to whip up a simple feast to share.

Now if you are new to My Giving Table, it's really a simple idea.

You entertain friends at home, while raising funds for your favorite charity. How does it work? I hear you say. Simply click on our link to register to plate up. You tell us the date, time and the price, who you are raising for and any other details like "please bring a bottle of wine to share". We jump to create a unique event link, with all the details, that you share with friends. Friends rsvp and pay via the link to attend your special lunch or dinner. They then arrive for your special party, ready to enjoy your company.

We track tickets and communicate details about your event with your guests and at the end we pay the funds to the charity of your choice, in your name - so you can receive a tax donation receipt (its nearly end of financial year, a perfect time to host and receive a tax-free donation receipt) for the funds you raised. It's that simple.

We take care of the compliance and comms, and you just create a lovely event full of great memories with your guests. Don't forget to share your great photos with us as we love to feel your enjoyment.

This April and May we seek hosts to Plate Up and raise funds for the Dancing CEOs - you can choose which CEOs you would like to support here.

Its your turn to join the fun, invite some friends around, cook up a merry feast and share some love. This Easter why not open your diary and pick a date to Plate Up for DV?

Bon Appetite, Katelyn