This is a little different today. We will be posting pictures of last night. If you come here and they are not on yet, don’t give up. It may take until tomorrow but please, come back. Without a doubt, this was probably the best party we have ever put on.
I/we have been entertaining for many,many years and, believe it or not, I learned a few things….
1. is to use cocktail sized, colourful (not chinet) plates, and using Christmas napkins. Lay these out on the table.
2. name tags for each plate/bowl so guests don’t have to guess what they are supposed to eat. Using dollar store and/or Ikea small ‘platters’ worked.
3. we invited old friends, neighbors (some new), and new friends. Asked them to put on a name tag so people would know who-was who.
4. When they came in, we asked them to help themselves to whichever wine they wanted, talk to anyone they didn’t know and then wander around the table as much as they wanted to.
5. Secret: cleanup was an absolute breeze. Washed the wine glasses/rinsed with hot vinegar water and put away. That was it. The friendly ‘electric cupboard’ did the rest. Enjoy the pictures and don’t be afraid to have friends over. It was SO worth it. In fact, my cousin and her husband dropped in about 2 p.m. and we sat, chatted, laughed a lot, shared a Christmas drink and then they went on their way.
Plans For A Green Party
Ha, ha! It is for St. Patrick’s Day. This actually started two years ago when our friend, Sharon, wanted to celebrate her birthday (the very same day). Plans were made and we were to meet at a pub in Mission, B.C.
As we have a large van we took everyone in our vehicle and, due to the fact Don was our designated driver for the night, we picked everyone up and away we went. Sharon gave us all bright green shamrock necklaces (I still have mine, thank you very much) and the laughter, songs sung, green beer (yup) and ambience was more fun than I could possibly describe. Well, now….on the way home we all started to sing. Guess what? No one could remember the words after the first sentence or two but then they picked one song and sang it all the way home. Whenever they come to our home, they start singing it. Shameful, isn’t it?
I digress. We are having a St. Patrick’s Pub Food evening on Sunday and I can tell you our house is becoming quite green. Shamrocks galore, green candles, napkins are starting to show up.
We ‘took the five’ I keep talking about and googled the pubs in Ireland and checked out their menus to see if we are on the right page. We are…
We are starting with Dried Ribs (brought by one of our guests)
Believe it or not “Classic Poutine”, Beef and Guiness Pie, Mac ‘N Cheese, Pea Soup, and Sticky Toffee Pudding. Green Beer and/or wine throughout. As one of our friends does not eat sweets, we will have a plate with fruit and cheeses, crackers.
We asked the “Irishman” among us (complete with lilting voice) to bring his guitar. (my father was Irish so I guess that counts). Do you think we will have fun? You bet. I will put up the pictures next week.
Menu Suggestion #1
Set a pretty table and plan ahead. Much simpler than it sounds.
- Seared scallops
- Colorful crab salad
- Potato stand alones
- Broccoli
- Pork tenderloin
- Lime Dacquoise
The dinner is exquisite and stunning to look at when brought to the table.
Golf Day and Barbecue
We held an Annual Golf Day Barbecue and wanted to make it a goody. It was rather simple, lots of it and everyone had a great time discussing all the ‘missed shots’. Sounded like the fish that got away time but who cares?
- Barbecued Salmon
- Twice baked potatoes
- Caesar Salad
- Garlic/Cheese Toast
- Corn on the Cob
- Fruit and Cheese Platter for Dessert.
Set out a space to set the food out, and a space for plates, cutlery, napkins. I still put flowers on the table. After all, it is a special time and these people are royalty to us.