Getting Ready for Company

Yes, I said I would be back Sunday. It is Saturday. The blogging habit has returned and the need to share some pictures of my company preparation just seemed to make the prep time more productive!

Does that make sense?

This party is a yearly event for this group. It was started by another member of the group more than 25 years ago. She has since retired to Florida, and I volunteered to continue the tradition by hosting the yearly party.

She set the standard - keep it simple, buy the food, use disposable dishes and cups, enjoy your company. And since no one expects more, I usually follow in her practice.

But each year I do make a few things that are more than she would do.

For example - Banana Bread totally filled with walnuts. No recipe - this is a package mix by Dole (the Banana people) that I get from my local warehouse store. It is yummy! I could make this from scratch, but being a devout non-cooker, I don't believe in making things from scratch if a wonderful option is available (and yes, there is a piece missing - you ALWAYS need to check to be sure it is OK for your guests - and my daughter checked behind me to be sure that I wasn't wrong - and I considered checking behind her to make sure she wasn't wrong.)

If not careful you can "check" things right out of existence. :-)

I made Deviled Eggs this year. I love Deviled Eggs and they are so easy to make.

The Stuffed Baked Mushrooms are the creation of my predecessor. The mushrooms are the one thing that people seem to expect. No picture yet, because they are made at the last minute.

I always like having raw vegs and a tossed salad available so that those who are dieting have some options. That was also my addition to this party.

And the spiral cut honey ham is a standard - and it is the only time I have it all year. I love ham but my husband is not a fan. So once a year is good enough. We include roast beef and cheese for those who aren't ham fans.

And, of course, I discovered that I didn't have enough wine glasses for the guests, so I ran out to buy new ones at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Nothing fancy because I break them all the time. Gave them a quick wash.

While there I found a ceramic platter on clearance for $6.99 and with my 20% off coupon, the platter cost me $5.59. I was thrilled.

It had a decent design - but kept reasonable by being all white.

Setting up the buffet table is always fun. By the time I get all the things to the table that I planned, I always discover that I over-planned. Here is an early shot - a few of the dishes that will be used.

But it always happens. Too many dishes. But to begin with I just get dishes out on the table, slowly over the afternoon. Food that cannot hit the table now, sits in the fridge and the dish on the table is labeled with its name.

So it is now about 2:30 pm. No one is expected until 7:00 pm. All I need to make now are the stuffed mushrooms - that are made at the last minute.

My to-do list probably has something else on it, but I am not looking. I am sitting - resting my feet and ...

Visiting with you!

:-)

Zombies round out the dinner!

We don't get out of the house socially as a couple all that often any more. Just the nature of full time caregiving. But that doesn't mean we are hermits.

This weekend we had dinner and a game night for 8 people at our house. I served Beef and Chicken Kabobs. I always think of this dinner as quick to put together - but it isn't quick at all. There is a lot of prep work (chopping, marinating, mixing, loading the items onto the kabob sticks). But they cook under the broiler and that is fast, so it gets to the table quickly once the cooking starts. My son's girl friend brought a yummy tossed salad with big shavings of cheese and strawberries on the side. And our friends brought a tasty pound cake with ice cream. Check out the top of the cake. Very elegant.

But the highlight of the evening was the game playing. My husband is a bit of a game collector. We selected a game called Lord of the Fries - a Steve Jackson Game.

The rules began this way:

Welcome to Friedey's, the Fast Food Restaurant of the Damned. Our staff will serve you to the best of their ability ... but they are all brainless zombies.

Some of the "meals" listed in the game were:

Beef which is Actually Beef

Tequila Mockingbird

Intestinal Fortitude

Mao Tse Tongue

Neato Fajito

Secret Tijuana Deathmatch

Meals with those names made my Kabobs sounded pretty tame!

It was a great game for a large group and the playing time is 30-60 minutes. The rules are easy to absorb - even after a glass of wine and the game play can be fast and furious. We had a great time.