ronnie_suburban
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Posts posted by ronnie_suburban
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*big sigh*
Another chapter is in the books and I am wiped.
We had a fantastic time and, in my mind, the holiday season has now officially begun.
I don't really have an actual count but I think the party was more lightly attended than in recent years--I think we had only about 110 people come through tonight. The weather was kind of bad and a lot of people are ill so that may partially explain it. I think there were more partial families represented this year than in any other I can remember. But, since this party is often the one time each year we see some of our old friends, the lower attendance was somewhat disappointing in that we just didn't get to see everyone. On a positive note, more food disappeared than ever, so the effort made by all who helped was not in vain in spite of the smaller turn-out.
[Hallmark© moment]
And...on a very positive note, a few of our new friends joined in and made the party special--specifically I'm talking about a few folks I've met here--who I have had the great pleasure to have met and socialized with this year. This last toast of the evening goes out to my Heartland friends...you guys made this a very special night. After all the times we've gotten together, it was wonderful to finally have you over to our place to participate in our shindig.
*Raises Glass*
*clink clink*
[/Hallmark© moment]
Ok, as for the food, the list of what I didn't have is probably shorter than the list of what I did have
In no particular order I had...shrimp with cocktail sauce, pate on baguette with bread and butter pickles, smoked ham, baked brie, devilled eggs, jambalaya, meatballs, chorizo con chihuahua, veal sauage with parsley, bavarian mortadella, cervillat salami, tortilla chips, mini sesame bagel with lox, chive cheese and red onion, more than a few sugared pecans, 1 raspberry linzer cookie, 1 rugelah, 3 glasses of punch, two pieces of spicy tuna maki (inside out with misago), a coupla' handfulls of the roasted chickpea & pistachio mixture, a few chocolates, more than a couple mini hotdogs, diet sprite, fewer than 5 mini spanikopitas, a smattering of pretzels, some ficelle, avocado and goat cheese dip, rumaki with dipping sauce, a glass of mulled mead, a slice of spice bread, a hunk of fudge...oh hell, you get the point and I'm still leaving stuff out.Not only will I try to be more thorough in the morning, I'll even try to post a few pics too. Wow! I can't believe the damned thing's over already. Now, all I have left to do is pass out.
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Approaching 1:00 a.m. here and things are under control
So many little things just creep up on ya'...it can be a kind of crazy.Tonight we loaded the beers into a cooler and iced them (I think the white wine will be fine in the garage at 40 degrees F), 'made' the cocktail sauce for the shrimp, the dipping sauce for the rumaki (organic Santa Rosa plum puree, asian mustard, blueberry blossom honey) and plated the stuffed grape leaves and hummus. We began to set up the buffet tables, the dessert table and the bar. We also selected serving vessels for most of the items and plotted out their eventual locations.
We're going with 3 chafing dishes, 1 (possibly 2) electric warming trays and 1 punch bowl. There are primary locations and satellite locations for a few of the item, so some further decisions also had to be made. There also are about 15 condiments and garnishes that each need their own set-up and things like the bar (olives, onions, lemon, lime, horseradish, pickles, etc.) and the lox station (cream cheese, chive cheese, fresh chives & dill, capers, red onion, tomatoes, etc.) require a bit more creativity since space is somewhat limited by the quantity of items.
It's all coming together but there are a lot of details to line up. I try to imagine anything a guest could possibly need during the party and develop a method and/or system by which it can be refilled easily during the event. In case I am not around when someone needs something, I want it to be in a fairly logical and easy to deal with location. Hopefully one of the hired hands or someone who knows my house well can take it from there. If not, we'll wing it
Dinner ended up being some more sliced ham and some of that roast that my wife cooked a few nights ago...it's all a blur right now and I can't remember when she actually cooked it. I began to wean myself off Atkins a bit by eating half a rye roll with some President brand unsalted butter. I also dipped into the stash I picked up at the Callebaut store the other day. It's supposed to be for the party, but at this point, I just couldn't walk by it another time without checking it out. Mmmmm...chocolate.
G'nite all.
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...made the filling for the devilled eggs and also cooked up and crumbled the 1.5 pounds of bacon that will eventually top them...
Hold it, Hold it, Hold it right there.
You mean you top your deviled eggs with bacon?!
The mere thought of such a combination is setting my tastebuds to salivating.
Do you do anything special with your filling?
My, my, my.
Thanks for bringing a shining moment into my afternoon!
LOL! I have, in the past, always worked the crumbled bacon into the filling but this year (while I was typing somewhere back on page 1 of this thread) I realized that topping them with bacon would be better. The filling would be easier to move through the pastry bag and the bacon would actually be crunchy and still add flavor to the eggs.The filling is basically a mixture of the yolks, mayo, several different mustards, some chopped up bread and butter pickles (from the stock brought by the assistant) and some of the rendered bacon fat which had been whipped into an emulsion/demi-mayo--another innovation conceived and executed by the assistant. The testers (hey
I forgot to mention those earlier) were really good...the filling was creamy and flavorful and the bacon...well, it was bacon I also have some really nice Hungarian Sweet Paprika from Penzey's which I'll dust on top of the bacon layer right before the party. I'll be sure to post a pic of the finished units after I assemble them.
BTW, dinner tonight was supposed to be some delivery food from Player's Grill in Highland Park, IL. After 90 minutes, we called them up and realized they'd forgotten our order, so we cancelled it and dinner's still up in the air at the moment. What did I tell you guys about relying on carry-out in the 'burbs? It's bad news
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Hi Ronnie:
Great blog, buddy. I love hearing of your menu and prep for the party!!....And the pictures...........GREAT!! Thanks!
Good luck and good eating tomorrow.
BTW..............Are you a real cowboy, or did you just find that hat?
(No offense meant.............It's an old Utah expression................Was part of the punchline of an old joke
)Best wishes for the party.
Bill
LMAO! I'm a wannabe cowboy if there ever was one!That pic was actually from Halloween 2002.
I guess you blew my cover
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edited to add: the deer on the cowboy hat in my avatar pic is actually the logo of the town I live in and I added it to the pic in photoshop.
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I really really wanted to try something different but could not bring myself to steer away from the pork w/red chile or Queso Panela, niether could the rest of our group.
I've probably thought about that Queso Panela daily since we were there.
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When I have a lot of bacon to process, I put it on a rack over a baking sheet in the oven. The thought of doing that much bacon in a frying pan is just painful to me. Good grief, I envy your cool temperatures so that your garage can become a cooler.
That's a great idea Fifi...not better than an assistant who does it all for you of course, but a close second for sure
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Wow. That pate sounds amazing.
I trust your assistant brought the coffee?
Yes, the assistant and the bean source are one and the same. Did I mention that he also shined my shoes, washed my wife's back while she showered, resurfaced the driveway and built a small addition onto the house?
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I'll just show up and eat my weight.
Only what?...a 6-hour drive from Omaha to Chicago
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Still haven't hit the coffee yet, but it's coming soon. My bean source came through yet again
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Well, I never made it to making the coffee this morning...went out for a Whole Foods run and lazied out at Starbucks. I had every intention of making some real coffee too but right after I got home my Class-A, World's Greatest Assistant showed up and the beverages quickly took a turn toward the fermented
With the masterful help at hand, what is normally the absolute hardest day of the prep passed far less stressfully than it usually does. Dare I say it...we actually had fun.
We--and I use the term loosely because I personally felt like I did very little--turned out the spinach and artichoke dip (will bake tomorrow), the avocado and goat cheese dip (with some excellent improvements/modifcations over previous years), made the filling for the devilled eggs and also cooked up and crumbled the 1.5 pounds of bacon that will eventually top them, made the punch (everything but the fizzy stuff which I will add at party time), rolled, pinned and marinated the rumaki, sliced and bagged 8 dozen mini bagels, and 7 dozen mini rolls.
Along the way I did taste a few things and for purposes of this blog, that's just going to have to count as eating...the crumbled bacon (a mixture of Farmland and Nueske brands) was delicious, as was the Spinach & Artichoke dip. We cooked up a 'little buddy' of the stuff and ate it with blue corn tortilla chips. I was also treated to tastes of a few things which the assistant made, from scratch, and brought over for the party...bread and butter pickles, gardeniera and a few bites of a duck and ham pate (based on a Penelope Casas recipe) that basically knocked me off my feet - YUM! I'm thinking about heading out to the walk-in...I mean the garage right now and polishing it off before any guests wander over tomorrow
Here's a pic of the pate before we 'tested' it...
And here's a pic of the bacon cooking...(pay no attention to the 'Sell Out' brand tortilla chips in the background)
It'll still be a long evening of prepping the house, filling the coolers and making the prep lists for tomorrow. If I haven't mentioned yet, I love to make lists.
Right now, I'm heading back to the kitchen to finally make that pot of coffee. Pretty sure I'm going to need it...=R=
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One awesome element of being in Chicago this time of year--my garage is a steady 40 degrees F, so we pulled one of the cars out into the driveway and set up a couple of tables--and now the garage is actually my own gigantic walk-in cooler That will come in super handy after we get the devilled eggs filled, since the finished platters cannot be stacked and are otherwise difficult to store.
We do that with our second bedroom when we entertain. I open up the windows to bring the room to outside temperature, and place the platters on all the flat surfaces available. We call it our "cold room."
It's also a great place to chill wine.
I like that, makes perfect sense to me. Of course, I'm always hot, so I'd probably want to sleep in there too--especially with the food and wine so nearby
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One awesome element of being in Chicago this time of year--my garage is a steady 40 degrees F, so we pulled one of the cars out into the driveway and set up a couple of tables--and now the garage is actually my own gigantic walk-in cooler
I wouldn't be surprised if you came home to see a bunch of varmints (racoons, squirrels, mice) trying to figure out how to jimmy the lock.
i was expecting 'lil Varmints myself.
wrong Heartlander for that =R=
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One awesome element of being in Chicago this time of year--my garage is a steady 40 degrees F, so we pulled one of the cars out into the driveway and set up a couple of tables--and now the garage is actually my own gigantic walk-in cooler
I wouldn't be surprised if you came home to see a bunch of varmints (racoons, squirrels, mice) trying to figure out how to jimmy the lock.
There were some tracks (probably racoons) by the garage walk-out door this morning...luckily we don't keep a key under the mat
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Before going to bed last night I made a batch of 'dream bar' cookies...not very fancy but a kid-fave, and a recipe that my grandma used to make for me.
I also had a midnight (time approximate) snack of sliced ham which was left over from the jambalaya prep and some muenster cheese while I watched my tape of last night's episode of Survivor. Was that great or what?
Woke up this morning and immediately starting mulling the spices for the punch. Also, cut up last night's magic bar run and plated them up in little paper pastry cups.
On the schedule for today (in addition to the pickups) are the assembly of the devilled eggs and the rumaki, as well as a few dips. I'll let the rumaki marinate overnight and cook them right before the party tomorrow. One awesome element of being in Chicago this time of year--my garage is a steady 40 degrees F, so we pulled one of the cars out into the driveway and set up a couple of tables--and now the garage is actually my own gigantic walk-in cooler
That will come in super handy after we get the devilled eggs filled, since the finished platters cannot be stacked and are otherwise difficult to store.Still haven't hit the coffee yet, but it's coming soon. My bean source came through yet again
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guajolote has correctly pointed out some of the more traditional accoutrements of the 'Chicago-style' dog...another being celery salt. In my case, I'm not much of a sport pepper guy, I may do tomatoes on a dog if they are in season, and I greatly prefer a dill pickle spear on my dog to relish. In the picture above, the camera made it to the kitchen just after I snarfed down the pickle. My standard hot dog combo is mustard, pickle and raw onion. Kinda sucked leaving the bun though
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i just got "the Essential Kitchen"by Gates McFadden.
granted it isn't the best cookbook out there but gosh are the pictures pretty
Not to be a total geek or anything, but wasn't she Dr Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation?
Yes...and mother of young Wesley
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Okay, an actual meal to report...sort of
My wife just brought home dinner from a local hot dog joint called Dear Franks. In Chicago, Vienna Beef is King of The Hot Dogs (although not quite like they used to be) and there are hundreds of hot dog stands which serve their products exclusively. They are not kosher, but kosher-style and since I grew up with them, they are, for me, the quintessential hot dog.
Dear Franks is a damned good rendition of a hot dog stand. Curiously, hot dog stands are not really stands per se, but carry-out joints that usually have a counter and some minimal table seating. While I wish it were healthier fare, it's great to have such a quality place so near my house. Not only do they feature Vienna Beef products and cook them well, but they also serve hand-cut fries that are simply outstanding. Of course, being on Atkins, I allowed myself just one fry tonight but I did have a char dog and a cheeseburger (both without their respective buns). Wife had the "Super Chicken", grilled chicken breast on toasted pita with lettuce, tomato and mayo (hold the onions) and my little man had a corn dog and an order of fries...
Ooooh those fries were hard to resist...
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Love those Hulk hands...my brother bought a pair for my son last year.
I will be 'repaying' him by buying his son the Magic Talking Grill this Xmas.
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WOW, Ronnie, I'm coming in at the intermission here and this all looks gorgeous, especially that pot of jumbalaya. What a fun party! I'm glad that we will get to see it all happen.
If you have a chance, I'd also like to know about your Bourdain adventures, just a gloss over. I've read that he sort of led you to e-gullet and that you are a big fan, but not much more than that.
Boy, we are a demanding audience.
A little history about my Bourdain admiration...
3 years ago a friend lent me a copy of Kitchen Confidential and it blew me away. Really, the book had a profound effect on me. It basically confirmed everything I'd ever suspected about working in the restaurant industry and the net result was liberating. Reading KC allowed me to learn about and admire that industry without feeling the least bit of regret that I had never entered it.
So many times I'd heard from people "your food is so good, you should open a restaurant" knowing full well that the folks who were saying it, while being very complimentary, had no idea what they were talking about. In KC, Tony confirmed this for me. It was glorious to have my own pre-conceived notions about such endeavors addressed so directly and humorously in KC. The book really spoke to me.
Later, in Spring 2002, while posting at IMDB.com on a thread about cooking shows, someone mentioned to me that Food Network had (some really lame) message boards pertaining to the tv version of A Cook's Tour. I immediately went over there and sure enough, there were other fans of Tony. Many of us who posted there became friends right away. After not too long, we started noticing that posts were being deleted, edited and censored. One of the users over there, Akebono, started a yahoo group (originally called cookstour) and a bunch of us migrated over there. One of us (cannot remember who) termed FTV's web site, "The Dark Side" and we never looked back. After a short time, we named ourselves Bourdain's Ruffians and all was right with the world...Tony would even drop by on occassion to say hi.
Not too long after the Ruffians came into being, one of our members posted a notice that Tony would be here, at eGullet, doing a Q&A session. That was back in June '02 and that's when I, and a bunch of other Ruffians joined eGullet. One of our members, Pariah Kerry, won a contest here during that Q&A and received a signed copy of KC for her effort.
I've read almost everything I know of by Tony and I've enjoyed it all. I will admit (as I have posted even to Tony) that I like the non-fiction better than the fiction but I really loved his most recent, The Bobby Gold Stories. In May of '03 I and a couple other Ruffians attended a book signing here by Tony. It was great getting to meet him and he was so nice to us. It's probably worth mentioning that I brought to that signing the 'borrowed' copy of KC for Tony to sign and told him that I'd basically stolen it from the person who lent it to me. I felt like that was true Ruffian style. Tony agreed.
Our little fan group, now in its 3rd home at yahoo, is still going strong. It's amazing to me that ~50 people could post almost 30,000 messages in a year and a half but that's what we have done. Sure, there is a lot of off-topic and personal stuff going back and forth over there, but since we were all brought together by our love for Tony, the essential spirit of the group lives on the friendships we have made. In that regard, every post over there is "on" topic since, if it weren't for Tony, Ruffianville (the name of our current home) wouldn't exist.
I was disappointed to learn that Tony and FTV had parted ways, but there was a little piece of me that always felt like he was too good for the place anyway. As always, I wish him the best and cannot wait to see what new projects he turns out. Below is the pic from our current home page at Ruffianville. I put it together in photoshop a little while back...
And here is another cover pic from a few weeks ago...
This above pic was actually taken at the signing here this past May.
Okay, do I now qualify as a Bourdain stalker?
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Now THAT is a mighty fine looking pot of jambalaya. I have some chicken stock to use up. I know what I am going to make. I just wish I could get good tasso.
Thanks Fifi. I was lucky to find the tasso and the andouille at Treasure Island, a small, local grocery store chain. The products were fresh, not frozen and 'imported' from Louisiana.
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Thanks for taking the blog time to give us your "who-what-where..." background. I appreciate it.
Oh, and make sure you take notes during your open house so we can see what the cook eats at his own shindig.
Your mise en place for the jambalaya looks wonderful...I can almost smell the ingredients!
NP
I will be sure to eat a lot at the party (kinda' like taking one for the team
) and report back as thoroughly as I can.As for what I've eaten today, that just hasn't happened yet--at all. I will be going out for dinner soon, but I don't expect it will be anywhere good. Rhea mentioned the adrenaline that comes with an undertaking like this and I find it to be a natural appetite suppressant. I haven't been actively denying myself food, just haven't really had the time or inclination to eat much of it. This is so contrary to what I see as my true nature that it is deeply ironic for me to be blogging all the non-eating. I generally don't go more than 2 hours without eating something, so this has not been a typical week for me--not even close.
With the help of a marvelous and seasoned assistant, I was able to get quite a lot done today. We made the chex mix (with my home-made rub), knocked out the sugared pecans, prepared the bries for their baking, boiled & peeled 6 dozen eggs for the devilled eggs, assembled the pasta salad and baked a cheesecake. We also made a run to the liquor store to finish off the bar purchases.
We also had some rented tables and chairs delivered today as well as a couple of coat racks. Tomorrow begins the process of making pickups since many of the items we're serving are out-sourced. We'll hit the bakery (for mini-rolls and linzer cookies) as well as the bagel place (so I can slice them all in advance). There are a few more pickups to be made on Saturday, but I'll get to those later.
There is also plenty more to do tomorrow but I feel like we're keeping up with things pretty well. I may, later tonight, bake some cookies, but only if I'm really in the mood. There should be enough time tomorrow to do all the pick ups, make the few remaining items and finalize the setup and decorating of the house.
I swear that I do actually eat (look at my friggin' picture for God's sake), so I hope to report back on that activity sometime in the very near future.
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Regarding the leftovers, email me for my address....
OK, just kidding. Where did you order the andouille and tasso from?
I got both items at a small, local grocery chain here in Chicago called Treasure Island.
The tasso and some of the andouille were made by French Market Foods in Lake Charles, LA and the rest of the andouille was made by Thibodeaux's Cajun Foods in Opelousas, LA.
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Before I passed out last night (and after the jambalaya was packed up) I did manage to snarf down a Strive brand s'mores bar. They're high-protein, low-carb bars that are generally awful but when you're on Atkins and in the mood for something sweet, the choices are limited. I wouldn't heartily recommend them to anyone, but I do think they're ok.
I mentioned earlier that I have a love/hate relationship with Dr. Atkins. I've spent the better part of 2003 on Atkins and I've really learned a lot from it. I don't really want to turn this into (yet another) debate about the merits/perils of Atkins but I've found that I feel better when I'm following his regimen which is why I've clung to it this year. The main thing for me in this case is energy level and sleep. When I'm on Atkins I have more energy and I sleep much more soundly than when I am not. I thought that the 2 weeks going into this party would be a good time to engage it full-speed again to give myself an edge. Turns out to have been a good choice. I'm feeling very energetic right now.
I do have my suspicions about Dr. Atkins' 'death' too. Sometimes I get the feeling that he isn't really dead at all--that he's alive and well, wearing a pair of Groucho glasses, and standing in line at KFC or Mrs. Fields right now.There's a lot more prep on the docket today and hopefully I'll actually get to eat too. I'll be back later with more. I hope everyone is having a great morning.
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hey wait, i'm your brother.
i have to be invited.
I'm glad you're coming, I really someone to keep mom from boozing it up again this year.
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Okay, having jumped into this mid-week I should probably take a step or two back.
I live in Chicago's northern burbs with my wife and my 6 year-old son. We have access to a great variety of authentic foods because of our proximity to Chicago and its distinctively ethnic neighborhoods. Of course, being in the middle of the country also has its culinary limitations but I'm nowhere near maxing out on what this town has to offer. Between my work, my family and my generally limited free time, I don't get out to eat nearly as often as I'd like, so for me, there's always somewhere new to try. This town is a hot dog, pizza and steak town--it's true. But there is so much more here.
I also like to cook, although I am, admittedly, a hack. There are a few dishes that I do very well, and many others which carry my signature of mediocrity. But, as the primary meal preparer in my household, every so often I just get tired of cooking altogether and when my heart isn't in it, the results usually show.
I go through periods where I just want to order out every night. That would be okay except it's expensive, you end up eating like crap and out here in the 'burbs, the choices just aren't that great. Before I gave in completely and became Ronnie "Suburban" I last lived a lot closer to the city--in Evanston--and the food choices there and in the area surrounding it were fantastic. Out here in the northern reaches, you'd better be able to fend for yourself or you pay the price in variety of ways.
I do miss living right near the city (or in it for that matter) on occasion but one day I woke up and realized that I was truly ready for some peace and quiet. Every now and then I long for the old days of jumping in the car and being somewhere 'good' in just a few minutes. But, we made our choice and we're very happy with it. What my life lacks in culinary perks is more than made up for in other areas. But, I'm not saying that there aren't good food opportunities in our immediate vicinity, only that they are more scarce than in urban areas.
Our major local grocery chains (Jewel & Dominick's/Safeway) are generally horrible. There is one smaller local chain in our area (Sunset Foods) that does a fine job, but they really charge a premium. There are all sorts of great ethnic groceries and specialty shops just a few miles south of us so we're never hurting for 'real' ingredients. Although I will admit that it's very hard to find good produce anywhere near us during the colder months. We live very near a Whole Foods store, but their produce really lacks.
What else? I work in the food industry selling fruit juice concentrates, purees and other related processed fruit products. Our company is basically a boutique where large and small grocery, ingredient and foodservice manufacturers source raw materials. We fulfill product and service requirements that large fruit processors can only dream about. Nearly everything we sell is 100% natural, 100% fruit (no blends, bases or flavors, etc.) and we also carry an organic line. I often describe us as value-added commodity resellers...are you asleep yet?
Anyway, I've learned a lot from working at my job and it's very satisfying. We solve problems for people and I love that aspect of it. And...I have access to multitudes of funky fruit products which are fun to play with. For the party this weekend I am making a punch using thai pineapple juice, chinese apple juice, mexican tangerine juice and lemon juice from the usa. At any one time we carry up to 70 or 80 products in our inventory, so there is always something great to experiment with. I've also had some great travel oppotunities because of my job. Some I've taken and some I've passed on, but I expect to be doing more traveling in the future.
Family-wise, my son is a good taster but just an okay eater. He'll give anything a shot but he doesn't love everything. Still, he's not really fussy in any way. He does have his preferences. He takes a lunch to school everyday which usually consists of a sandwich (ham or turkey) , sliced apple, some chips and a dessert (fruit roll up type thing, gummi creatures or pre-fab cookie paks). When we have leftovers, he'll willingly take them for lunch and eat them, but he'd probably prefer a Lunchable. He enjoys ribs, lox and bagels, liver, pretty much all meats too. He's also seemingly exceptional in that he loves most all green veggies including broccoli, peas, green beans, asparagus--and he loves salad too.
He's not particularly interested in helping out in the kitchen. He will from time to time, but he'd rather sit and watch tv in there while we work--and that's fine with me. We occassionally do cooking projects together, but he's far more interested in the finished product than the process.
My wife generally goes with the flow. She gives me so much help keeping us fed that I really couldn't do it without her. Not only does she do a fair amount of the shopping (under my annoying direction) but she also takes the clean-up duties upon herself most of the time. I don't particularly mind doing the clean-up--it's somewhat theraputic for me--but when someone else offers, well then
She's not a picky eater and she's very appreciative of the effort I make. She's been learning to do a few things in the kitchen lately and she's very good at them...assorted roasts--beef, pork and chicken--and she's the master of steamed brocolli. When she makes it, it's always perfect; not too firm, not too mushy.
Anyway, I was so busy with the jambalaya tonight that I didn't really eat anything--except for 1 ramekin of the jambalaya and it was really good if I do say so myself
Here's a few pics from tonight's jambalaya prep...
from the bottom center...parsley, garlic, tasso, onion, andouille, pork, green bell pepper, baked ham (in the center)
5 gallon pot, ~80%? full)
hopefully there will be some left for the party
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eG Foodblog: ronnie_suburban - A high volume week
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
Started the day (around 10 am
- Yikes!) by brewing up a pot of hand-roasted guatemalan coffee in my plunge pot. For the record, I took it with just a tiny splash of half & half. Thanks again to my bean source 
for the excellent kickstart.
I also helped myself to a slab of the leftover pate, 2 toasted, mini sesame bagels with chive cheese, fresh chives, a touch of fresh dill and some lox. After that, I ate in tiny little pecan pie/tart and a milk-chocolate and macadamia biscotti. Yes, I actually eat
We're heading to another holiday party shortly, so there will be even more of that particular activity coming up soon.
I'm still a bit tweaked from last night. It's really hard to settle down after that many days in a row of prepping for such a large event. In a perfect world, there is no party today, and I stay home, watch the Bears game and recreate the entire buffet from last night in my 'walk-in' for grazing during the week.
Below are a few pictures from last night...
The buffet table...a few desserts had not yet shown up.
Meatballs in a BBQ/Beefy sauce...we moved a lot of these this year.
Chorizo con chihuahua...ended being entirely consumed.
A cross-section of the outstanding pate...and part of my breakfast
Rumaki...every single one was eaten.
Shrimp...this is about half of the 15#...every shrimp was eaten.
Love them mini-hotdogs...we made 500, but would have been fine with 400.
Bake brie with chopped pecans and brown sugar, topped with puff pastry. I made 2, the other had the Star of David.
The revamped, SW style Avocado and Goat Cheese Dip.
Assortment of necessary (and delicious) carbohydrates
Spinach & Artichoke Dip
Devilled Action Action Shot
Like delicate snowflakes...no 2 eggzactly the same.
Yule Log...made by my step-mom, the showoff
I'll be back this evening to make the final installment to my blog and tag next week's blogger. Any volunteers before I cruelly pluck someone from the ether against their will?
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