Our dear friend Lea, who has been mentioned here several times over the years, retired recently. Last Friday was her final day with her employer. She sold her house in the DC suburbs and has moved to her new retirement home this week. We had a little "thing" for her on Saturday night.
We started with this cheese and cracker board. The cheeses were heart-shaped, which was kind of kitschy, but cute. The one on the left was Gin and Rhubarb flavored and the one on the right was White Chocolate flavored. We preferred the Gin and Rhubarb, but they were both very good.
The dip in the center of this picture is a beer and cheddar dip that is positively delicious. I have not shared this recipe with you and that is something I must do in the coming weeks. It is one of those things that could be served at a Super Bowl party or on an elegant buffet. It would work in either setting. I love recipes like that. Of course I pick up several bouquets of Alstroemeria and had them in vases and pots located throughout the house. They are divine. You can never go wrong with Alstroemeria for any setting. I like them in pots and in vases, set out for a party, or just to have in the house during the week. They are perfect for all seasons.
I made deviled eggs. I am going to say that my deviled eggs are like Betsy Bloomingdale's Peanut Butter and Bacon canapes and that is, they are served at every party. They are always requested, so I put out a tray no matter the event, whether it has a more formal tone or our usual casual gatherings. On this night I did not use my deviled egg serving trays with the individual holders but rather a plain white plate with a bed of fresh arugula. I love arugula and so does Lea. We found, as the night wore on, that an arugula leaf or two on top of your deviled egg is quite a taste sensation. I am going to have to experiment with this some more and see if I can't incorporate arugula into the egg recipe. I used fresh dill and fresh bean sprouts as a topping and some and I left some unadorned. There was a tin of caviar somewhere in the evening and we ended up adding that also. Just supremely delicious on their own or with a little topping. Middle upper part of the picture is a bowl of square shaped butter flavored pretzels which went perfectly with the cheddar beer dip. Lower right corner are peanut butter and bacon canapes. These need some work. I was not happy with how they turned out, so enough said about them. We will try them again in the coming weeks and see if we can improve on this recipe.
Actually, the recipe for the peanut butter and bacon canape's was from Betsy Bloomingdale's Entertaining. I fried the bacon and then added the rounds of white bread to the pan with the bacon fat.
They were beautiful! I could not have been more pleased with how they looked when I removed them from the pan. However, ... not good. This needs some work, but not to worry. I'll be back in the kitchen reworking this recipe until I get it just right.
I did not get a picture of the bottle in this wine cooler, but we served an Apothic red, which I knew was one of Lea's favorites.
Steven made these delicious tarts that had golden raisins and a cinnamon and nutmeg gooey filling. They were delicious. This recipe does not need to reworked. These were just out of this world. They are good warm and they are good at room temperature. They are just good!!
Finally, our housewarming/retirement gift, a card and a bouquet of alstromeria to brighten up here new home when she arrives. I loved the paper on this gift. I found it at CVS if you can believe that. A black and gray floral print with gold polka-dots and I put two black bows on top.
It was a special evening and one that we will remember. We wish her all the best in her new home and we send congratulations on her retirement. Godspeed Lea!!
We started with this cheese and cracker board. The cheeses were heart-shaped, which was kind of kitschy, but cute. The one on the left was Gin and Rhubarb flavored and the one on the right was White Chocolate flavored. We preferred the Gin and Rhubarb, but they were both very good.
The dip in the center of this picture is a beer and cheddar dip that is positively delicious. I have not shared this recipe with you and that is something I must do in the coming weeks. It is one of those things that could be served at a Super Bowl party or on an elegant buffet. It would work in either setting. I love recipes like that. Of course I pick up several bouquets of Alstroemeria and had them in vases and pots located throughout the house. They are divine. You can never go wrong with Alstroemeria for any setting. I like them in pots and in vases, set out for a party, or just to have in the house during the week. They are perfect for all seasons.
I made deviled eggs. I am going to say that my deviled eggs are like Betsy Bloomingdale's Peanut Butter and Bacon canapes and that is, they are served at every party. They are always requested, so I put out a tray no matter the event, whether it has a more formal tone or our usual casual gatherings. On this night I did not use my deviled egg serving trays with the individual holders but rather a plain white plate with a bed of fresh arugula. I love arugula and so does Lea. We found, as the night wore on, that an arugula leaf or two on top of your deviled egg is quite a taste sensation. I am going to have to experiment with this some more and see if I can't incorporate arugula into the egg recipe. I used fresh dill and fresh bean sprouts as a topping and some and I left some unadorned. There was a tin of caviar somewhere in the evening and we ended up adding that also. Just supremely delicious on their own or with a little topping. Middle upper part of the picture is a bowl of square shaped butter flavored pretzels which went perfectly with the cheddar beer dip. Lower right corner are peanut butter and bacon canapes. These need some work. I was not happy with how they turned out, so enough said about them. We will try them again in the coming weeks and see if we can improve on this recipe.
Actually, the recipe for the peanut butter and bacon canape's was from Betsy Bloomingdale's Entertaining. I fried the bacon and then added the rounds of white bread to the pan with the bacon fat.
They were beautiful! I could not have been more pleased with how they looked when I removed them from the pan. However, ... not good. This needs some work, but not to worry. I'll be back in the kitchen reworking this recipe until I get it just right.
I did not get a picture of the bottle in this wine cooler, but we served an Apothic red, which I knew was one of Lea's favorites.
Finally, our housewarming/retirement gift, a card and a bouquet of alstromeria to brighten up here new home when she arrives. I loved the paper on this gift. I found it at CVS if you can believe that. A black and gray floral print with gold polka-dots and I put two black bows on top.
It was a special evening and one that we will remember. We wish her all the best in her new home and we send congratulations on her retirement. Godspeed Lea!!
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