Monday, March 17, 2008

Thirteen People for Dinner

Last night was a lovely evening - soft breeze - stars that you could almost reach up and touch and flowers everywhere. We dined out in the courtyard - no bugs......... I had been cooking for two days (more on this later) and it was fun to have special friends over to meet my daughter Julie who is here in San Miguel for her first visit. She came to meet Baby Matilda and has been thrilled to hold, feed and just enjoy a little baby again...........She's been staying at my son and daughter-in-law's house and it has been great for them too, to have a "seasoned" Mom to give information. (Grandparents are too ancient to ask)!
I love entertaining and cooking - menu: Baked Ham, Au Gratin Potatoes, Corn Souffle, Brocolli Casserole, Boiled Shrimp with cocktail sauce and purchased croissants and cheese cake. All Julie's favorite foods and our traditional Easter dinner in years gone by. The "adventure" of this is of course, that I DO NOT have an oven so I have become proficient in preparing ahead and using my little toaster oven and pyrex dishes that fit in there to cook multiple things..........over a period of time and then reheat just prior to serving. Thank goodness for Ann Criswell, who was the Food Editor of the Houston Chronicle for over 30 years because when I initially told her of my dilemma seven years ago she responded with great microwave cookbooks...........so now I've learned to do soooooooo many things in the microwave also, like the ham!
It seems to work and I LOVE when people go back for seconds and thirds...........it really isn't much fun just cooking for myself - although I do from time to time.
So, I rolled a dinner party and Easter dinner all into one! Today I was worn out and haven't left the house.............(I'm in the midst of a fascinating book on Marconi by Eric Larson)
Wish you could have been here for dinner too...........

3 comments:

Steve Cotton said...

Are you reading Thunderstruck? I enjoyed it. Quite a story. But not quite as interesting as The Devil in the White City.

picklesandroses.blogspot.com said...

Well, darn. I wish I had been there for dinner, too. I will definitely check into the book you are reading. Nacogdoches was okay considering the azaleas weren't at their prime yet and the couple we were with aren't very interesting. Will my younger friends say that about me in years to come? God, I hope not!

Babs said...

Yes, I finished Thunderstruck! His research and writing is delightful. I agree The Devil in the White City was more fascinating...............Did you read his book on the Galveston storm? It was heartrending but extremely accurate.....I love Galveston and always wanted to live there...........no more!