Thanksgiving weekend menu...part 1.

Thanksgiving Greetings,

You might be surprised to read this but I am not cooking a Thanksgiving turkey this weekend.
I hosted a small dinner party for friends...
the family brunch to follow another day...

Upon the guests arrival we sipped on lemon drop martinis

munched on tapenaude,
hummus,
carrot sticks,
cucumber slices,
Red Leicester cheese and crackers.

At the dining table we started with a cocktail of fresh shrimp atop a bed of torn romaine lettuce, served with a lemon wedge and a dollop of seafood sauce,
for the main course baked chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese topped with red pepper pesto,
sauteed green beans, chanterelles and button mushrooms gently braised in butter,
and crispy oven baked potato slices.

Red and white wines were offered as well as sparkling mineral water for the designated drivers.

Dessert was a rich chocolate mousse served in ramekins upon which I popped a few fresh raspberries.
I love the marriage of raspberries and chocolate.

Freshly brewed orange pekoe and spearmint tea capped the evening off...
we sat and chatted....the range of conversation ran the gamut...
topics that were near and dear ever so close to our hearts...
there was a comfortable sharing of intimate tidbits of life with trusted friends.
Not surprising, eldercare issues were a common thread linking us all.
Tears welled up in my eyes...threatening to spill...and glancing the faces of my most cherished friends I knew it was going to be alright.

Our children, grandchildren, real estate ventures,  stock market, business, travel and work...all took  the stage as we related the poignant, sometimes troubled, frequently funny diaramas that define our existence.
Owning and embracing our paths as they curve and weave through every day life...not always the happy endings or outcomes that we might wish for, but grateful for the fact that we are alive and able to feel deeply, the sometimes raw emotions that move and shake us to our very core.

The Arts and Crafts English Westminster clock chimed to remind us that it was it was the Cinderella Hour...
we all stop and look at each other...
plans are in place for tomorrow...
it's Thanksgiving weekend...
one couple are off to their oceanfront home on a Gulf Island and have an early ferry to catch,
the other couple are expecting 21 for dinner...
our guests took their leave and depart...

As an experienced Hostess...I would like to share one of the things that I feel is of utmost importance...
Spend as much time with your guests as you possibly can...prep ahead and make dishes that are easy so that you do not have to be in the kitchen too long.

I do not like to make a lot of noise rattling around in the kitchen either...I like to put away any food that might spoil and stack the dishes but do not spend much time in the kitchen in "tidy mode"...
I have a butlers door which I could close but I do not have a butler....if I did, I would have to say dear Jeeves please clean up but be as quiet as a mouse as we do not live in a very large house.

I wait until after my guests have departed before loading up the dishwasher and scrubbing any pot and pans...
Mr. HB assists and we have a recap and a nightcap before heading off to bed.

The exception to this "rule" would be an "all family get together" where we gals roll up our sleeves and get in the kitchen together to laugh, chat and share a little bit of local gossip... there are secrets shared and we often catch ourselves as we divulge information about our spouses...
supportive hugs are given freely...
tears have been shed, health issues have played a role...cancer has touched our lives several times...
all seems as it should be when we go through the motions of homekeeping and domestics...


We put the first of several loads into the dishwasher, package up dinners for the Moms to take home....
this might surprise you to know that this is penultimate quality family female bonding...
Humble Bungalow Style

Hugs from the Hostess.