Sunday, April 6, 2014

Julie's glorious Friday night Feast...

The weekend so far has been busy, it's a bit of a blur...
a lot has been happening to keep us out of mischief but first let's talk about Friday.
We started off with dinner at Julie's...she is our friend who owns and runs a local catering company.
When she invited us for dinner she mentioned that she was not going to "fuss."
I assumed that meant simple fare that required very little effort...something that I might do myself, although it takes me a lot more effort to make it look effortless!


I picked up a posy of flowers for our hostess from Thorn and Thistle...

Julie and her husband have recently renovated their kitchen and it is a cook's dream!
A 6 burner gas range with a hood overhead and a faucet to fill up the pasta pot right at the back of the stove top.
Three ovens...one is a state of the art steam oven and the other two are more traditional,
although they are all top of the line...exactly what a serious cook would want to use.

Are you ready for a peek?


The counter tops are "leathered granite" in black and they are sumptuous...
I loved all the LED lights with dimmer switches especially the task lighting.
The cabinets are white and the drawers and cupboards have those closers that make it impossible to slam even if your souffle falls!
The open plan makes it easy to have people seated at the table in the dining area and she is able to interact and converse with guests as she prepares the next course....

So are you ready to see the "no fuss" dinner?




We started with prawn filled won ton wrappers drizzled with Miso sauce...atop avocado and garnished with slivers of red cabbage, carrots, chives and thinly sliced radishes.

The wine flowed...


I drank lots of water with the wine.


Ribs drenched in a delicious BBQ sauce topped with roasted tomatoes, grilled asparagus and homemade gnocchi in a Gorgonzola cheese sauce.
Yes dear readers I ate it all....
I put the WW point count completely out of my mind and savoured every tasty morsel!


Chocolate souffle, what a decadent way to cap off the meal!

We had a wonderful time chatting and visiting and talking of her upcoming trip to Paris, Barcelona and Tuscany where she will be taking some cooking lessons.
I drank a few more glasses of wine than I am accustomed to...and just before midnight we hopped in a taxi for the 30 minute ride home and I went straight to bed!

I'll post more soon...hope that you have a delightful day.

19 comments:

Marguerite said...

Oh my, how divine! I'm glad you suffered no guilt and ate and drank with appreciation. I'm sure they are wonderful friends to have. Plus, it's good to see the fine art of the dinner party surviving. Good week to you, Hostess.

Coulda shoulda woulda said...

Looks yummy! I wonder what a fussy dinner might be? Once in a while I find a splurge just let's the body relax.

Michelle said...

Wow! What a decadent evening! Glad you had such a good time!

materfamilias said...

Crazy! In a good way! Looks wonderful, and I would have let go of the WW-counting just as you did.

Julie said...

Thanks for your kind words about our kitchen reno and our dinner! What a fun evening that was - I was a little fuzzy yesterday, but was luckily able to relax and do very little (caught up on a few taped episodes of 'The French Chef'). Love the beautiful flowers you brought and will be enjoying them for a at least the next week, I'm sure! Did I mention how fantastic you're looking? :<)

Jeannine said...

Good for you - throwing caution to the wind! What a wonderful kitchen and terrific looking food. Once in a while one must just indulge. Have a good week.

LPC said...

Agreed! Every now and again, throw caution to the winds! What an amazing kitchen, and dinner.

Bonnie said...

Your evening sounds delightful! The kitchen is the dream of everyone who enjoys to cook. Enjoy the evening! Bonnie

P|am said...

Sometimes you just have to do what you want to do WW or not...you enjoyed your evening and dinner and that was the main thing..that kitchen is fabulous...lucky you to have a friend like that...and thank you for sharing your evening with us.

Anonymous said...

Oh wow! what a night as a ww success of over 6 years these events are fine, more steps and you sort it out, the meal looked divine, the kitchen oh wow what does one say, magnifique! loved the table cloth and your flowers a beautiful gift for the hostess, thanks or the blog I enjoy your blog very much wonderful to be in contact across the oceans from you to Australia. Have a great week, Lyn

Duchesse said...

There are times when you just have to close the points book and enjoy. This is one, what a gorgeous feast for palate and eye!

La Vie Quotidienne said...

My oh my...I am sitting here drooling, what a feast. There are just certain time one has to forget completely about calories and totally enjoy!

Susan said...

What a wonderful evening with friends. That meal looks scrumptious!

Madame Là-bas said...

What beautiful flowers and food! The kitchen is magnificent! All one can do is to enjoy such an evening and such hospitality.

Linda Pakravan said...

the chocolate mousse and kitchen are both divine. Thanks for sharing your lovely evening!

KSL said...

What a delicious looking dinner and fabulous kitchen. She must be quite amazing if that was a "no fuss" dinner.

Jen Lawrence said...

What a spendid dinner! My no fuss is a whole lot less impressive!!

Sunday Taylor said...

Sounds like a magical night!

Highland Fashionista said...

Okay, you can't use the words "no fuss" and then serve a soufflé....the two things are incongruous. But what a BEAUTIFUL kitchen, table, and evening. I'll forgive her the misrepresentation of a "low fuss" meal (at my house this consists of sitting cross-legged on the couch balancing the plate on your lap while you watch DVDs)...she obviously has some mad culinary skills.
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