Staff Lunch Recipes
A well-received staff lunch today–hardly anything left!! Here’s the menu…
Shake ‘n Bake Chicken (if you only try one recipe, this one should be it!!)
Bravas Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes
Veggies for dipping
Dipping sauces–BBQ sauce, Honey French Dressing, Spicy Sweet Chile Sauce, Homemade Bleu Cheese Dressing, Ketchup, Honey Mustard, Dijon Herb Dip
A slightly sad lunch today, since my sweet helper Katya was sick and had to stay home! (Thanks to the last minute babysitter…) I missed her help and her company. I was very grateful for all the extra help from the church staff to get ready on time, since I was very late coming in. Hopefully Katya will feel better soon. She was disappointed to miss all the fun!
Random Quote
Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.–Harriet Van Horne
This quote reminds me to just jump in and go for it! I’m not a very good risk taker, but too much caution can be detrimental to good results (in food and in relationships.) So take a chance…ask a tricky question…buy a kumquat…let me know what happens! (Of course, a mistake in cooking is much easier to deal with then a mistake in love, but I think the rewards are commensurate with the risk…)
Wedding Party
Inspired by my sister’s rainbow dinner party, I came home and wanted to throw a fun party of my own. We asked a few friends to come over for a special dinner (kids stayed with grandma) and had each couple bring their wedding photos. We enjoyed a grown-up evening of fun conversation, special food, and sharing memories. Here’s the party plan…
Make-Your-Own soda…sparkling water with homemade lime, lemon, strawberry, mint, or ginger syrups
Strawberry-Goat Cheese Bruschetta
(The mugs were customized with each guest’s initial and anniversary date, and doubled as a take-home party favor)
Parmesan-Stuffed Chicken and Melted Strawberries
Oven Roasted Broccoli with Pine Nuts
Mango Lemon Sweet Tea
Over dinner, we passed around a mug of wedding questions and each person picked one to answer. Things like “Who was the youngest person at your wedding?” or “Who would your spouse say was the most helpful person to have around on your wedding day?” It was a fun way to encourage conversation and hear more about each wedding.
After dinner, we headed out back with our photo albums and played a wedding Bingo game that Than and I made up. (He did most of the work!!) We traded photo albums around and searched for various items on our Bingo cards e.g. someone laughing, a grandmother, the wedding cake, etc. It was amazing how different each wedding was. When Bingo was finished it was time for dessert!
Bittersweet Chocolate Raspberry Tart (from the Colorado Collage cookbook)
It was a good evening to be together, learn more about each other, and celebrate our marriages. Besides, it was a good excuse to have a party!! I’ll have to think up another one soon…
First Piano Lesson
Now that Katya is four years old, she was able to have her first piano lesson. She plays for fun quite frequently and often listens to lessons from her basement, so I thought she would be excited to begin. When I told her the day for lessons was approaching, however, she told me she couldn’t take piano lessons. When I asked her why, she said, “Mommy, I only know three songs!” I tried to explain to her that the point of lessons was to teach her more songs, but she insisted, “Nathan knows lots of songs!” I finally told her that when Nathan started lessons he didn’t know any songs at all, so she was already doing well to know three. Satisfied, she came to her first lesson and paid very careful attention (to my surprise!). She has practiced very earnestly with me since then, so our musical journey has begun.
A Garden Picnic
Than’s Aunt Lynne was visiting us recently, and we were able to arrange a picnic at the Botanic Gardens with some of his family. It was a gorgeous day! Not much exciting to write, just some photos of us appreciating the gifts of beauty, family, good food, and sunshine.
May Day
Thanks to the mysterious benefactors who celebrated May Day with our family in mind! I was feeling sad that I hadn’t done anything for our neighbors, and when I went out on Tuesday morning I found this waiting for me…
The next morning Katya spotted this one hanging from the mailbox…
Whoever you are, thanks for bringing smiles to our house!! Maybe next year I’ll be able to leave something for you.
An Update for My Workhorse
Of all the small appliances in my kitchen, my Kitchen Aid mixer is the one I love the most. I can’t imagine cooking in large quantities without it! After seeing several pictures on Pinterest, I decided mine was due for a bit of a face lift. Here’s how it turned out…
No matter how many Fridays in a row I make pizza, I still can’t seem to remember the recipe so it is finally out where I can see it!
Speaking of appliances, I must sing the praises of my husband. My oven stopped working in the middle of all my baking for the recital last week! He patiently hauled my remaining cookie dough over to his mom’s house and baked it all, then returned home to research the oven problem. He found a part warehouse in Denver, got the part, replaced it, and I had a functional oven again before suppertime! Wow!
Since it seemed silly to take a photo of the oven, here is a photo of my new seed box instead–I found the red metal toolbox at a thrift store and couldn’t pass it up! I wasn’t sure what to do with it, so this is what it will be for a while until I come up with a better idea.
Staff Lunch Recipes
A few recipes from staff lunch last week…
Chicken Enchiladas (Test Kitchen Recipe)
Layered Taco Dip with Tortilla Chips
Chipotle Apple Salad (Than loved this one!!)
And a random photo of my faithful helper, at home later playing with a truck made by my dad for my brother a long time ago…
A Successful Recital
Phew! Today was the recital for my piano and violin students and I am happy to report that everyone did a great job! We had it at a nursing home for the first time this year and overall it was a good change. There was lots more space, everyone could come on the same night, there was room to invite other guests, and residents from the nursing home could share our music as well.
Than was an incredibly big help getting my refreshment table set up since we weren’t able to get into the room until just before the recital began. Nearly all of the students came, many brought grandparents or other relatives (including a set of grandparents and great-grandparents for Nathan), and there was a wide variety of music shared with our audience. Nathan drew the honor of going first and he started us off in fine style, playing Chant Arabe (my choice) and the Thomas the Tank Engine Theme Song (his choice). I am very proud of the progress he has made.
Katya also deserves an honorable mention as a quiet audience member, a good chef’s assistant, and an adorable addition in her fancy dress, pink shawl, and white Easter purse. Sorry there aren’t more photos–I was otherwise occupied!
Here is the refreshment menu, in case you were wondering…
Marbled Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Dipped Marshmallows (peanut butter chocolate, chocolate pecan, and white chocolate with rainbow sprinkles)
Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies
Fresh Berries (served in cupcake wrappers in my cupcake stand!)
I went with a classic black and white theme for my table setup, in keeping with the piano focus, and found it a good excuse to use my new tile table labels, made following these instructions.
The Pianist
It’s about time for Katya to start official piano lessons. Or perhaps she already knows how to play…
If she can do it in gloves and sunglasses, she’s a better musician than I am!!
