the food

It seems I've been planning this party for months..... well, it seems that way because I have been! I can be such a fanatic when it comes to planning events. It consumes me. But I feel justified since we live in a town that is secluded (no roads in or out) and either we subject ourselves to what's available in Juneau (which isn't much), or we buy on-line or travel down south. So I did a lot of on-line shopping for this baby shower. Or I had my personal shopper pick things up in Arkansas.

Today--the food! This is my specialty. I love to cook. I love to cook BIG! I love to have plenty on hand for family and guests to enjoy. Heaven forbid that anyone should go hungry or we ran out! For this party, I didn't want "the usual" family favorites so focused on new ideas. I think it was a perfect blend of food items, color, and presentation.

I knew I wanted some kind of sandwich and kept going back to the idea of mini cocktail croissants. Except, I couldn't find any in town.... or when I did, they turned out to be horrid little things that I wouldn't serve to the homeless. Again, Safeway to the rescue! I just happened to stop in at the bakery one day and asked if they had any and was told they would be happy to order me some. Which they did. And baked them the night before I picked them up. They were THE BEST little croissants I've ever had.

Here they are, filled with a chicken salad mixture of mayo, diced celery, chopped green grapes, and a dash of tarragon. These were better than I had imagined and I think were the hit of the party. My sister spent most of her time in the kitchen, refilling platters and plates and kept everything looking picture perfect. My mouth is salivating just looking at them! They were THAT good!

I searched through one of my tea time books and found this yummy tomato salad recipe. It was so simple with tomato wedges, lots of torn basil, mini mozzarella balls, salt and pepper with an olive oil dressing. Such a simple, but gorgeous dish.



I tried something different with my fruit this time. I typically would carve a watermelon out or make a yummy fruit salad, but found some candy apple skewers and decided on fruit kabobs with a mini watermelon base to hold them. The pasta salad was also very simple--corkscrew pasta, garbanzo beans, and roasted red peppers with an olive oil, lemon, white wine, garlic, and mint dressing. Yes, the dressing was an odd mixture of ingredients, but it really worked.



And lots of vegies and dip.



And what party would be complete without chocolate covered strawberries?



I guess I didn't quite get to the dessert table yet.... or the actual party..... Again, I'm sorry for all the pictures, but this party has consumed so much of my life these past couple months, that I just feel compelled to share!

Have a great day! Nancy