Monday, March 1, 2010

Having kids changes everything... especially a party!

Looking to branch out from our weekly dinner party, Food Intolerance and I decided to make this week’s brunch family friendly. After spending Saturday afternoon in the kitchen we felt poised and ready for a calm afternoon with friends and their family.  Enter Reality. 
As most guests toted buckaroos in place of wine bottles, the stove sizzled through multiple requests for eggs and kid friendly options that included everything but what was in their farmhouse hash.  Food Intolerance and I became a refined version of the Mel’s Diner girls Flo and Alice and though tempted on more than one occasion, refrained from offering a ‘kiss my grits.’ All was not lost, as the adults were incredibly complimentary of their meal, generous with their offers to help in the kitchen, and ultimately added the laughter and joy that reminds us why we threw the party in the first place. 
I seem to have two culinary hurdles; egg sauces and caramel.  With a failed mayonnaise and aioli on my record, I set out to make fresh lemon curd all the while toting a jar of store bought in my purse. When this sauce failed to set, I simply filled the serving bowl with the store bought curd and called it a day.  With a table filled with homemade scones and a surprise addition of my homemade banana bread, a little store bought curd was a mere detail.  Judging by the empty platers at the end of the party I would still call the table an overall success. 
Around 3:00 after everyone was fed, and a five year old had given me illustrated directions on how to boil an egg, I sat with the girls and enjoyed a glass of red wine.  Through the blur of events, I took pride in the success of a new party dynamic and complete joy that the event ended without injury.  Will I be hosting many more kid events?  Not if I can help it. 
Cooking Notes:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Topping? With a completely chilled dessert, Food Intolerance and I went to slice the goodness into perfect bars.  The result was a crumbled mess.  Our quick solution: a gallon of vanilla ice cream, and chopping the intended bars into a lovely topping.  Not only did this go over well with the adults, but the children loved these make shift sundaes. Once we witnessed this success, all Girl Scout Cookies were placed back into the cabinet to await the next disaster. 
The Party in Numbers:
Parties completed: 25
Weeks before deadline: 27
Bottles Consumed: 3 (this includes the bottle of white that was put in the freezer and ultimately exploded).
Justified Purchases: zero!

No comments:

Post a Comment