Ouch

I certainly did not share the good fortune of Houston’s high bid winner this Saturday.  

Prep for our Race for the Roses party began Friday evening with the lemon lime cheesecake and continued through Saturday afternoon with the remaining dishes.  Around 4:00 Food Intolerance and I stood with large hats amidst 100% complete prep feeling destined for a fantastic party.  

As we watched the ladies of Kentucky pick their steps across the muddy horse track, time ticked on and no guests had arrived.  Thankfully, knocks at the door were not far away as dear friends arrived dressed to the nines with wine in hand. We munched on our mango salsa for nearly an hour before the horrid truth set in; for the first time in 36 parties we had a poor turn out.  The party prepared for twelve ended up feeding six.  So, with a few burgoo burgers thrown into the freezer, the remainder were thrown on the grill, our plates fixed, and we were back to the family room to take in the days race.  

The food....  

Although our guests insisted they were enjoying their meal, I found my burger under seasoned and dry, my succotash overwhelmed by the taste of vinegar, and really how much black eyed pea and mango salsa can one person eat?  My dear friends, they insisted that the meal was flavorful however I’m determined that they either have poor palates or are extremely kind.  The later being much more likely. 

Luckily, there was a redeeming quality to this party; the lemon lime cheesecake was nothing short of perfection.  The acidic citrus flavors worked with the tang of cream cheese to create our one winner of the afternoon. Add to that the gluten free crust and the day was not without success. 

Around 8:00 that evening with the leftovers packaged and the hat placed back in its box, I was filled with disappointment.  My trifecta of exhaustion, poor turn out and bad food has pushed me dangerously close to the one thing I feared: burnout. 

The Party In Numbers:

Parties Completed: 36

Weeks Before Deadline: 18

Bottles Consumed: 2

Justified Purchases: zero!