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Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Surviving 50 Years...


...isn't difficult if your friends throw you a Hawaiian luau themed party.

Sorry this post has taken so long, but here's the big 50th celebration from three weeks ago.

When my marvelous friend Vi said she wanted to plan my 50th birthday party I was very grateful for her generosity. When I sent her a guest list, I also suggested we have a Hawaiian theme. As I am going to Hawaii for a couple weeks in May for a holiday I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate. I thought people could wear a flowery shirt and we could pick up some leis at the dollar store and that would be it.

Little did I suspect to what lengths Vi was going to take the theme. On the day of, Vi and her son Marcus arrived at my place at 2pm. I was then promptly shanghied by Marcus who then drove me to the Magnolia Spa where I was treated to a lovely pedicure and massage. Three hours later Vi's husband Tom, and their other son Phillip picked me up and brought me home. In that three hours our apartment was turned into a tropical luau paradise. Friends and family had arrived and helped with the decorating.

There was a beach scene set up on the coffee table...

...a table spread with yummie munchies, surrounded by flowers, and tropical trees...


...tables wrapped in grass skirts... (the bouquet of flowers was for Mummie)

...and they made me wear this....


...but I drew the line at this, and it became wall decoration.


They also had beach towels on all the chairs and tropical clothes strewn around.

I wasn't the only one wearing a grass skirt. These are three of my cousins. The two cousins wearing the green skirts are sisters and had theirs when they were little girls. They've been saved in a cedar trunk all these years just waiting for an opportunity such as this, but...


...of course the grass skirts didn't quite fit the same any more...


...a quiet moment before the crowds hit the beach...


...you can see on the wall behind me a net with crawlie critters on the wall. There were creepy crawlies everywhere. Even after I had taken down all the decorations the next day, I was still finding rubber crawlies everywhere for days. I think I've found them all now.

The cake was delicious, here it is being held by the most amazing party planning ever...my friend Vi.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Sharing Christmas Treats

This year, the main theme of my gift giving was cookies. I am an avid cookie cutter collector, and I thought I would put them to use this year. Armed with a vast selection to choose from and a killer sugar cookie recipe, I went on a baking spree.

There were snowflakes...







Snowmen,

Christmas Trees,

and stars.









Even a whole

Christmas Tree

made from almond cookies.

This cookie tree was

special project for some

dear friends who were

hosting 17 family members

for Christmas dinner.




The one recipe I make every year, mainly for consumption in my house is



Cherry Oat Bars

They are extremely rich, and absolutely
scream to be consumed. I put them in the
freezer, but that barely slows down their
consumption.



Here is the recipe for your enjoyment.



Bottom Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup butter or margarine

Combine flour with baking powder, sugar and rolled oats.
Add butter and mix until mixture crumbles.
Press firmly into 9x9 pan.

Topping -
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup red and green cherries
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Beat eggs well, add remaining ingredients.
Spread over crumbs and bake in
300 degree F oven for 45 minutes or
until brown around edges.

I dare you to eat just one square at a time.

Enjoy.

The recipe for the Cookie Christmas Tree called
for a double batch of the recipe enclosed with
the cutters. But in actuality it only took one.
So with a batch of cookie dough in the freezer,
I have decided to make cookies a theme for
birthdays throughout the year. Next week
during the break, I'll bake them up and decorate
them for freezing. Oh joy oh bliss.