pre-party blues
I am getting really sick of all these food blogs that post a bajillion artsy photographs before getting down to business ie the recipe. Even worse is when they just stick in some random crap. Exhibit A, which puts nine separate photographs before the recipe (for beet chips), two of which are of a tree, for no reason which I can fathom.
I blame the Pioneer Woman.
Also, there's some kind of law that the more idyllic, glamorous, and perfect the photographs and what they depict are, the more self-deprecating and "aw shucks we're just plain folks around here" the text is.
I continue to blame the Pioneer Woman.
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I didn't realize that The Husband had rehearsal tomorrow, so this has kind of thrown my party prep plans into disarray. I told him to tell Mark the choir director that I was invoking my uxorial authority and that Mark had better let Gordon go by noon or I would be on him (the choir director) like the hand of God. Gordon laughed and said he would tell Mark that if he kept them late, Mark would have to come over and help with party prep. Works for me.
I've jettisoned my plans to try the sushi platter for this reason. I've made sushi before but I've never made sushi rice and ugh I just don't want to be doing that kind of experimentation.
So new party menu is:
rice cake chips in bowl
cheese and crackers
kale and beet green chips (which I'm making tonight, after finishing this post)
some other appetizer (brought by guest)
white bean and chicken chili (slow cooker)
salad (brought by guest)
dessert? (which I'm planning to buy at the farmer's market tomorrow since I have vouchers)
I'm also thinking about asking one guest to bring her mandolin so we can slice up and deep fry some beets for aforementioned beet chips. We have a deep fryer so it's always nice to have an excuse to pull it out.
For drinks, we'll have pop, juice, and the regular contents of our liquor cabinet, plus I have three bottles of sparkling cider, which people can have plain, or mixed into a Big Apple or Cognac Sparkler. (Yes, I just downloaded Martha Stewart's cocktails app, why do you ask?)
Around here, the kitchen and bathroom still need work. I'm honestly pretty worried about whether this is all going to get done. But I am just too wiped to do serious cleaning of either tonight. For some reason Pip was really difficult to get down for bed tonight, and she once again didn't nap. I think the nap drop is happening whether I like it or not. :(
Honestly I'm really quite tempted to just sit on the couch and read a magazine and skip making the kale chips. My main issue being that I don't have a salad spinner and all the recipe sites emphasize that the kale has to be drier than an Oscar Wilde/George Bernard Shaw insult contest.
Oh well. I'm going to give it a whirl.
I blame the Pioneer Woman.
Also, there's some kind of law that the more idyllic, glamorous, and perfect the photographs and what they depict are, the more self-deprecating and "aw shucks we're just plain folks around here" the text is.
I continue to blame the Pioneer Woman.
---
I didn't realize that The Husband had rehearsal tomorrow, so this has kind of thrown my party prep plans into disarray. I told him to tell Mark the choir director that I was invoking my uxorial authority and that Mark had better let Gordon go by noon or I would be on him (the choir director) like the hand of God. Gordon laughed and said he would tell Mark that if he kept them late, Mark would have to come over and help with party prep. Works for me.
I've jettisoned my plans to try the sushi platter for this reason. I've made sushi before but I've never made sushi rice and ugh I just don't want to be doing that kind of experimentation.
So new party menu is:
rice cake chips in bowl
cheese and crackers
kale and beet green chips (which I'm making tonight, after finishing this post)
some other appetizer (brought by guest)
white bean and chicken chili (slow cooker)
salad (brought by guest)
dessert? (which I'm planning to buy at the farmer's market tomorrow since I have vouchers)
I'm also thinking about asking one guest to bring her mandolin so we can slice up and deep fry some beets for aforementioned beet chips. We have a deep fryer so it's always nice to have an excuse to pull it out.
For drinks, we'll have pop, juice, and the regular contents of our liquor cabinet, plus I have three bottles of sparkling cider, which people can have plain, or mixed into a Big Apple or Cognac Sparkler. (Yes, I just downloaded Martha Stewart's cocktails app, why do you ask?)
Around here, the kitchen and bathroom still need work. I'm honestly pretty worried about whether this is all going to get done. But I am just too wiped to do serious cleaning of either tonight. For some reason Pip was really difficult to get down for bed tonight, and she once again didn't nap. I think the nap drop is happening whether I like it or not. :(
Honestly I'm really quite tempted to just sit on the couch and read a magazine and skip making the kale chips. My main issue being that I don't have a salad spinner and all the recipe sites emphasize that the kale has to be drier than an Oscar Wilde/George Bernard Shaw insult contest.
Oh well. I'm going to give it a whirl.