Dinner Party Before the New Year

I hope you are all starting the new year safely and wonderfully! It seems like I have not participated in these memes for a while but you know how hectic it is during the holiday season. But I am determined to party today.

Joining the following parties:

Marty for Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Lady Katherine for Teatime Tuesday at http://ladykatherineteaparlor.blogspot.com/

Martha and Terri for Teacup Tuesday at http://www.marthasfavorites.com/

Wanda Lee for Tuesday Tea for 2 at http://theplumedpen.blogspot.com/

WandaLee and Pam for Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday at http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com/

Sandi for Teatime Tuesday at http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/

Michael Lee for Foodie Friday at http://www.designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

We had a dinner party on the 30th of Dec. I did a formal sit down setting in the formal dining room and served the salad ahead of time there but there was no way the food would fit on the table so I served buffet style and asked the guests to get their food after the salad.

I set the buffet on the kitchen counter. I always start it with white Jazmine rice.
Here is the buffet setting. Looks like I was still preparing the table when my friend shot this. I cooked everything except for the turkey. I ordered it from a local antique dealer and he is Cajun and is an excellent cook.

Chicken Basil and Sweet and Sour Red Fish

The chicken has rosemary, parsley and basil, all from our garden. The basil have been frozen but the rosemary and parsley were just picked.

Turkey and sweet potato casserole



Roasted herbed potatoes using rosemary that I also picked from our garden and crab omelette

Black eyed peas with baby greens salad in the formal dining room. I will share the whole tablescape with you on Thursday.

We had 3 teen-age guests and I set the table in the kitchen for them. I tried to promote the oldest to eat in the dining room but she was too shy and she went back to the kitchen to eat with the youngsters, lol.

Debjani and me by the dessert table. I served flan, macaroons, turtle and mint chocolates.
Well, I really did not make the mint and turtle chocolates either. They were gifts from the staff and patients I think, but I did bake the macaroons and flan.

You can see the dining room from here.

And the youngsters shared the tea table.

I used my Johnson Brothers' Friendly Village set for tea but nobody really wanted coffee so I did not even get to use my Lenox Winter Greetings set.


It must have been a full moon cause after all the other guests left, my 2 close friends lingered and we all got silly, lol. John went on the massager and fell asleep there.

I was exhausted and what better way to relax than putting my feet up on the recliner and do karaoke.
And we did not even wake John up!

It was a fun evening for sure. Today I am getting ready for another dinner party for tomorrow for 16 people.

Thanks to y'all for coming and thanks to our gracious hostesses. See you all again very soon!