It's that time of the year again. If you were to walk into my house, you'd hear the whirring of the Kitchen Aid, the hum of the hand mixer, and the whizzing of the food processor. You'd smell cloves, vanilla, almond, and simmering fruit. You'd see an apron wrapped somewhat crazed woman stirring 3 pots and juggling spatulas. You'd feel the warmth of the oven and the air thick with excitement.
And last, but not least, our favorite of the five senses.... TASTE.
If you were at my house, this is what you'd taste:
A cornucopia of cupcakes - candied ginger, cinnamon, and peanut butter. Topped with buttercream and chocolate ganache. Displaying them in a grid fashion made them even tastier.
How about fruit on a stick? Shaped like flowers?! Add in hand dipped butterscotch apples with chocolate drizzle.
You're drooling, and that's OK.
These light and airy meringues will melt on your tongue. Cocoa sprinkled or chocolate drizzled? The choice is yours!
Your head spins with such delightful choices.
Now for the fruits and nuts. Mini flakey almond tarts and rich and fruity spiced pies. TOPPED WITH PASTRY STARS!
Tell me to stop. Say it now. SAY IT!!
Ready for something savory?
How about a zippy olive tapenade in hollowed cherry tomatoes? Chase that with a creamy stuffed potato. It's a joyful mouthful.
Now to balance out our food groups... let's head over to the proteins.
Oh, Mr. Deviled Egg - always the party pleaser. Especially when paired with herbs, lox, and roasted red pepper. A culinary AND visual delight. And cheese in pastry?? It's like love wrapped in joy. The only thing that could make it better would be bacon.
Did someone say BACON?
How about some jalapenos stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon? Those flew off the table faster than most Americans can eat up Glenn Becks cheese stuffed BS. And I think he's wrapped in bacon, too.
For those with non-spicy tendencies, we have a bacon and porcini mushroom dip. Yes, porcini's. They're earthy and they're spectacular.
Second only to the expensive and fussy porcini, is the cremini mushroom. These little mouthfuls are a delicious blend of herbed bread crumbs and cream cheese.
You can never have too much cream cheese. Cream good. Cheese good.
No buffet is complete without the cheeseball. Or the ornament shaped cheese knives. Cute explosion!
My friends from the sea are represented here in crunchy AND spicy corn cups.
And my poultry friends are represented here:
...atop little parmesan magic carpets. Stop and rub your magic lamp now.
Veggie's in stick form? Yes, it's magic. For I have taken the juice of the vegetable and herb and infused it into bread. I shall speak of it no more.
For those scared of the dark arts, I present to you vegetables in their pure form:
And some luscious December strawberries coated in cacao.
This is my labor of love. Taking food and making it beautiful and bite-size. There is something about it that makes me happy. Maybe it's because I get to share it with my friends?!
Just a few of my biggest fans. In all honesty, nothing tastes good unless you have people like this to share it with.
Even in the DARK.
Even in the SNOW.
(Witness earlier in the day:)
With friends coming from all over the DC region, the snow put a slight dent in things. But for those who braved it... THANK YOU.
Another lesson learned: You can never have too many candles. Because if the power goes out (due to heavy snow) you'll need them! But you'll probably miss out on a lot of pictures. Boo.
Having lighted ice cubes was also helpful for some. These adorned various cocktails, namely the Gingerbread Martini, Hot Apple Cider, Buttered Rum, and the Christmas Cosmo. But I speak no more of this.
It was a great evening. A fabulous evening! I got to meet people from K's office... he got to meet friends I've made in the neighborhood. The kids got to have some of their friends stay over - with the power outage only adding to the excitement. And let me not forget to add the chirping smoke alarms that woke up babies. I tell ya, we can throw a party!!
Oh, and here comes the best part.... the next morning my friends were up, awake, and cleaning up the kitchen! Coffee was brewed and carols were being hummed. Well... maybe it was more like Guitar Hero...
... but nevertheless, it was perfect.
I love food.
I love hosting.
I love people.
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