Labor Day Lull

This is the 'short week' after the Labor Day weekend, soo....... not much going on in or out of my kitchen this week.  Joe and I are still nibbling on the delish leftovers from "Dinner Julia Style".... which continues to get better with each bite.  All but the cake that is...... no cake..... cake all gone!  Time to make another!

We had a family gathering on Sunday, which is always potluck, so I took the Queen of Sheba cake.... it was a big hit!  Of course it was!!!!  How could it not be a hit?!?  : )  Monday Joe and I went to an intimate gathering with 4 other couples, and I was assigned to bring an appetizer.  Was a bit bummed that out of all the dishes assigned, I got "appetizer"..... I just felt it was not very challenging.... but...... by gum I took a good one and had very little left to bring home.  I decided to make an elaborate cheese tray knowing that wine and cocktails would be served during appetizers.  I had five gourmet cheeses, grapes, strawberries, pecans, walnuts, peanuts and almonds on the tray and I had a separate tray filled with toastettes.  I had small porcelain name tags in each cheese with the name of the cheese written on the tag.  I piled the grapes in the center of this huge platter with strawberries on top, around the fruit I had arranged piles of the sliced cheeses, in between each cheese I had a pile of nuts.... almonds in one pile, pecans in another.... etc.  It was absolutely beautiful.  And the toastettes...... are always such a hit.  The cheeses I used were (5 spice, Manchego, 5 yr aged Gouda, White Cheddar, Edlewiss Swiss......the same cheeses I used for the Julia dinner on Sat. night).  I had the platter all arranged and ready to go and while I thought it was pretty.... it needed a pop of color, so that is when I put the strawberries around on top of the grapes.  PERFECT!!!!  It was the perfect appetizer for cocktail hour.

As I was going into the kitchen to prepare the appetizer dish, Joe asks me what I was making/taking.  I replied... "a cheese tray"...... he then says..... "A CHEESE TRAY????  Just a cheese tray????" ....... to which I replied.... "yes dear.... just a cheese tray..... but wait until you see my cheese tray, you will see"..... he honestly was quite vexed and perplexed that I being a chef would take a measley cheese tray to a party where his co-workers would be in attendance!  HOW EMBARRASSING!!!!!  LOL LOL  But after I made the toastettes and he saw the cheese tray, he was actually quite proud!  When will he learn to just trust me!!!  I DO know what I am doing and I have been professionally trained!!!!  I find it quite amusing that after 31 years of marriage and good cooking the whole time, he would dare to question my choices, and that he thinks I need 'direction' in presenting a good pot luck dish!  If I had been asked to bring 'any' dish to pass.... I would have presented a more labor intensive dish, however...... an appetizer is a hard thing to do when it isn't at your own home and you can't really heat or cook it before serving (which most appetizers tend to need to be served hot) and we had to travel with the dish which is why I thought the cheese tray was the absolutely perfect choice..... and it was!  LOL  I love it when I am right...... again!  LOL LOL LOL

My husband is a GREAT boss..... just not my boss..... especially in the kitchen!  LOL LOL  Although he would say he isn't being bossy, just offering helpful suggestions!  No matter how well planned and organized I am when it comes to preparing food for guests.... he always has 'input' and questions about what I'm doing.... I pretend to listen and uh hummm him out of the kitchen and then proceed to do it my way!  LOL LOL LOL  Anyone with me on this one.... about the pretending to listen and uh humming them out of your way???  Not that he doesn't have good ideas, food is his business so he does know a lot about food, but..... when I have a game plan in my head..... I can clearly see the end results and don't feel I need direction.  His famous all time quote is..... 'you are making too much food...... we don't need to have so much food'....... and yes, we do usually have too much food, but.... we always have plenty which is my goal!  Never want to run out!  I'm not man/husband bashing here.... Joe is a very dear man, his wisdom and ideas are priceless and we do merge ideas often, but when I have a vision, I pretty much stick to it.

So this is the Labor Day Lull week.  Joe has had late meetings and biz dinners, I have bunco tonight (his only night home all week) and neither of us have been home together all week.... the only time we have seen each other is, as we are climbing into bed...... or I should say..... as I'm climbing into bed and I see him already asleep and in full snore mode!  Tomorrow he heads to Indianapolis for a boys weekend racing, I'm heading to Columbus with middle daughter Jessica for a girls weekend with our friend Tara and for our other friend's wedding

I haven't been watching, cooking or studying Julia this week either, but I have been studying my french for our trip.  Joe and I decided we should learn french before the trip, so we are using the Rosetta Stone DVD's to learn it.  We won't be able to speak it fluently, but this will be the first time we have attempted to learn a foreign language before a trip.  I can already read it quite well.... so no matter how far we get with our french lessons before the trip, whatever we learn will surely be a help in communicating or even just menu reading.

Au Voir