So, I think it was a slightly smaller party than last year. On the one hand, I got a lot of regrets from friends who almost always come. On the other hand, a few people who I’ve invited for years, who’ve never been able to make it, showed up for the first time.
I was determined to not have anything left to do Saturday except cookie platters, and that pretty much happened. I was feeling super organized and I had lots of help, and maybe I did an easier menu? I tried not to do anything too fiddly – no spanakopita, although I did make about a dozen shells for individual leek tarts with the extra pie pastry after I lined my two long narrow tart tins. And I wasn’t planning deviled eggs but ended up doing them, some with beet-pickled eggs – see below.
Amie and Susan both came over for set up, and John and Megan arrived in time for Megan to do the veggie platters and John to slice the salami. And since, at John’s insistence, they were planning to go back super early the next morning to get back to Chicago to watch the Packer game at some Packer bar they like (“gotta be there by 10:00 to get seats, mom”), they didn’t go out after the party, and were both there to clean up, too, which was extra great since they both know where everything goes, since they’ve both lived in my house.
I had this vision of doing cheese boards, all mixed up like this:
2019 NYE in Seattle cheese board: Fennel salami, baguette slices, Jarlsberg, marinated feta & olives, chipotle cheese (from WI), Kirkland sharp white cheddar, honey crisp apple slices, dates & apricots, butterfly-shaped butter crackers and dried cranberry & nut crisps, goat cheese
But of course when it came down to it, we ended up putting the cheese on the boards and all the condiments on the side in little dishes: the pickled beets; leftover fig cookie filling masquerading as fig jam, delicious with blue cheese; purchased peppadews; home made marinated mushrooms; olives; salted almonds; leek confit. I forgot to put out the liver sausage from Waisman’s last pig, and the sundried tomatoes, and the peanuts, and the green & red M&Ms. Oh well.
There was goat cheese in pepperonata; ham (a little boneless half ham from Costco) and Jarlsberg; cranberry cocktail meatballs – cranberry sauce leftover from Thanksgiving; warm buffalo turkey dip, meat from our 20-lb. Blue Valley Gardens bird; muhamara – roasted red pepper dip; squash hummus that was a bit spicey; chips & caramelized onion dip; because I did not make peanut dip, I made red bean dip (a Nigella, with lime juice and zest and cinnamon) with corn salsa that I made last summer and froze, so there’d be vegan choices; beer steamed shrimp. And pigs in blankets – I tried making them as a pull-apart in a springform pan, and I think I filled the pan a bit too full – they were doughy in the middle. I saw recipes where they said to bake them with a glass or a jar in the middle, giving you a space for the ketchup, which would also help ensure they’re not doughy. I guess I’ll try that next time. And NOT over-stuff the pan.
We got up early on Saturday morning and drove Rach to the airport, and then went to the indoor farmers market and bought cider and a wreath.
I came back home and cut up veggies – I found this guy to help me.
Mr. Carrot, who seems to have left his top hat and cane at the bar last night
I hard boiled about 40 eggs on Friday and pickled some in beet juice and made some into BBQ eggs – but I still had 9 left. I was thinking about making egg salad, Danish style with sweet pickle and dill and shallots, and serve it with buttered slices of cocktail rye bread – that I would’ve had to go buy. And with 9 eggs, it’d be a lot of egg salad, which would not be a particularly easy to use up leftover. So, I decided to to devil the eggs, and made some of them from the pickled beet eggs, because I knew they’d get eaten. And they did. And all I’ve got left now is one whole pickled beet egg, that I’m happy to eat for lunch, and about 4 of the BBQ eggs, and a little bit of deviled egg filling, which has already been shown to make a dandy egg sandwich, because I ate one on Sunday. Spread the deviled egg filling on hot whole wheat toast, lay a BBQ egg half in there, fold, and wah lah, egg sandwich.
Here’re the platters:
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We went to Chicago last night to see Wilco, with Robyn Hitchcock – more about that Real Soon Now™. Here’s the setlist – I made one myself but I’m really bad on the Wilco titles. Robyn did:
