Long Table Christmas Dinner

You might have read about the plans for my "Long Table Christmas Dinner" (mum's only).

What a night: champagne, cheese plates, groaning antipasto platters, white wine, dips, chicken and asparagus terrine, quiche, red wine, stuffed eggs, champagne, chicken and potatoes baked in wine and herbs, leafy salads, white wine, yummy spinach and feta pie with smokey tomato chutney, red wine, extra creamy potato bake, more wine, triple chocolate and sour cherry brownies, ice-cream cake, caramel tart and to-die-for coffee cheesecake.

It was so much fun!

Sorry there are no pictures at night, I have dropped my camera one too many times and the night time photos have been the first to suffer. But picture if you will: a 'twinkle light fairyland'. The back yard was lit only by fairy lights, twists of rope lights and lots of candles, the candles were spilling through into the house and dimly lit kitchen on the table, on coffee table and side tables and on the sideboard. Music and laughter filled the perfect summers evening.

I think I might have started something here.

I hope so:)

Looking after you

It seems that I have set my own rhythm for the reverb'12 challenge. I wholeheartedly intend to respond to all of the 31 questions, however it will be at a slower pace, I suspect, I'll be taking these musings into the new year.

It is simply not possible for me to be here everyday. This coming week is the children's last week at school and I will be at school everyday too. There is a 'wet play day', a carols concert, a Christmas craft day, and separate break-up parties for both Spunky Monkey and Miss Moo Moo. There is 'bring a plate' cooking to be done for each.

With that said, it is appropriate, I think, to be answering the following question today.

Reverb'12 Question 4: How are you going to celebrate your self this festive season? 

I would love to tell you that I'm taking off for a week of solitude. Somewhere fabulous, somewhere cold. Somewhere with impeccable food, a roaring log fireplace and a great book. Somewhere where I could snuggle deep under a fluffy doona and role over and go back to sleep in the morning. Somewhere where I could pad around in Swedish woollen socks on aged floorboards. Somewhere that I could sit in an over sized chair and look out of the window with a cup of french hot chocolate.

But that's not what's happening, it's not even possible. So I have gone to Plan B, which perhaps is a better idea all together.

I am entertaining!

No, I am not talking about the Christmas lunch that I am preparing for my family or the New Year's Eve barbecue that I am having with my cousins and their children. I'm talking about real entertaining - with friends! This Christmas, I have completely stepped out of my comfort zone and invited twenty mum's from school to a "Long Table Christmas Dinner" (mum's only) To be honest, I'm a little out of practise. The couple times that I have done this in the last eight years, were not that successful, I forgot things and having small children underfoot was very disruptive. Entertaining is who I am, it is time that I return to it. I am excited.

You can read a little bit more about my love affair with food here.

What about you, what are you doing, just for you, this festive season?

Maybe you are throwing a Christmas party too?

The image above is from this website, take a peek, if you are into beautiful wedding photography, you won't be disappointed.