The appetizer table is there on the right. There are stuffed celeries, marinated mushrooms, several cheeses and crackers, and some lemony-dill cucumber slices.
On the left, there are small glasses of various liqueurs (Pomegranate, Razzleberry, and Triple Sec), a pitcher of Bloody (well, V8) Marys, a pitcher of old-fashions, and bottled water (note the lime and lemon twists in the bowl there). There is also green tea on the warmer and I have plenty steeping in the kitchen. Choose a glass that suits your fancy. It is seldom I get to put out all those odd glasses, so feel free to experiment. Have some tea in a martini glass or liqueur in a teacup. It's a relaxed event.
Dinner will start in about 30 minutes, so feel free to mingle, talk, toss cat treats or toys, etc. It's OK to wander through the kitchen too. I already have the herbed saffron rice and sauce and salad prepared, so I only have to saute the shrimp and asparagus. I can even talk while doing that.
Please let me know if the music is too quiet. I didn't want it to be too loud for talk or too quiet to enjoy.
Dear friends, dinner is SERVED... Now, who would like some wine? And with THIS dish, it can be anything. I have zinfandel and riesling, and Megan has brought an Australian wine!
For dessert, we have an assortment of Lindor chocolates and some Van Otis Swiss Fudge. Plus Tina has brought a smoked Salmon Cheesecake!
18 comments:
Oh this is wonderful!! I can leave the kitties at home and have a wonderful time of meeting a lot of my friends who blog, too!! Thanks Mark! This is going to be a great evening!!
Your TX friend,
Chandra
I forgot! I'll send you an email with the instructions for the Carnival Of The Cats! Tomorrow after the party ends!!
Chandra
OH what a wonderful and grand TIME! I for one especially needed the fgrown up party without Katie. I have only just begun to taste some freedom again.
The drinks are heavenly and Zinfandel would be wonderful, thank you. Everything looks so inviting! I think I will sample a little of it all.
The music is just right. Softly in the background and I love meeting all the other Beins.
Thank you for the invitation. I think I will sit over there and visit a bit.
I will happily join the party, with appreciation! I'll even volunteer for the clean-up crew, since I'm almost rather stick pins in my eyes that do any food prep or cooking. :-)
Mark - thank you so much for inviting us. You've gone to so much trouble! You shouldn't have. In addition to the wines, I've also brought some Australian beers - not to drink this evening, but for you to try on quiet afternoons on the deck after working in the garden. And, of course, I couldn't have travelled all this way and not brought a selection of (made in Australia) Tim Tams and a jar of Vegemite. To be fair, Vegemite seems to be one of those things that you have to have got used to as a child if you're ever going to love it later in life. Have a taste and if it simply doesn't appeal, the mews might like it - seriously! Just put a little bit on your finger and see if they will lick it off.
Anyway, it's lovely to be here and to meet you and the mews and the other beans.
Megan
Sydney, Australia
Hello everyone! Megan, I am so glad to meet you...I've seen your messages over at Millie's for years! You have a delightful accent! I found your house with no trouble, Mark. Just followed my nose!
Oh what a small slice of paradise you have here...the soft music, relaxing atmosphere, enticing smells from the kitchen, mouthwatering selection of nibblies, kitties sprinkled here and there! Best of all, nothing expected of me except my presence. No demands.
Do you mind if I head out to the deck to see the backyard before dinner? You spring flowers are lovely! By the way, your assortment of beverages is mind-boggling...I may have to have a thimbleful of each and try them all!
Oh! Hello Marley! You are even more handsome than your pictures! What's that? Why of course I'll toss some mousies for you honey!
Mark, this is absolutely wonderful! And what a great host you are!
Oops, That's me above....Lynne.
Oh, yum!!
So what's the occasion? I wonder if I should have brought a present instead of Spitty, who insisted on coming to keep others away from Iza's Tummy where he plans to reside for the next elebenty hours or so.
Mmmm, shrimps! Delishus! And those cocktails, too! Cheers ;-)
Mmmmm...dinner was delicious! Thank you so much for inviting all of us! And now...I'd like to rub that tummy of Iza's!
Island Cats' mom
Sorry I'm late - I had to finish up things at the salt mine. How nice to be able to have a little glass of wine and not have to worry about driving home :-)
Would you mind if I moved the Smoked Salmon Cheesecake to the appetizer table - it's savory rather than sweet...It will be really good with the cheese and crackers.
It's so nice to meet everyone - I'm looking forward to a fun evening (& I brought some organic catmint for the Mews) T.
Oh, of course the Smoked Salmon Cheesecake is on the appetizer table. WHAT was I thinking? ~ Mark
Thanks for the delicious food and the wonderful company of Blogging Friends!! The drinks are A+, too!!
I just love Azla, Iza & Marley!! They are very well behaved and are just too cute for words!!
Chandra
We had no idea Mark was such a good cook! We'll have to pop on over a little more often. Thanks for the great party and food!
Shaggy and Scout: Nice to meet you. However, let me explain something to you. Australians are the only people in the world who speak accent-less English. It's true. Just ask any Australian.
My grandson lives in Vancouver, and we are having to put in a mighty effort to help him grow up with accent-free English. His father has lived in Canada for so long now that he's struggling not to pick up a bit of an accent, and our poor grandson has no one else to help him. It's hard work, but we're confident that it's worth it and that he will thank us when he's older.
I don't know how old you are, but I guess it's never too late to learn, and there are so many resources available now on the internet that you might be able to learn to speak like an Australian if you apply yourself.
Good luck.
Megan
Sydney, Australia
PS. And yes, I'm a big Millie fan.
Oh my goodness, what a lovely party! I'm going to have a blue drink, whatever it is, and maybe later, I'll try a red one!
I'm more than happy to meet everyone and converse, as long as I can play with the kitties at the same time. Tummy rubs and treats for all three of them!
What a great party, thank you, Mark, for inviting me!...It is lovely to hang out with other cat bloggers...I know you are spending lots of time working on your beautiful garden and wish you the best of luck with everything...Always love seeing Iza's adorable tummy shots!...Hugs to you!...your friend, J
Hi Megan........
I did not know that about your accent, or lack thereof, I should say! Interesting!
I am 53 years old and originally from Grand Forks, North Dakota which just over the border from Winnipeg. I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota now, which has a similar upper Midwest sound. Have you ever seen the movie "Fargo?" I have a Fargo accent, totally unique to the area. Seriously, people in Arizona know where I'm from just by hearing me talk! Fargo North Dakota is about an hour south of Grand Forks...both share that very unique way of talking!! Having a little of the Canadian mixed in from growing up so far north, I have been known to say "eh" here & there too.
Nice chatting, and see you around the cat blogs! Lynne
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