12/29/18
Last night we braved our FIFTH attempt at a seven course meal, our third in our own apartment. We invited Brandon’s parents and sister, Megan, and had a lovely evening complete with holiday trivia and of course, 7 courses of winter themed food!
The set up: We used our Christmas napkins, complete with “The Night Before Christmas” napkin rings. The sign over the window on the wall normally reads “gather” but has been switched for the holiday themed “merry.” And the letter board on the hutch is a list of each course, because sometimes you get a little lost in the middle of that many!
Course 1: Appetizers. We had a corn and bean dip (made in the oven in my new Rae Dunn dish) with tortilla chips, and grinch kabobs, a longtime holiday favorite in my house!
Course 2: Salad. We made a spinach salad with strawberries, cucumbers, almonds, and craisins served on our new Spode dishes!
Course 3: Soup. We made a hearty vegetable soup which simmered on the stove for hours beforehand, giving it an extra spicy kick! Also served in our new Spode bowls.
Course 4: Seafood. We made a creamy shrimp pasta, again served on our Spode dishes!
Course 5: Sorbet. A palate cleanser between the two meat courses, our tradition is to serve the sorbet in a hollowed out fruit. This time we chose a cranberry sorbet served inside a lemon. We switched from our Spode dishes to the China passed down to me before the wedding.
Course 6: Meat. We were really adventurous and chose duck as our meat! I’ve never had it before, but Brandon always goes for the most outlandish thing on the menu, and wanted to try it, and it turned out pretty well! We served it on our china plates with an orange sauce and paired it with asparagus roasted in the oven.
Course 7: Dessert. I made a gingerbread cake with lemon sauce, and it was so light and delicious! I will admit its not the most beautiful of all the desserts I’ve ever made, but it did tie together our meal wonderfully.
