Sunday, February 12, 2012

Valentine Dinner Party is Over


I have to say  I enjoyed most of the preparations, but it was a lot of work   DH was a big help today. Without him I would never have gotten everything done on time.

Just look at this mess from this morning:
and it's only for the dessert!  I even did some of the dessert prep last night and I still had all of these dishes this morning.
I used Karo syrup to rim the martini-turned-desert-serving glasses
and then rolled the rim in red and white sugar.
The syrup and sugar hardened and gave a fun sweet crunch to the dessert. We were all eating it off the rim!
Just before everyone arrived, I snapped a few pictures. It's a good thing I did because I never even thought of the camera after that.

Here are some shrimp cocktail filled shells that I made for an appetizer. There are only two left, so I guess they went over well.

I also made these cheesy biscuits topped with garlic butter and chives:

That's about it for food pics. Unfortunately I never thought to take a picture of the main items:

Chicken Stuffed with ham and Muenster cheese
or
Chicken Florentine
Hearts of Romaine & Strawberry Salad
Oven roasted maple-glazed carrots
Hasselback Potatoes

Everyone but DH chose the Chicken Florentine.  I made two choices so I could have lots of leftovers to freeze for a later meal.

At least I did get some pics of  that mixed berry mousse dessert that nearly did me in.
Everyone raved over it. I thought it was good, but I don't think I want to do that much work again just for dessert.

Here is the centerpiece(s) I decided to use.  I had a problem keeping the diamond floating candles lit. 
They only burned a few minutes and then went out. 

My quick napkin ring--just a piece of  knotted wired ribbon with a heart tied to it.

Look how the dessert matches the table. I could not have done better if I planned it that way....Oh, yeah, I did plan it! :)

And here's the full table with the red glasses.



I am now done entertaining for a while. 

I have already striped the table down and everything has been cleaned up and put away.

Next weekend I am just going to take it easy.

9 comments:

  1. Zoey- That dessert may have been a lot of work but it was certainly worth it. It looks beautiful and I'm sure it tasted even better! It is fun to plan a dinner party and carry it off and then relax, isn't it? I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's week- xo Diana

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  2. Another successful dinner party for you - hooray! Everything looked wonderful. Now you get to relax and enjoy those wonderful leftovers!

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  3. YUMO!!!

    And I bet you will have green on the table by week's end!

    Glad you had a great turn out. None of my sister in laws have fancy dinner parties for us. :(

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  4. Zoey, the dessert looks delicious. But if I have to dirty that many pans for one dessert, I guess I won't be making it.
    I hope you have a relaxing week and a Happy Valentine's Day!

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  5. Wow, you really put on a spread. Gorgeous dessert too. Now, if there was only a maid to clean up after, huh?
    :)

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  6. Everything looked so lovely. The food shown here looks wonderful. I can't even imagine doing that much work. You really go above what is expected.

    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  7. Get out the green for St. Paddy's Day! : )
    I'm glad you had a nice dinner party. Your appetizers and desserts did look yummy. I made biscuits like that last night-$1 mix and I added dill on top.

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  8. That's impressive Zoey! I can see you would be tuckered out..now you kick back and relax!

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  9. SEE, I told you it would all turn out perfectly! lol Everything looked beautiful and that dessert, WOW!! I know a lot of work went into making it but it's all worth it when you watch your guests enjoying it fully:-) I'm loving your centerpiece pieces as well, such a fun idea. I had floating candles like that on New Year's Eve, the darn things wouldn't stay lit!! No doubt you're now looking forward to having a relaxing weekend:-) xoxo

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