It was a night for Texas in Annapolis when we hosted a Texas barbecue complete with Shiner Bock
Served in a wheelbarrow
And wine, too.
And flowers in big tin cans.
And to top it off we had Texas weather - 98 degrees in the shade and humid. Despite the weather, we had fun!
Friday night we had dinner with two other couples to celebrate one of the husband's recent return from Iraq. It was the perfect reason to get together and share food and fun.
I had intended to do the pasta with peppers and sausage recipe from the Silver Palate cookbook, but midway through the Ash Wednesday service, I realized that wouldn't work for a Friday in Lent - so we went to plan B. Plan B is actually one of my favorite menus, but we don't have it very often.
Plan B Menu:
I was once again reminded of how lucky we are to be surrounded by friends.
Fall is a busy season for us, as we often end up hosting dinners for students and staff alike. Tonight was another one of those events - this time for about 35 people. Because we did the "never fail menu ", and because we've done it so many times, it was actually pretty easy. I won't say it was effortless, because that would be a lie, but I will say that if you have to feed 35 people, this is a pretty easy way to do it. This time, I cheated and bought potato salad to go with the brisket, sausage, and baked beans. Who wants to peel and cook enough potatoes for two gallons of potato salad? Not me!
Because I farmed out the potato salad, I had more time to do things that I like to do - like go to Sam's and get these gladiolas. $3.74 for these! Isn't that great - high impact, low cost and no effort at all.
In the back ground you can see the wreath hanging on the mirror in the dining room. I found this wreath last year at Tuesday Morning and I love it - it's got pheasant feathers, faux pomegranates and magnolia leaves and the colors are so pretty. It will eventually go on the front door - but today it made a pit stop in the dining room. I'm just starting to pull out fall decor - and I'm a little stymied by the 90 degree temperatures. It almost seems presumptuous to put out fall things when summer so clearly wants to linger.
Our kids have gotten to be very good at participating and helping when we have these shindigs. They know, almost without our prodding, what needs to be done ahead of time. They know that backpacks, shoes and skateboards have to relinquish their spots in the foyer and on the front porch - if only temporarily. And they know to follow their noses and to slide in the front door just as the food hits the serving table. Carey is particularly good at set-up and keeps me on track when I get distracted by the "Project Runway" marathon. And she knows that we have to use all of the plates when we have a group this size - and that matching plates becomes a low priority item. 
When we have a group this size, we spill over onto the screened in porch.
White twinkling lights line the top of the screened panels and we add candles, and tablecloths to the assorted dining spaces. Galvanized tubs full of ice and soda and beer are available - and sometimes there are pitchers of lemonade too.
And finally, I've been meaning to show a picture of the daybed on the porch.
This was Carey's wrought iron daybed, and when we moved into this house we couldn't really use it in her room.
The porch became the ideal solution. The mattress is a very inexpensive IKEA purchase, enclosed in a zippered plastic mattress cover to protect it from the rain. And because we set this up immediately preceding a party, the red check fabric on the mattress is duct-taped on the bottom. I did this last August, and it still works, so I guess it was an effective solution. The mattress-ticking dust ruffle was cut from an old queen size bed skirt, and then hot-glued to the daybed frame. The bolster pillows were cheap IKEA pillows that I covered with that black check because I didn't have anymore of the red check. I eyeballed the pillows and threw the covers together with an envelope closure that never stays closed because the pillows are so long. I just put the envelope side down, and nobody ever cares - or even notices. The red/white pillows were another IKEA purchase. This is a great place for an afternoon nap - or to read the paper on a Sunday morning. Cheap and easy - and repurposed. That's decorating the way I like it!
Today's the day - we're midway through and needing a nap in order to refuel for the afternoon's festivities. We had the bridal brunch this morning, and it was a success!
John and I got up at 5:30 to start the preps, and Carey joined us at 6:30. As an aside, I couldn't have thrown this party without her help - she was a consumate party giver. Yesterday, with my friend Laura's help, I prepped the creme brulee french toast, and had it soaking in the fridge (all 32 egg yolks and gallon of heavy cream!) - and we cut and sauteed the vegetables in the vegetable frittata. I washed the fruit, cooked the sausage patties.
After the rehearsal dinner last night, John and Conner moved the two additional tables out of the basement and into the dining room and living room. We put tablecloths on them and started setting the tables last night. The flowers were done, so we placed those on the tables, and then collapsed from exhaustion.
Today with all of the prep work done, the main objective was getting the frittatas and the french toast baked. The frittatas went into the oven at 6:30 this morning and weren't done til 8, and the french toast went in around 8, and I was pulling it out of the oven as guests were arriving. It was delicious, and the french toast really was sinful. I balanced that out with a healthy serving of vegetable frittata and threw in a bonus of some berries. There was only time for one weak mimosa, but that's just as well. I might have fallen asleep on the table had there been time for more. Now I have time for a quick rest before changing for the afternoon wedding. Maybe more pix soon!
Here are the centerpieces for the rehearsal dinner. There are six tables and each table gets a centerpiece, 5 votive candles, placecards and more. I'll take pictures tomorrow night when they are all set up.
After much gnashing of teeth in trying to find sunflowers locally only to be told that I didn't have enough time for the local florists to order them, I went to the 'net for help. I surfed until I found wholesale florists who don't require a business license in order to purchase from them. I ended up here, and was thrilled to find the sunflowers I wanted, at a reasonable price, able to be delivered when I needed them! The stems are long, and the bright happy sunflower faces make such a strong impact. I ordered 75 stems and split them among 6 tall vases. Each one has a single curly willow stem for interest. Corralled on my dining room table, they look great - and they are brightening up a gray day!
The wedding weekend is upon us. This weekend, the first mid that we sponsored when we lived here 8 years ago is getting married! We are so happy for both of them, and the start of their exciting Navy life. The pictures above show some of the preparations for the rehearsal dinner. The blue and gold color scheme represents both USNA and the groom's F-18 squadron. The groom's mother ordered the chocolate fighter jets from here, and they are adorable! They came pre-packaged in the cellophane bags, and we added the striped ribbon for fun. 75 long-stemmed sunflowers arrived today and will form the centerpiece for each table. We'll add some gold wired stars and gold confetti stars for fun, and the chocolate airplanes and maybe a few other surprises. More pictures to come as events progress!
Last week we hosted another gathering - this time for 25 college students. It's always a challenge cooking for this many - because I'm never sure how much is enough. Friends have told me - and I think they're right - that you just cook until you're done - - because they'll eat until it's gone. For the most part, I think that is true. Because it was a particularly cold night, I cooked up a vat of The Silver Palate's Pasta with Sausage and Peppers. It really was a vat - in fact because I multiplied the recipe by six, I had to cook it in several different batches. That particular recipe is one of my favorites for a crowd because it's hearty and spicy and with salad and bread, provides an ample dinner. I learned a few things this time - one is that multiplying the recipe by six may be just a little too large. Two - I used turkey sausage - half spicy and half sweet. While I am typically very happy using turkey sausage, this dish really needs the body and richness of a more traditional Italian sausage. Third, cooking the sauce on the stove makes for a better consistency than using the crock pot. Finally - when you are cooking pasta in such large quantities, it's better to boil it all ahead of time and dress it in olive oil and keep it warm. My stove is so slow to boil that I was in arrears on the pasta all night. I used the lobster pot to boil the rigatoni because I was cooking 9 pounds of pasta! Even when breaking the amount down to to 3 to 4 pounds per cooking session, it took forever for the water to boil and I had hungry bodies swarming waiting for the next batch. Oh well - lesson learned.
Several other funny things added some spice to the evening. My 9 year old decided to hide in the under-the-sink cabinet in the downstairs bathroom - jumping out at our guests when he heard the door close. It's funnier now than it was last Thursday, but it's a mixture of amusement and horror.
I spent about 10 minutes visiting with a young man that I'd not met before - and we chitchatted about general things: football and the super bowl, food, weather, etc, when he asked me where I was from. I replied that I was from Texas.
"Oh", he said. "That surprises me".
"Really?" I asked. "I guess that's because I don't have much of an accent anymore. I haven't lived in Texas since 1989."
"Oh it's not that", he said. "It's just that usually when I meet someone from Texas, they tell me where they're from in the first sentence".
Clearly I am slipping.
Oh - the centerpiece on the cheap: While at the supermarket buying the last minute things that you need for the party, buy three bunches of supermarket flowers (red Gerbera daisies, yellow Gerbera daisies, and yellow button mums) and a block of floral foam. Soak the floral foam in warm water while cutting the stems to the appropriate height, and trimming the leaves off of the mums. Stuff the floral foam into the can left over from your pasta sauce (I had 6 of these!), and let the can trim off the extra foam when you stuff it in. Start assembling the flowers in a simple bouquet shape - alternating the yellow and red daisies, and then filling in with the mums. When I finished that step, I had too much floral foam showing, so I took my kitchen shears to the front yard and trimmed some of those green branches off of one of my shrubs. No I don't know what it is - it was just one of the few green things in my yard. I stuffed the green branches in and viola! Done. Now this was assembled last Thursday, and it's still looking pretty good. I have added water once, but that's it. Total cost was less than $12.
We are due to have another dinner for 20 plus tonight, and I thought I'd share my secret weapon - neverknowntofail menu and the means to accomplish it.
First the menu:
Now - run, don't walk to your nearest hardware superstore and get yourself an electric smoker. This one cost us about $69 dollars 6 or 7 years ago, and has paid for itself many times over. Then either find a friend in Texas who can send you this brisket rub seasoning mix or go here and order some for yourself. I haven't ever found a spice rub as good as this one, and it's worth the shipping costs to have it sent to you. Their steak rub and fajita rubs are excellent too. There's magic in these two items - the rub gives the brisket the flavor that you get when you find one of those small authentic barbecue shacks where the proprieter and the inside of the restaurant are equally smoky - where everything is served on sheets of waxed paper or red plastic baskets lined with waxy tissue and where the last items tossed into the order are two slices of white bread and a dill pickle spear. The smoker gives you the ability to replicate the hours in a smoke house that produces the can't-cut-it-because-it's falling-apart texture. And - it's so easy!
The night before the dinner, pull out your briskets (we're using three big briskets tonight because we're feeding midshipmen and they're bottomless),and rub them with generous amounts of the seasoning. Your hands should be bright orange when you're done with this step. If they aren't, go back and put some more seasoning on. Cover the brisket with plastic wrap and place back in the fridge overnight. The morning of your party, bring your briskets to room temp and prepare the smoker according to the directions that came with your smoker. That's an easy process that basically involves spraying oil spray on the racks that fit inside the smoker, lining the water bowl with foil, then filling it with hot water and hardwood smoked chunks that have been soaking in water. We bought a bag of hardwood hickery chunks - again at the hardware store - several years ago, and are just now at the point of needing to buy more. Since you use only a small quantity each time you smoke, the bag of chunks lasts a long time. Plug your smoker in to a convenient outlet outside, and set the temp to medium-high temp. Place the briskets on the racks, close the lid and go do your thing. That's it! We typically allow 8 hours for a full smoker. We'll take them off between 4 and 4:30, and then throw the sausage links in for a hour or so. When they start to plump up, we pull them off, turn off the smoker and go enjoy the party.
I make a simple baked beans recipe, and I buy the pre-shredded cole slaw mix to further simplify things. I have hamburger buns and pickles in the event that people want to make a barbecue sandwich, and a barbecue sauce to go with it. The best and most authentic sauce around is this one. Sometimes you can find it in bigger supermarkets or specialty shops, but if you can't, by all means, place an order. I have a great triple chocolate brownie mix that I get in industrial size packaging at Sam's Club, and several caramel, chocolate, and butterscotch sauces to add to the brownies a la mode. I even pre-scoop the ice cream and put the scoops into muffin pans in the freezer, so that when it's time for dessert, I am ready.
This menu allows you to do everything before the party, so that you're not frantically cooking as guests arrive. You can be ready with a cold longneck in hand and some Lyle Lovett or Guy Clark playing in the background. I promise that your guests will love this dinner - and in the unlikely event that everything isn't gone by the time the party's over - this menu is great as leftovers!
