Iron Chef Grill Off

We were invited to a unique party this weekend - an Iron Chef Grill Off.

Our friends, C&T, have hosted this party in the past and it has become a successful annual event. It was the first year we have been invited. C even asked me if I would be a judge. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I said I would be willing to give it a try.

We showed up Saturday evening to their place. They have a magnificent home with a kick butt backyard. They have a screened in porch that leads out to a small deck. That small deck has stairs down to a large deck with a full bar, detached from the house but loaded up with outdoor speakers, a TV, lights, and, of course, all the liquor you can imagine . Further steps lead out to a nice yard. By the time we arrived, the chefs were working hard.

There were 4 chefs creating unique dishes using one key ingredient - strip steak. They could do whatever they wanted as log as it was grilled. There were four grills going, and sous chefs helping out as needed. The dished would be judged on presentation, creativity, taste, and dessert. I really thought there would be just one dish and a dessert, but I was oh so wrong.

The first chef handed us full menus for our meal. We were offered wine, then given a deviled egg appetizer. It was followed by sweet and spicy shrimp with stuffed mushrooms and grilled pineapple. There was a salad with a strawberry vinaigrette. The main course was kebabs (using the steak) with green beans ans potatoes. All of this followed a dessert of ice cream with caramel and bananas. It was tough to just eat one bite and pass it along to the non-judges, but there was still more food to come!

The second chef, thankfully, had less food. He made his strip steak inside phyllo dough and covered it with a mushroom sauce. There were sides as well, and a dessert of grilled peaches with ice cream. I really liked the phyllo dough, but it was not a hit with all of the judges.

The third chef prepared the whole meal by himself. He presented a tropical mixed grill featuring steak, shrimp, sausage, corn, grilled sweet potatoes and a fruit salsa. It was all really good. His dessert was peaches with a heavy cream and a blueberry reduction.

The final chef presented us with a limoncello cocktail before giving us a steak sandwich with crusty bread and a Gorgonzola cheese spread. It was accompanied with a pasta salad and dessert of a sweet biscuit covered with ice cream and peaches.

Everything was delicious. I was so glad that I tried a bite of everything, but I think there was more than enough food for everyone.

After careful deliberation, we came down to a tie between chef #3 and chef#4. In the end, the tropical grill won out, and chef 3 became a two time winner. I had a wonderful time, and mot even getting the finger from chef #1 dampened my evening.

I sure hope we are invited again next year, even though C told us that we could not be judged two years in a row.

At Work, On Sunday

I am sitting at my desk at work. Not such a strange thing to be doing at 2:58pm, but it is strange when the day is Sunday. I have been called in to support our annual audit which started today. So far, it has been pretty stress free, except for the part about working on Sunday. Luckily, I have about one hour left, then I am free. Tonight is the year end party for our Galloway running program. I am very excited. I think it will be a fun night and I always like a chance to get a little dressed up.

I guess the day has not been a total loss. I have finished 4 magazines from the stack beside by bed. Back to number 5!

For all the stress, it was worth it

Last night, Bill and I had our 3rd annual holiday party. Earlier in the week, I wanted to cancel the whole darn thing.

We had the floors redone on Wednesday, then had to reassemble the rooms. After that, everything needed to be cleaned and decorated for Christmas. There was food (and beer) to be purchased, then recipes to be cooked. It is a lot of work getting ready for company.

Then, the day arrived. The house looked great, there was a lot of beer chilled, and the breakfast table was covered with food. Our good friends, both old and new, stopped by to join in holiday cheer. Whether it was for a few minutes or hours, it was so nice to have friends in our home to share the season. I think everyone had a nice time. I know I did. It was worth it to be with our good friends for the holidays.

Slumber Parties - Not Just for Kids

This past Saturday night, I did something I have not done for a very long time. I went to a slumber party.

My dear friend Michelle is getting married in June. She decided that for her bachelorette party, she wanted to have a slumber party at her house. We all went over at about 7 pm to get the party started. After an early round of margaritas followed by mojitos, we had a dinner of salad and pizza. We talked about everything from what we would wear to Michelle's wedding to bikini waxing. It was great to just hang out with the women and talk about all the things we never say in front of guys.

After our meal, we played Cranium. Michelle and her partner, Laura, dominated the game. It was good for her to win as she was the woman of the hour. Those of us who decided to stay over then changed into our pajamas (brand new jammies for Michelle and me) and did face masks while watching the classic romantic chick flick - Casablanca. We soon all fell asleep on Michelle's floor in our sleeping bags. In the morning we got up and went to a nice brunch downtown.

Michelle had a great idea for her party, and I am really glad I was able to be there. We may be getting a little bit too old to sleep on the floor, but the margaritas did help with that.

2nd Annual Hoilday Party

Bill and I hosted our second annual holiday party this past Saturday night. The turn out was not as high as last year, but the people who are most important to us did show up. Our friends are the greatest. It was pouring rain, and they still came. A few had to overcome babysitting problems (our neighbors bought their 3 year old daughter at our request and she was absolutely delightful). Many had scheduling conflicts (Janet and Dan stopped by at 11:00 pm after seeing our lights on - they had been to 2 other parties already). Some even worked while at our house (Terry and Jon hooked up our big screen so that the HD feature now works properly - after 2 1/2 years!). Best of all was just to share the holidays with our dearest friends. It was a great evening (after massive stress levels earlier in the day) and I am already looking forward to our next party.