the day after the party and a new vest

August 04, 2019




















When we made out a guest list for our summer party we realized we would have way too many people for us to accommodate easily, so we had the brilliant idea of slicing the list in half and having two parties. The first party was last night and now we have exactly one week to recover and regroup. But even though we are exhausted today, we will be recovered by tomorrow, and last night we learned a lot and know exactly what NOT to do next Saturday night! I did like the menu and going to recreate that exactly: BLT party! So that's a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich for those of you who aren't familiar with this most beautiful of summer sandwiches. A BLT is plain ole' diner food, served with a dill pickle and potato chips. The bacon must be meaty and crisp, the bread toasty and warm, lettuce crispy, and the tomatoes need to be fresh from our garden. Last night's group was my husband's golf buddies. I asked around, "who grew up eating BLTs all summer long?" Only the native Californians could say yes and the folks from England, Germany, Nebraska, and other states could not say they were that familiar with them. As I kid I consumed them at a high volume and still do, but only in summer when the big slicers are ripe. 


It was a fun party and I'm already looking forward to doing the same thing next week with my book club and knitting group and their guys. That will be a slightly bigger group but the menu will remain the same. I hope we have great weather again.

MENU

Beverages were wine--rose and white, plus beer and sparkling water.

Appetizers could not have been more simple:
a bowl of nuts and a bowl of cherry tomatoes on the drinks table
and this amazing Breaded Shrimp from Costco served with a store bought sweet and sour sauce.
One box was plenty for 18 people. If you are near a Costco, buy this! We all loved it.

I served dinner buffet style. After a guest picked up a plate they went through the line
where I set out bowls of homemade dill pickles, potato salad, potato chips, 
and a basket of toasted bread. 
Then they took their plate to the buffet table where we all made our own BLTs. 
In the center of the table I had a giant platter of bacon 
flanked on either side with ramekins of mayonnaise and platters of sliced tomatoes and lettuce.
We set up two breadboards with sharp knives so you could slice your sandwich in half.
Considering there were 18 people, it went pretty fast and was quite easy.
Guests came back on their own for seconds.

Dessert was ice cream sandwiches.
What I like about these, besides tasting great and being super fun to eat, 
they are made ahead and require no extra dessert plate and fork: less cleanup.


There has been knitting too. Like today--after cleaning up from last night, I sat right down and drank coffee all day and watched back to back baseball games while knitting. And since I love party leftovers, I had potato salad for breakfast and an ice cream sandwich for lunch. I finished this darling vest for Carter. (Did you see him above helping Papa with the garden chores? He came over one day last week to help us get ready for the party!)  I think vests are so nice to pop over a child’s head when they go outside to play when it’s just a little brisk--not cold enough for a jacket, but still needing something to keep neck and chest warm. I hope it still fits him come fall. I'll get modeled pictures when I can. The pattern by OGE was very quick and easy and the yarn was wonderful. I have details here on my Ravelry project page. Pictured below is my Etude sweater that is on the stockinette portion, so it's now my movie knit, and lastly the Meet Me At Midnight shawl. I have a tip for reading charts, use highlighter tape to keep your eye on track and use plenty of stitch markers.

Hazelwood Vest by OGE


Etude


Meet Me At Midnight in Kidsilk Haze Eclipse.

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9 Comments

  1. I enjoy seeing your flowers...and that little guy is fantastic, as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww thank you so much! We enjoy him sooooo much! We are going to have him next Friday for the day and we are saving up chores that he especially loves to do, like washing the greenhouse!

      Delete
  2. Sounds like the perfect summer party. I grew up in New Jersey (the Garden State) and we ate BLTs in the summer also. I love them. Your flower arrangements are beautiful. The photos of Carter helping with the gardening are precious.

    Carole

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So it must be a thing where tomatoes are grown! I hear about those Jersey tomatoes!

      Delete
  3. What a great idea for a party! I think I'm going to have to steal that! We love BLTs too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Please DO copy this party--that's why I wrote the post.

      Delete
  4. This whole post was absolutely beautiful. I love those Carter sightings and hearing how you entertain. But my absolute favorite part was when you said you sat right down the day after and "drank coffee all day." Yippee. Now I have "permission." I never dared before. But why not?�� Chloe

    ReplyDelete
  5. Don't know where those question marks came from. They were meant to be a smiley face. Chloe

    ReplyDelete
  6. Absolutely nothing like a Jersey tomato ��!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete

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