Cavihour

May 29, 2013


This giant magnolia bloom from the tree in front of our house.








We had such a fun party the other night.  I don't have the greatest pictures but the idea was fun and wanted to share.  On Wednesday I emailed out about 14 invitations for a last minute casual Cavihour for Friday night.  "Please join us on Friday night from 6-8 for champagne and caviar, and if you can stay later, we'll be serving Chinese Chicken Salad at 8."  I know, don't tell me that none of it goes together, certainly not the casual with the champagne, and not the caviar with the chicken salad, but it did somehow manage to work out well!  Since it was last minute only 14 people could come, but everyone stayed late and laughed and had a good time.

With the caviar I served creme fraiche, finely chopped egg and green onion.  I had toast points too but everyone preferred the caviar on the sweet potato chips.  Those chips are such a big hit every time I serve them.  Here's how to make them.  It's strange I know, but not everyone likes champagne, so we also set up a small bar and had sparkly water too. I have no pictures of the Chinese Chicken Salad but ended up setting up the buffet in the kitchen and people served themselves and sat around the house, in the living room and around the dining room table, very casual. For dessert I made shortbread with gluten free flour and it was every bit as good as the original. I've updated the recipe to include the gluten free version.  We also had a large platter of fruit and cheese and a big bar of chocolate to share.

You know I love to have people over, and I usually love all the prep work, but sometimes I don't have enough time.  It's nice to be able to throw an easy peasy party that doesn't require a lot of preparation.  And really, it's all about getting people together, isn't it?

PS.  I had to add Captcha word verification on my comments section.  I was getting bombarded with spam which has been growing over the last few months until finally I couldn't keep up with it.  I'll take it off in a bit and see if the junk has settled down.  I hope you'll still comment, I love hearing from you!


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Kristen Rettig

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10 Comments

  1. GailMay 29, 2013 at 11:04 AM

    Looks so spontaneous and fun - and delicious!

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  2. Claudia BughMay 29, 2013 at 7:22 PM

    Beautiful pictures Kristen! I wish I was more spontaneous with entertaining ~ thanks for the wonderful tips and ideas :)

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  3. KatinkaMay 29, 2013 at 11:25 PM

    I need to get that mandoline! My 12 year-old loves it when I make sweet potato fries, but it sometimes seems like so much effort to chop up the darn thing. We would probably use the mandoline 4 times a week!

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  4. Alycia NicholsMay 30, 2013 at 11:11 AM

    Hi, Kristen! Sorry about all the stupid SPAM. I just hate that! Stupid people with nothing else to do with their pitiful little lives who have to go out of their way to waste our time as well as theirs! Such a waste of humanity! OK...I'm done now. Just had to get that off my chest! :-)

    You have shown that it is possible to put together a great party on the fly that still has all the elements of something you planned for weeks! I'm a champagne kind of girl, and I enjoy it in both casual and formal situations. In a mimosa, it's the breakfast of champions!!! :-) I am so glad your guests always flock to you homemade chips. It really makes it worth the effort! And your flowers, of course...beautiful! I'm glad everyone had a good time. Fourteen people? That's a really good number for a last-minute get together! Enjoy your weekend!

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  5. UnknownMay 30, 2013 at 12:40 PM

    I think your pictures are great! It sounds like everyone had a great time. Bravo for doing the party last minute.
    Blessings My Friend,

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  6. AnonymousMay 30, 2013 at 5:01 PM

    Your photographs are so artistic. How can so much talent fit into that little body?

    Carole

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  7. MarlisMay 30, 2013 at 5:40 PM

    Now that is pretty wonderful. No time to stress about it. I love this idea and may just have to steal it! xo marlis

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  8. Dayana KnitsMay 30, 2013 at 5:52 PM

    CAVIHOUR is now my newest favorite event. Hmm... who can I get to host it around here?!

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  9. Peggy ThalMay 30, 2013 at 6:28 PM

    Lovely party! I just adore caviar and champagne. Never had caviar on sweet potato chips , but sounds delicious. Pretty photo's too. Wish my husband and I were invited.

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  10. elnsMay 31, 2013 at 4:17 PM

    I love your fancy/casual party. It's great how you pull together such a lovely spread and layout. We don't have space large enough for sit-down dinners, so it's usually something spread about the little kitchen table, with standing bistro wine glasses, but everyone seems to enjoy themselves. I really like your entertaining posts. (I like knit stuff too!)

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