A Merry Bookclub-Champagne-Ladies Christmas

Doing It Up Right

Take a tip from The Champagne Ladies...........you only live once, but if you live right- once is enough.  Live large. 'Nuf said.

Last night was 'Bookclub' Christmas, complete with the guys.

I've told you before, we started as a 'bookclub', but quickly morphed into more of a food and champagne club and the best of friends. I LOVE these gals. Each of us is very different, and that's part of what makes it work so well.

The evening started with people arriving with bottles of champagne and big picnic baskets in their hands.

Here's a run down of the night, and I apologize for the 'wrong' camera setting. I was having too much fun to notice. 

We began with some of Carey's (aka Martha) fig and olive tapenade.  Then like magic the bar was filled up with an entire buffet of appetizers.

Here's Martha going for some of her hot artichoke dip.

The buffet also included my smoked salmon with cream cheese, onions and capers which is one of Soy Goddess's (Kath) favorites. 

I tried to get some more of the smoked salmon I use for this ( I think it's Echo Falls out of Washington State), but the store was out. I had to come up with something on the fly. Luckily they had some fresh cooked lobster meat, so I made up a dip.

Jim and Pearl (aka Laurel....and you can see why we call her Pearl, can't you?) bellied up to the buffet and Pearl topped her pressed potatoes that I made, with the lobster dip.

Need a closer look?

We all followed suit. Including The Inspector.

I'm just going to tell you, the pressed potatoes will be known as smorgasbord potatoes from now on, because in addition to the lobster dip we topped them with whatever else we wanted that was on the buffet. It was classic.  As you can see in the picture of The Inspector, we still have trim to finish in our kitchen remodel, but I digress.

I have no idea why this one looks like an 'action shot'. The only action going on was Bill, Gar and Kath talking.



Ah, then Soy Goddess (who owns Blue Moon Evolution) put out her Chicken Marbella. If you haven't had this dish, make it. Rustic, sweet, sour, sticky goodness.  On the side.......Pearl's holiday salad ala Giada.

We did lots of talking, LOTS of laughing, and even sang a song or two. Oh yeah, we also drank champagne, but you could have guessed that. Right?

Then Pearl, who I dubbed Yogi last night because she came with the classic Yogi the Bear basket, went full-stop-over-the-top on dessert. Butterscotch Pudding Pie with whipped cream she whipped fresh in my kitchen, topped with bananas and pistachio brittle. Hello.

It couldn't have been a better night, but was over too soon. 

Girls, do you have to leave?

Wait, we forgot to get the Christmas picture.

Did I say we love these people?

This one's for you Champagne Ladies.

Celebration continues.......here a chick, there a chick, everywhere a chick chick

That's the chicken salad I made for my evening with the Bookclub/Champagne Ladies yesterday. We figured it was still Pearl's birthday week and Martha (really Carey) wasn't able to make the party because she was away, so let's celebrate again. Unfortunately, Soy Goddess (aka Kath) wasn't able to make it this time.......ah the hectic life of a restaurant owner.  But the show must go on.

It's was Martha's birthday too this week. Here's Pearl and Martha ready to 'blow out the proverbial candles'. Yes, they're citronella candles. Got a problem with that?

As usual, we enjoyed the evening immensely, but that's a given when we're together.

I'll state it right here. Although we started as a bookclub, we haven't read a damn book for 'bookclub' for years. Hence the second part of the club name now.  It really should be Good Food & Champagne Club.  All four of us are great cooks (please note, I do not say I'm 'great' at anything too often, but I can cook. Bake? ehhhh, sometimes. Cook? hell yes.).

Our menu consisted of:

goat cheese stuffed fresh figs wrapped in prosciutto

by Martha

take fig, cut in half, smear goat cheese on top, wrap with prosciutto

mmmmmm

cornbread and bacon stuffed baked garden tomatoes

by Pearl

Not that everything else wasn't yummy, these were the hit of the night.  I'll post recipe when I get it.

mediterranean summer chicken salad w/ greens and croissant

by Me

(aka Marge. It has nothing to do with my mother being Marge, though it's kind of weird to be called your Mom's name, but I'm used to it now. When we all first met, I reminded Pearl of an old friend Marge and the name has stuck. Yup. We've all got bookclub champagne ladies nicknames.)

I've done this chicken salad twice now in the last week and it's delicious.  And both times I took the easy way out..........rotisserie chicken (which is not in picture because there isn't any left after making the salad last night and I just took these pics today.)

Chop up breast and thigh meat from rotisserie chicken, no skin

Dice a 3/4 of medium cucumber

Dice half of a red onion

Chop handful of walnuts

Chop herbs (Whatever herbs you'd like, this time I used chive and lemon balm, which I am especially loving in chicken salad.)

In bowl, mix above ingredients with:

Hellman's mayonnaise

palm full of crumbled feta cheese

2 tbs of apple cider vinegar

couple of dashes of old bay seasoning

Chill and serve on bed of greens or a croissant, with some greens, and enjoy. Go ahead, try it.

The Roma's Are Ripe!

This makes me a happy girl.

Purty, ain't they?

This means it will soon be roma roasting time. Ah, filling the freezer with garden tomatoes to enjoy all winter. Did I just winter? Sorry.

I'll share that process when I get there, but right now, they're just ripening becuase we were late planting this year.

Wet Laundry

Skies looked threatening most of the day but it hadn't done anything. Nothing. Nada.

I knew, if I put a laundry out on the line, as soon as I did it would:

I was right. It's lashing out. So my laundry is now getting a second rinse cycle.

Enjoy the rest of Thursday in your corner of the world. Have I said thanks for being here? Thanks for being here.

Pam



You're HOW old?

That's Laurel.  I call her Pearl. She's one of my bookclub/champagne ladies. Love her. She threw herself a 50th birthday party. LOVE her.

She asked everyone to dress in something from the 60s,70s, or 80s.

Pearl was dressed as Audrey Hepburn and Bill, her other half, did his best George Pappard.

Pearl gave up her classic Audrey hat for a crown.

The dancefloor was hopping all night.

How about a little electric slide? There's my other bookclub/champagne lady kath in the back.  If she had blonde hair she would have been Goldie Hawn in Laugh In with that dress.

Everyone danced.

And danced.

I really loved Andrea's........I'm sorry, I mean Madonna's bracelets.

Here's my new best friend Michelle, re-enacting how she tried to light the battery operated candle for 10 minutes (at the beginning of the night, no less).



Here's Pearl and The Italians. Judith doesn't normally have flowers growing out of her nose.

Best buds. Mark and George Pappard.

Some of the get ups were priceless.

I love this shot of Captain America in his parachute pants and Jane Fonda Leotard girl.  Kim's gold lame dress rocked it too.

Me and my gals. I was doing the 80s punk thing. You can't see it but I had all of my 80s buttons on. Unfortunately, I couldn't style my hair like I used to because I didn't have any hair spray. Bummer. I'm looking a little worse for wear at this point because of the aforementioned dancing.

Pearl went up into the DJ booth and sang Happy Birthday to herself. Did I say I love her?

Michelle and Mark. Good shot.



Michelle, wearing Audrey's hat, feeding Gar a shrimp skewer after previously eating all of his.

We did a lot of laughing.

I told Mark, Gar and Jim that they looked like a line up. Well, Jim looks a little too happy to be in a line up. But still.

And we danced.

So much so, that Pearl took off those heels.

She smartly brought a pair of ballet slippers for her tootsies.

The end. Almost.

Happy birthday Pearl. Love ya.