Christmas to a tea: a holiday gathering for mothers and their daughters rings in the Christmas season with panache.[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Last December. a lavish mother-daughter tea at the shingled New-England-style Eastover home of Donna McVey yielded plenty of holiday delicacies This is a List of national delicacies. This list is sorted from where the food originated from. Many of these dishes may be normal to one culture, however to other cultures may seem bizarre. A delicacy is a food that is particularly prized within a given culture. and decorations. Some houses seem purposely pur·pose·ly adv. With specific purpose. purposely Adverb on purpose USAGE: See at purposeful. Adv. 1. designed for gala celebrations, and this is one of them. Exuberant exuberant /ex·u·ber·ant/ (eg-zoo´ber-ant) copious or excessive in production; showing excessive proliferation. ex·u·ber·ant adj. Proliferating or growing excessively. color in Verb 1. color in - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film" color, colorise, colorize, colour in, colourise, colourize, colour every room invites guests to embrace the seasonal spirit. Entering the sunny foyer, with its rose-tinted strie walls, and looking into the citrus-green living room and the dining room beyond, bright with a floral chinoiserie chinoiserie (shēnwäzrē`), decorative work produced under the influence of Chinese art, applied particularly to the more fanciful and extravagant manifestations. paper; one finds a festive mood is inescapable. The kitchen and breakfast area, papered in a sunny mellow-gold, features a long farmhouse table that was laden with more treats during the gathering. Wide windows let in a view of a formal courtyard, pretty even in the dead of winter. Be mingling crowd flowed into the den, where a russet-hued, faux-antique finish on the mantel and paneling around the fireplace received an extra soupcon of patination one year: "My husband and son decided the evergreen garland over the fireplace was dried out, so they just stuffed it into the fire," recalls McVey. "It made a blaze, all right! The glazed glaze n. 1. A thin smooth shiny coating. 2. A thin glassy coating of ice. 3. a. A coating of colored, opaque, or transparent material applied to ceramics before firing. b. paint finish, done by Libba Wilkes, started bubbling up from the heat. Oh, well; it added that extra 'antique' touch." "Jane Shelton, Pryor Graeber, and Pamela Houchins all had a hand in helping me with colors and fabrics over the years," says McVey, who shares the home with husband Buster and their five children, now mostly grown. McVey's large collection of Santa figures (one of which she leaves out all year round because "it makes me happy!") and a growing array of snowmen and holiday cards from years past create festive displays, enhanced by the profusion of fresh-smelling pine and cedar cuttings. Making an appearance on trays and in bud vases everywhere are pansies (fresh and porcelain porcelain [Ital. porcellana], white, hard, permanent, nonporous pottery having translucence which is resonant when struck. Porcelain was first made by the Chinese to withstand the great heat generated in certain parts of their kilns. versions, which McVey also collects). But for this particular fete, the presiding pre·side intr.v. pre·sid·ed, pre·sid·ing, pre·sides 1. To hold the position of authority; act as chairperson or president. 2. To possess or exercise authority or control. 3. genius was popular caterer/decorator/floral designer/general factotum fac·to·tum n. An employee or assistant who serves in a wide range of capacities. [Medieval Latin fact Martha Collins Martha Collins may refer to
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Everything looked as wonderful as it tasted; Collins is known for food that wows the eye first, then the palate palate (păl`ĭt), roof of the mouth. The front part, known as the hard palate, formed by the upper maxillary bones and the palatine bones, separates the mouth from the nasal cavity. . On this sunny morning, guests enjoyed a varied buffet, a welcome respite RESPITE, contracts, civil law. An act by which a debtor who is unable to satisfy his debts at the moment, transacts (i. e. compromises) with his creditors, and obtains from them time or delay for the payment of the sums which he owes to them. Louis. Code, 3051. from the seasonal rush. "Pat Ross, one of the best cooks around, always comes up with a few suggestions each year, as well. The tomato-avocado ribbon salad and spinach-phyllo squares are favorites of ours, and both are in Southern Sideboards side·board n. 1. A piece of dining room furniture having drawers and shelves for linens and tableware. 2. A board that forms a side or part of a side: the sideboards of a skating rink. ," shares Collins. One of the luxuries of feeding a female-only crowd is that women of all ages tend to prefer finger-food to big manly plates full of heavy items. So, a daytime get-together is, at least ostensibly os·ten·si·ble adj. Represented or appearing as such; ostensive: His ostensible purpose was charity, but his real goal was popularity. , more about the chat than the chow. However, one attendee who requested anonymity observed "if you eat many of those spinach spinach, annual plant (Spinacia oleracea) of the family Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot family), probably of Persian origin and known to have been introduced into Europe in the 15th cent. pastries, and enough of that cheese tree thing, you might as well have had a big steak!" But who's counting bites at Christmas time? Try some of these crowd-pleasing recipes, and count yourself blessed. FRUITED CHEESE BALL A favorite no matter how it's shaped, Martha Collins' cheese ball formed in a tree mold and topped with rosemary sprigs, is always a holiday hit 6 ounces dried apricots 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated 1/2 cups golden seedless raisins 8 ounces dates, chopped Soak the apricots for 5 minutes in warm water. Drain and dice apricots. Cream cheeses together. Add apricots, raisins, and dates. This is best made the day before and refrigerated overnight. Serve at room temperature with gingersnaps and a non-butter cracker. Yield: 36 servings [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED]
JUMPING JACK JAMBALAYA
2 cups sour cream
7 teaspoon cornstarch
2 cups small shrimp, cooked and peeled
1 cup Andouille sausage, finely chopped, cooked,
and drained
1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped (tops and bottoms)
7 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning mix
2 cups Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
Mix the cornstarch into the sour cream,
and then add everything else. Heat in a
saucepan on low heat until cheese is melted,
stirring frequently. Serve hot in a chafing dish
with corn chips.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
CROWD-PLEASING FINGER-SANDWICH TRAY
Whether rolled, open-faced, or fancifully shaped--little
one-bite sandwiches are great on a party plate.
Here are a few fabulous fillings:
SPINACH-BACON SPREAD:
8 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1 (10-ounce) package chopped frozen spinach,
thawed and pressed dry
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 onion, minced fine
1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, minced
1 pachet dry vegetable soup mix
Few dashes hot sauce or cayenne pepper
Mix all ingredients well and refrigerate
for at least 2 hours.
Yield: 3 dozen party sandwiches
HAM-CHEESE-WALNUT FILLING:
Couldn't be easier, and will disappear before
you can say "Saint Nicholas!"
Mix equal parts of grated Swiss cheese,
chopped walnut meats, and finely diced smoked
deli ham. Moisten with just enough mayonnaise
and honey mustard to spread onto bread.
OLIVADA-RAISIN SANDWICH SPREAD:
Unusual and a big hit with olive-lovers.
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
Blend all ingredients and spread generously
atop thin-sliced French baguettes.
photography by ron blaylock |
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