Sunday, July 25, 2004
Oatmeal with banana. We cooked and prepared and shopped more groceries for today's party: N'awlins Cookin'. Trader Joe's and 99 Market for flowers and groceries. Leftovers for lunch. While Patrick continued cooking dishes for this evening's party, I was the chef's assistant in the kitchen and ran errands for him at Albertson's. Patrick's menu: Andouille Red Beans and Rice, Red Beans and Rice (vegetarian), Bourbon Pecan Pralines, Chocolate Pecan Pralines, Cajun Stuffed Artichoke, Lafayette Okra Seafood Gumbo, Mild Barataria Seafood Jambalaya, Spicy Barataria Seafood Jambalaya, Baked Garlic Cheese Grits, Bayou Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce, Mississippi Mud, Black Cherry Kool-Aid, Southern-style Mint Iced Tea, Zapp's Spicy Cajun Crawtators, Barq's Root Beer, French Bread. Unfortunately, not everyone got to try everything. The most popular dishes were the gumbo, the jambalaya, the stuffed artichokes, and the bread pudding and whiskey sauce. Attending: Scott and Andy, Allex, Hao, Lee, Joe, Yan Hui, Tony A and Ray, Tony Q, Kim and Pete and Sarah, Bill and Kevin, Jenna and Don, Steve L, Travis, Dale, Jeremy and Daniel, Galen, Julianne and Danae, Eric, Jamie and Aaron and Demetrius, Matt and Tim, me and Patrick. In the back garden, we had set up four 24-inch round tables and white padded folding chairs which we had rented on Friday. We dressed the tables in white and beige tablecloths with tea lights and potted miniature roses. Inside, our kitchen counter held 3 rented chafing stands which kept foods hot during the party. People brought plenty of their own beverages: Lee brought new Coca-Cola C2, lots of people brought bottles of beer and wine, Julianne and Danae brought Crimson Voodoo. Matt brought a yummy, all natural, triple chocolate crunch cake. Patrick created a playlist of Chinese music and Cajun music. People looked at photos from Patrick's trip. Bill and Kevin brought potted mums. People loooved the whiskey sauce. Patrick gave out some copies of his Madonna mix CD. I made little cards which had trivia about New Orleans and set them out on the coffee table. I also made laminated tags for all the dishes. Tony Q gave us a bottle of Ascott Brandy XO (!!). Julianne and Danae gave us a bottle of Absente with a box of C and H sugar cubes (!!!). Sam returned from New Orleans today, but he didn't make it to the party. We planned the party to run from 4 to 8 PM. Weather was good enough to enjoy the outside, but not hot enough to get the sun breaks we'd hoped for. The party broke up around 9:00 and Patrick and I lugged in the tables and chairs from outside, and put away what little food remained. We were exhausted, but happy. The party was a lot of work and ran us a couple hundred dollars, but it was a lot of fun, and I figure it was a lot cheaper than having dinner individually with everyone who had come. Will we do it again next year? Patrick says, "We'll see." We had so much trash afterwards that our outdoor trash can was filled to the top and it's 6 days until the next trash pickup!