Ailantha
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Plaisir d'left-overs

3/11/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
    In this house  we love our party left-overs.  For us eating the left-overs is its own celebration.
    There's even been some debate over which is better, the initial party food or the left-overs.
    As my daughter Claire once pointed out, when you're eating left-overs you're feeling relieved and stress-free, which is not especially the case when you're putting food in your mouth while up to your elbows in the event you're hosting.
    Because in truth you can't really relax until the party's over; only then can you bask in the good time that was had by all and really enjoy the food yourself.   That's why having left-overs is so important, but there are other reasons:
   1.  Having plenty of left-overs at the end of the party means you can invite your guests to fill up a plate to take home, an extension of your hospitality and a message  to your guests that they are so welcome that you'd like to give them a little extra.
   2.  After the last guest has left and you're faced with the inevitably gargantuan task of cleaning up, munching on left-overs while you buzz about  helps the clean-up go down. (As Mary Poppins would understand).
   3. Having  left-overs preserves a bit of the party atmosphere for a day or two longer, though if you have more than can be consumed in that time line you can freeze the overage for some classy provisions at a later date.  (Note: this works provided you are careful to prepare freeezable party food initially).
  
4. Having left-overs is an excuse for the kids or friends to stop by the next day for some left-overs.
   5. After cooking yourself silly the days before the party you can now get away without cooking for a day or two.
    
Of course, party left-overs are only as good as the food you start with, so to-die-for left-overs must start with to-die-for party food.   In other words, you cannot reap wonderful left-overs from a ho-hum menu, or one that yields left-overs that seriously aren't worth the trouble of saving.   Which is the real reason why whenever there's a feast to be thrown I always shoot for the stars  so that we can look forward to those heavenly left-overs!

    The left-overs post-game round-up from Claire's shower:

veggie stromboli - made 5.  Sufficient* left-overs

veggie egg rolls - made 30.  Sufficient left-overs

tomato, olive oil and garlic pasta - made 2 lb.  Sufficient left-overs

stuffed mushrooms - made 122.  Meager left-overs

cheese mashed potatoes - made 20 servings.   No left-overs.

green beans almondine - 8 cans.   Meager left-overs

salad -  16 ounces of  of mixed greens.   Sufficient left-overs

guacamole dip - One recipe.  No left-overs.

veggies & dip - 1 basketful. Sufficient left-overs

rosette cupcakes -  About 75. Sufficient left-overs.

cream-filled chocolate cupcakes - About 75.  Sufficient left-overs.

apple pie & ice cream - Made 2 pies. Finished 1.  Sent the other to  back to Chicago for Miguel, so no left-overs.

berry trifle - Made 2.  Finished 1, so sufficient left-overs.**

* "Sufficient" indicates enough to last for a day or two past the party, possibly with extra to freeze. In this case the only left-overs to freeze were about 20 un-iced mini-cupcakes.

**By last night (Monday night) the second berry trifle and almost everything else was history.  On Saturday the last shower guests left at 9:00 pm,  so the left-overs were being frequently re-visited even on the day of the event.  Theresa and Claire stayed until Sunday night and Monday morning respectively, and Tommy and Randy came over Sunday night for (what else?) left-overs, so there was much post-shower noshing going on over the weekend. 
    Yesterday for lunch and dinner Tom and I polished off almost everything that was left.  All that's left now are a couple egg rolls, a little salad, a little bit of pasta and the memory of a good party and some great left-overs.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    "Equal And Opposite Reactions"
     by Patti Liszkay
    Buy it on Amazon:

    http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
    Picture
    ​"Hail Mary"
    by Patti Liszkay
    Buy it on Amazon:

    https://www.amzn.com/1684334888
    Picture
    "Tropical Depression" 
    by Patti Liszkay
    ​Buy it on Amazon:   
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTPN7NYY

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    RSS Feed

    I am a traveler just visiting this planet and reporting various and sundry observations,
    hopefully of interest to my fellow travelers.

    Categories

    All


























































































  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact