Blog Party #4: The Holiday Edition Round-Up

Well, here it is; November's Blog Party! Can you believe how fast this year has gone by?


I have to say, I'm really quite excited by this month's party...while we have the same number of entries as the past couple of months, we also have a lot of new party-ers. And best of all? You guys are coming from all over the globe! I thank you all for blocking out some time in your busy schedules to come together, over food, like this. I love reading your blogs, learning about where you live, what you eat, and what you do. Blog Party, for me, is not a labor of love...because as far as I'm concerned, there's no labor here...I look forward to each and every one of your entries; you guys make my day(s)! So again, thank you for coming! Ok...enough sappy sentimentality...

Before we eat, let's get the table set. Believe it or not, Bed, Bath and Beyond is a great place to find all sorts of holiday decorations and home furnishings.

For the wine and cocktail glass-impaired (you know who you are!), how about these adorable holiday wine goblets?!


Here's an inexpensive punch bowl, and this time of year, it could come in handy.

Personally, I like these holly berry placemats; how cute are they?

As for music...I barely know where to begin; there are so many choices! So, I grabbed a few of my favorite discs (minus a fantastic CD my friend Tim made for us last year...all Christmas songs from Big Band-era performers; it's amazing!) to get us in the mood.

Here's a guy I'll always associate with the holidays; Burl Ives!



Here's one that's all over the board: George Thorogood and Dean Martin. Eartha Kitt and The Alarm! The Coolest Christmas.



And because I'm always in the mood for a little comedy, the incredible stylings of Bob Rivers...I love this guy!



Ok...time to meet the guests, and dig in!


Same continent, but different country, Lyn of Lex Culinaria is here! I'm so happy to see you, come on in!

Oooh; would you look at what she's brought? A Baked Potted Goat Cheese , which Matt is going to devour, and possibly one of the coolest-looking beverages I've ever seen: Pomegranate and Ginger Cocktails ...brilliant; just brilliant. Make mine a double...thanks so much, Lyn!





The lovely boo_licious, of masak-masak is here, too! Wonderful to see you, how's boo the cat? boo_licious is one the many food bloggers who've taught me about new ingredients, new foods, and new customs...I can't tell you how much I enjoy that; thank you!
Take a look at her Chiku Lassi (see what I mean?), and those fabulous Satay Lilits...yum.
I'm so pleased you could come to my little party!






New to Blog Party, and your Happy Sorceress, it's vkn of MyDhaba...welcome!
I'm so happy you decided to join our little soiree, and thank you for bringing such lovely dishes; first Red Squash Soup, as a very interesting cocktail, as well as the I-must-try-these Home-made Potato Vattals...it all looks great! Thanks again for coming.





I'm so very pleased to welcome Alicat of Something So Clever to the party! Clearly, she's my kind of gal...an appetizer addict. And just wait till you try her gorgeous Vanilla Bean - Pineapple & Bacon Wraps with Rosemary Skewers, as well as her Johnny Apple-cider-Seed Mocktail; very festive, indeed! So glad you could make it.






Going around the room, we can't forget about Nupur, of One Hot Stove...so nice to see you! Nupur's Indian-themed goodies can't be beat; she's brought along Masala Peanuts , which may prove too tempting for me to resist, Papad Canapes , and one of my favorite drinks...Mango Lassi . Fantastic! Thanks for coming, Nupur; we'll try to fix a doggie bag for Dale, ok?






Here's another new-to-me food blogger, Meena of Hooked on Heat...please, make yourself comfortable!
Meena's planning her very own New Year's celebration, so what better place to try out...and find...new cocktail recipes than Blog Party? Hey; this is quietly becoming the place to be!
And Meena completely had me at Tangy Paneer Pakodas ; not to mention the lovely Strawberry-Cherry Slush . ..seriously. Yum.
Thanks for stopping by!









From one of my favorite cities in the whole wide world, it's Mika of The green jackfruit; so good of you to come! How 'bout those Steelers, huh?
Mika made her adorable daughter wait as she put the finishing touches on her very tasty-looking Mushroom Gratinate , then borrowed a friend to provide us with yet another (but welcomed!) pomegranate drink; Pomegranate Martinis . Tis the season!
Mika, it all looks wonderful; thank you for coming!





Looks like Glutton Rabbit, of Pearl of the Orient, had such a good time last month, she just had to come back for our latest party...well, we're glad you're here!
I have to tell you folks; the weather here truly is frightful (watch the temperature drop...), so Rabbit's Chicken Pie is going to go fast...doesn't it look all warm and hearty? And her Rose Flavoured Cordial with Mint Sprigs are sure to please even the pickiest among us, not that it would take much to convince me to try one!
So happy you could come!




And here's another new-to-me guest; Mebeth of one of the best-named blogs out there; Hold the Raisins. Hey...me, too!
So, what has Beth brought for us? Well, there's the oh-so simple, but very welcome Fizzy Poland Spring and Pom Juice ...I honestly can't get enough of pomegranates! And of course, her Green Chile Chicken and Queso Empanadas look amazing; Mebeth, looks like we have a friend in common...
Thank you so much for coming to the party!






Still another new-comer? Wow, word is definitely spreading about Blog Party...ex-cellent (rubs hands like Monty Burns...). This time it's Grace of the appropriately-named Appetizers! Grace, honey? You're going to fit right in...
So, she's prepared some sure to please Margaritas , as well as the named-by-yours-truly (!) Spicy, Starred Pizzas ...better grab one quick, or they might mysteriously vanish (hint, hint).
I'm just tickled you decided to join us, and I do hope you'll come back next month!





One of the last through the door, Kai of bucaio may have provided the greatest learning experience for me; what a lovely tradition you have! I think it's wonderful; thanks so much for sharing.
Speaking of sharing, Kai's made sure we won't go hungry tonight! Let's see, there's the perfect for this time of year Tsokolate , the drool-inducing (sorry about that, I'll clean up after myself; promise) Ensaymada , as well as Puto and Latik ! Kai...will you adopt me? I promise to help with the cooking and cleaning!
It all sounds wonderful, and again, thank you for sharing all this with us.






I couldn't let you guys do all the work, so please help yourselves to some (Thai-spiced) Sweet Potato Soup; this stuff is thick and creamy...and you'll love the flavor!






Then there's the very simple, but quite elegant (if I do say so...) Smoked Salmon Brochettes; all you need is some quality smoked salmon and some skewers!






Just in case you're still hungry (and if you are, I promise not to tell!), here's a few Ciabatta Pockets with Rare Roast Beef, (home-made)Wasabi Mayonaise, and Baby Salad; yep, that's a mouthful, quite literally!
Slices of rare beef, along with a real wasabi-flavored mayo, and baby greens, inside fabulous Ciabatta bread. Go on...you know you want one!






Tasty little bundles, and (dare I say it?) not too bad for you, either; Chicken (or Veat) Souvlaki. Marinated and cooked chicken (or Veat), along with tabbuleh and hummus, on pita; wrapped up and tied...like a package...with scallions! Yummy; trust me on that one.






And for a drink? Well, I wanted something blue.
Yeah, I said blue. So, while not terribly fancy, it is rather pretty: Pink Grapefruit-Bubblegum Spritzer.
I so totally made this up! Jones Bubblegum (blue) soda (POP!), with Torani Pink Grapefruit syrup added in. Really quite good, if a bit...odd.



All these recipes come from the fabulous book, Finger Food, by Elsa Petersen-Schepelern; or of course, by request!

Ok, guys...kick back, unbutton your jeans, and enjoy the rest of the evening. It's been a great party, and I thank each and every one of you for coming...especially all the new Blog Party-ers!

Now we can look forward to December's party...no, it won't interfere (at least, not directly) with Christmas; entries would be due on the fifteenth, so we'd have plenty of time. And just to give a head's up? Our theme will not be Santa-related. Oh, no...I have something fabulous planned for next month, so I hope you'll all join me again for another Blog Party! I'll post the theme announcement 1 December.

Ok, friends, my feet are killing me, so I'm just going to take a seat...good night!





Tagged with
Food and Drink, Blog Party