Parmesan Bites, Cooking Finger's Christmas Tea, lavender soap

Remember those Baklava Cookies I made for the party Saturday night?  Well, Michael had to call Harry about golf on Sunday night when we got home from the play…and he said Martha had been out all day and he had eaten at least EIGHT of the cookies!!!!  I’m not sure he was going to leave any for her….they really can be addictive :~).   

Anyway, even though the forecast for Monday morning (12/14) was for 50% rain, Michael decided to take a chance and they all left for golf around 8 AM.  I got busy making my appetizers for the Cooking Fingers Tea.  After Martha’s party on Saturday night, I totally changed what I was going to make, into one of HER appetizers.  A mixture of cream cheese, parmesan cheese, parsley and a red pepper (I also added a large scallion and it was so nice to pick the parsley and scallion off of my back deck :~), was rolled up into crescent rolls and baked.   

People must have liked them because I came home with an empty plate :~).  The tea was terrific….each table was decorated differently, and they were all beautiful. Each table captain provided the table decorations and 10 party favors for the guests at their table.  

this glass was a party favor

this tree was HUGE!

of course I loved this color

a cute skating scene

 The food (both savory and sweet) was incredible.  

 As I think I mentioned at the last tea....Paula has it down to a science.  If your last name began with "A through K", you were supposed to bring 30 - 40 pieces of appetizer or dessert.  Then each guest on their first pass through the line could take 8 appetizers and 3 sweets.  (I traded with someone at my table, so I got one more appetizer and one less sweet and she did the reverse :~)  Once every table had gone through the line, you could go back and get whatever else you wanted.  Although I wanted to go back and try other things, I was too full after my first pass to do it.  For the Valentines Tea, the letters "L through Z' provide the food.

 Pat followed me home after the tea and I unmolded the lavender soap (which turned out perfectly….YAY!) and cut it cut into bars and left it curing on the rack.   

 Michael came home as we were talking a bit….he had already been home previously…they got rained out after 4 holes  :~(.  The afternoon went by in a flash…I spent a bit of time reading….a bit of time napping with my honey…and a lo-o-ong time having a delightful conversation with Jan.  By then it was almost 5 PM, but neither one of us was hungry for dinner….so Michael just had some fruit, and I headed down the studio to finish quilting the last dino quilt.  Michael left at 6:30 for a board meeting at the playhouse (I sent along more baklava cookies labeled “MARTHA”S SECRET STATSH” and Michael told me when he gave them to her she just laughed and laughed.  I got the quilting done and started to weave in my bobbin ends (there were tons)!!  I got one quilt done, then headed upstairs to watch a bit of TV before my honey came home.