The best laid plans...

I spent the week watching and reading the weather forecast for Saturday.  For all the good it did me.  Mother Nature had other ideas for my party and sunshine didn't come into it at all.  I had to cancel the shindig.  Just as well too.  The rain came down in biblical proportions with thunder and lightening thrown in for fun.  I was quite the bitter Betty Friday when I had to pull the plug and send out emails with the bad news.  Boo hiss.  The weather was great on Friday....too bad I hadn't planned it for then.  I was feeling sorry for myself, sitting out on the patio, brooding when I noticed a little kitten in my next door neighbour's yard.

I crouched down to take this picture and he took off like a jack rabbit.  We played peek-a-boo through the fence.

My husband came home just in time to see my new little friend.  Turns out they were old friends...he had seen him climbing our tree and walking along the top of our fence earlier in the week.  He told me in no uncertain terms that I could not rescue him as we already have a cat....Bijou.  She is 14 years old and a cranky thing­.  He's just not up for any new recruits.  Well damn.  My new little friend is a darling.  Turned my frown upside down.  So with my party plans in ruins and nothing fun to look forward to for the weekend I was twitchy.  Fortunately, my husband knows me well and came up with plan B.  We invited a few couples over for dinner and drinks and hoped for the best with the weather.  Nothing fancy....homemade burgers, corn on the cob and Caesar salad.  My husband makes really good burgers - a mix of ground beef, ground pork, seasoned bread crumbs and spices. 

I fried some bacon, sautéed mushrooms and onions for the burgers.  Grated some sharp cheddar to top the burgers with and mixed up a flavoured butter for the corn on the cob.  Put some beer on ice and made a jug of sangria.  We were back in business, Dear Reader! 

Lime Chive Butter
Adapted from Bon Appetit, August 2005 issue

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp lime peel, grated finely
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper

Place all ingredient in bowl and mix with fork until combined well.  Cover and chill for up to two days.  Makes enough for 8 ears of corn.

Sangria
Adapted from Food and Drink magazine, August 2010 issue

750ml bottle dry Riesling wine
1 cup peach juice
1 cup apple juice
1/4 cup peach schnapps
1/2 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
Strawberries, sliced
1 cup ginger ale

Put all ingredients except ginger ale in pitcher and stir.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hour or overnight.  When ready to enjoy, add the ginger ale and pour over ice into wine glasses,  Spoon fruit into each glass.  Makes 10 servings.


The girls brought the desserts so I didn't have to worry about that.  Brenda brought assorted berries, grapes and whipped cream and Sam, the daughter of our friend Tom, brought a key lime pie.  Sam is learning to cook and has been making recipes from the copy of the Joy of Cooking that my son gave her for Christmas last year.  Her pie was a hit and the meringue was perfect!

The sun went down and took the humidity of the day with it.  My shindig was a bust, but we managed to salvage the fun with good food and good friends and a bit of help from Mother Nature herself.  Best of all, I get to plan another party....weather permitting of course!