After dinner sit a while, and after supper walk a mile.
~ English saying
So… the weekend was FULL of food. Every time I opened the fridge I felt like… Santa with a turkey in his tummy. It was very lucky indeed that the food wasn’t just for me!
Fran came up with a great idea to host our parents and siblings, as well as a few of our neighbours – so we hosted two dinner parties complete with dancing tealights on the table and chairs and stools jammed around the table on both Saturday and Sunday. Loved having them all come over, and I was also happy to meet our charming neighbours – it sure made me wish I had made more of an effort to meet the numerous people I have lived next door to over the years!
I guess it’s never too late to start! As long as you start, and then continue.
Above is a picture of the marvellous eggs that Fran says reminds her of Christmas time… oh, these were so good. They decorated our table and tummies with grace and smiles. I didn’t get to see how Fran made them as I was too busy getting frustrated with stubborn filo pastry then!! Argh! But I know she hollowed out the hard boiled eggs, added mayo, magic and love to the yolk and piped the mixture back into the egg whites much like you would pipe icing on cupcakes. Thankfully (for everyone else), I wasn’t allowed to devour the whole tray before the guests arrived ;-)
Menu on Saturday:
Fran’s Christmas eggs
Chicken with leek and pears (yes, Millie, I know – still serving it! ;-))
Stuffed capsicums
Banana and chocolate filos topped with thick chocolate sauce
Chocolates (courtesy of my folks)
Menu on Sunday:
Greek salad – with the addition of mangoes
Seared mushrooms with garlic and balsamic vinegar
Fran’s Christmas eggs
Chicken, mango, saffron and walnut filo parcels
Baked chocolate puddings – with kahlua
Not everything turned out well, unfortunately – but in the end most of it was palatable and more importantly, we got to sit, and eat, and share stories. My hair smelled much the same as the oven, and my feet were tired, but all I could think about was the fact that I am so lucky, and that to prepare food for people and talk with them over a meal is to open the doors to both their and my souls and let an exchange take place – and well, I really couldn’t ask for much more. Life was made for love.
treehousekitchen 
What a great looking menu. Love the Christmas eggs!
Awesome menu – eggs look del-ici-ous :)
Haha, love that you’re still cooking up that chicken, leek & pear dish :) but sounds like a wonderful weekend, it’s so good to cook for people and get everyone together, eh?
Thank you everyone for your comments – and yes, Millie, it really is! :-)
Nothing better than good food and good company (especially in winter). Any particular recipe for thee chicken, mango, walnut filo or did you just feel your way? It sounds amazing
Hi Nicole – yes I agree!
No particular recipe – from memory, I just soaked a few strands of saffron in two tablespoons of hot water in a mug. Fried chopped shallots with the walnuts, took them out and put them in a bowl, then seared the chicken with garlic and spices, added in white white and let it reduce, added in the saffron and when the chicken was nearly done I added in the walnuts and shallots again. I let the whole mixture sit and cool for a bit before adding in the mango slices and making the filo parcels. Baked them at 190 degrees for around 15 minutes till they went golden brown.