Can you believe it’s been 10 years since Diva Annie had a turn at hosting the annual Holidiva party? She decided to go all out! There would be a traditional roasted turkey with bread and sausage stuffing as the entrée. Soon we were all emailing back and forth as we decided on appetizers, sides and dessert.
The day of the party Sophia and I arrived first – we were bringing appetizers so did not want to be late. The Central Texas weather had been warm, muggy and drizzly – no Yule logs were wanted today – this December we were grateful for air-conditioning!
I forgot my camera back when Annie was hostess in 2005, so that post had no pictures. (Just thinking about this still makes me sad.) This year there would be photos! Lots of photos!
Annie’s Shrimp plants were in full corally-pink bloom
Every inch of Annie’s house was decorated and it looked so pretty! From the fireplace mantle
to the plume trees covered in vintage ornaments
to the dainty miniature holiday village all was perfect!
We snapped a few photos of each other while we were waiting for the rest of the Divas.
Glinda and Annie stand near the beautiful sideboard
No garden hats! No garden gloves! No work clothes! Will anyone recognize Glinda and Sophia?
The table décor was imaginative and fun – Annie used poinsettia-themed vintage china and glassware from her mother’s collection, displayed to advantage against the soft green of the tablecloths, then filled planters with ornaments. Don’t you just love the shapes of the poinsettia bowls?
The table and chairs were ready for eight Divas of the Dirt.
The appetizer table looked great! Sophia brought two warm cheeses, one Camembert & Walnuts and the other Brie with Cranberries. She also brought French bread and assorted crackers to serve them on. Anne contributed tortilla chips and Glinda made the guacamole. Soon after this photo was taken, Sugar arrived with a delicious creamy hot artichoke dip to add to this bounty.
Annie had prosecco and cranberry juice ready for the first guests. In a little while Mindy came to the party with another bottle of prosecco and more juice. And a little while after that, Buffy arrived bearing a third bottle – has prosecco become our Signature Beverage?
Longtime friends Mattie and Karla always find something to laugh about
Sophia and Mindy are glad to be here
Longtime friends Sugar and Buffy look pretty amused, too!
What a feast! Perfectly roasted turkey with bread & sausage stuffing made by Annie; Karla’s dish of Special Asparagus made eating your vegetables a treat. Mattie’s Crunchy Mixed Kale salad was a hit and the Butternut, Baby Green, Pistachio & Blueberry Salad from Mindy turned everyone into salad fans.
I don’t know if Sugar’s Fancy Mashed Potatoes had secret ingredients but they were addictive!
Buffy’s Cranberry Sauce went way beyond the ordinary and the Rolls were perfection.
Sophia and Mattie were glad to escape from their demanding jobs and spend the day relaxing together
Karla, Mindy and Buffy know how to enjoy every minute they spend together
We did not rush, appreciating the work put into making every dish delicious. After we finished our lunch, we decided dessert could wait a while. We folded one of the tables, began the cleanup process and got ready to play the traditional swap & steal game with the gifts.
Diva Annie won this cool birdhouse made in Africa of sustainable materials - brought by Mattie.
Glinda brought bronze metal mushrooms on springy stems – Mattie and Karla each held onto them for one turn but those fungi went home with Sophia.
Annie found cool copper poppies on long stems – Glinda got these (and they look fabulous in my garden!)
Buffy brought a black garden trug and really good gloves from the Natural Gardener – taken home by Karla
Diva gifts tend to come in odd shapes and the wrapping can be very creative – what could be inside this big plastic sack?
Aha! Mindy had hidden a decorative spade with attached birdhouse inside the sack … Sophia opened it but Mattie quickly stole it!
Sugar brought cool garden signs (one from Maine) and Mindy won them
Karla brought a Metal Centerpiece with Mason Jars for candles or flowers – Sugar took it home.
Sophia brought a big metal rooster disguised in a storage bin – oh, my – Buffy was quite pleased to win this prize!
Dessert was an experiment. I (Glinda) wanted to make something with the Almond, egg, raisin and Amaretto flavors of our traditional Amaretto Bread Pudding, but without the gluten – a problem for some of us.
When an episode of the Great British Bake Off on PBS/KLRU introduced me to the Joconde-sponge-based Opera Cake, it seemed like a fun idea to try. Layers of eggy, no-flour sponge were alternated with an almond, amaretto, golden raisin and fig filling and a chocolate-amaretto buttercream frosting, decorated with holly sprinkles to look festive
We missed the creamy soupyness of the bread pudding but the flavours (oops, been watching those Brit shows too much - that should be flavors) were spot on.
We drove home through drizzly fog, glad for another happy Holidiva day.
This post, 2015 December Holidiva Day, was written by Diva Glinda/Annie in Austin for the Divas of the Dirt blog
Posts
