A Lovely Party! 1 week, 5 days!

Yesterday from 2 to 6 (well, it ended up being more like 6:30) I had a going away party at our church. I was a bit worried that not as many people would come as I was hoping, but my fears had no grounds! It ended up being a very busy and successful party.

Heather and I spent Friday and Saturday morning working on goodies to make for the open house. I made oat cakes (a recipe from Grandma Jean from a Scottish hotel in Canada), and Heather made shortbread and a fancy form of oat cakes - with chopped nuts and almond extract, both of which were very delicious. We were concerned about just offering sweets, though. But we were also worried about the Scottish options for savory food. We were pretty sure no one would eat Haggis, and we thought people might be affronted if we offered them oatmeal. So, I suggested we make Chicken Tikka Masala - which, if you recall from some time earlier, I found out was a Glaswegian/Indian dish! So...I seasoned the chicken (with garlic, onion, cumin, tumeric and a few cardamom pods) but then, in the interest of time and labor, we bought some jars of Tikka Masala sauce, and warmed up the sauce and chicken in our crock pot. We served this with rice in small dishes and surprisingly enough it was a HUGE success! I had no idea it would be so popular. Of course, I was thrilled, as it is just about my favorite dish!

Everyone was so kind and wonderful to me - full of generosity, praise, love and heartfelt good-byes. It was a truly wonderful party!

Here are some of the guests:

Me, Katie & Martille Nohle

Johannes Mason, myself, Eileen Bontorno & Judy Scheepsma

Heather, Michael, Ed Houghton, and his lovely mother Grace Houghton

Greene book group ladies: Karen Scott, Amy Marsland & Jannette Nelson