Open House has come and gone. There may have been some wee hours seen last night in the kitchen, as well as some early morning schlepping and setting up. But now the house is quiet. Three out of four are sleeping, and number four is headed that way. Here are a few photos of the flowers – I thought they were particularly beautiful for a sunny, cold January event.
I picked these up last night at Whole Foods – my good, go-to flower source when I wait until the last minute. I never go with a plan, since I never know what they are going to have. I generally shoot for under $50, and last night I scored enough flowers for two large and one medium arrangement for under $40. The seeded eucalyptus is always so pretty – I love the color of the leaves and the droopiness in casual arrangements.
I always think of Gerbera daisies as being hot pink and orange and yellow and sort of brash, but the white ones with dark centers are stunning. I bought three bundles of those, and one dusty pink one to intersperse in a small mason jar for a little bit of color. The eucalyptus has a pink blush to the stems which is perfect with the pink flowers.
The food was delicious – many great cooks contributed, and there might have even been a cake. A chocolate chiffon one with a whipped chocolate frosting – more mousse-like than icing-like. The recipe is from Vintage Cakes (a favorite of mine) and the style is unfussy and delicious – just the way a cake should be. I tend to stay away from cakes when I think of finger food receptions, but honestly, a cake makes one of the prettiest centerpieces, and no one minds standing around for a bit until it’s sliced.
Hope you are having a lovely weekend, with (perhaps) a nap in your near future.
