Tapas for November

The year is winding down, and I'm still trying to figure out how it got to be November.
Turkey Day is next week!

And it's Tapas Time again.

We had a few newbies, some familiar faces that we've been missing and are back for a few months, and lots and lots and lots of great food. 
And this wasn't even all the food. sigh...








This is actually a before picture, I just had my offerings on the table.  Well, a couple of them, I also made a cake, and some bread.

 I love this kind of salad.  I don't dare make it, I'd sample it too much and then there wouldn't be enough to share.

 Chicken Salad.  I love this kind of salad as well.  And I really don't know why I don't just make it for myself, instead I wait until someone brings some and then I eat it. 

 A casserole, and pardon me, but my mind can't remember just what kind it is. sigh...
 And Tapas was just last night.

 Cheese and Crackers are always good.   And I love the plate.

 Another lovely salad, this one uses Kale.  And look at the pretty bowl it was presented in.

 This is a Potato Casserole, and it was lovely.  Nice and cheesy.

 There were wings, and I do love a good wing.

Come to think of it, I found a few frozen wings in the freezer the other day, I think I need to cook them.

 I love a pretty dish, and this is a fun one.

And the dip and crackers weren't bad either.

 One of the wonderful things about Tapas is the wide variety of dishes people make and bring.
These are Crawfish Pies.   
And ...

They were so good, spicy and rich and totally awesome. 

 The birthday girl, brought this green bean dish.  There were all kinds of aromatic spices, coriander and cumin and turmeric.   Really lovely.

 You can't have a gathering without Deviled Eggs, and these had Bacon on them.  A win win in my book.  

 Stuffed Potato Skins.
Do I really need to say more? 

OK, I will, they were delicious.

 A molded Salmon Mousse. 

Look at how pretty.   And it tasted wonderful.

There wasn't much left of it at the end of the night.

And ummm, klutz me, managed to accidentally dump the remainder on the driveway helping to carry it to the car, it slid right off the plate, whoosh and onto the driveway.  I could have cried.   I felt so bad.

 We also had some olives and tomatoes and stuffed grape leaves. Which were a lovely end to the meal.


If you go home hungry from Tapas, it's your fault because there is always something for everyone.




 and if you were wondering what I made,
I put together some Spring Rolls.  This time I used some Napa Cabbage inside and I liked that a lot. 

These are so easy to make, and if you eat a few, you don't need to feel at all guilty.  

 I also made a Duxelle stuffed Pork Loin, I'll be sharing the recipe and the how-to's later on.  I have to say, this was spectacular.     And the herbs decorating the platter, were from my garden.  Some Rosemary, Oregano and Tarragon.   

I also made a loaf of my No-Knead bread.    I don't dare make this often, cause we can eat the whole thing in one day. 










And then there were desserts...

I made a Boston Cream Pie for a friend's birthday, and it was so good, I finally got 'THE' recipe.  I'll share it later on this week.  

And the custard filling, well, it had a neat twist as well. 

 There was a Carrot Cake, which just happens to be right up there as one of my favourite cakes.

 Brownies and some Chocolate Crinkle cookies.

The shot I took of the cookies was too fuzzy to use.

 Some Monkey or Pull Apart bread.

I love this stuff.

It's been years since I've made some, maybe it's time again?

 And last and not least, a lovely little cake decorated with fresh raspberries and blueberries.

When I tasted the raspberries, I got transported back to my youth, picking fresh raspberries in the summer on the farm.  
Good days.






If you're still with me, I just want to say that it's past time to get the turkey out of the freezer and into the fridge so it can start thawing for Turkey Day.   I always figure on 24 hours for every 4 pounds of turkey.