My New Friend

My parents are throwing a cocktail-appetizer party for some of their friends in a few weeks and this morning my mom made the fatal mistake of asking if I could give her some ideas. As usual, the question immediately consumed me entirely and I began comparing ideas with the little chefs-hat clad angel (devil?) sitting on my shoulder. The tricky part would be to come up with a menu that could be prepared ahead of time as my parents are that sort of people who never stop moving. Perhaps tapas and a sangria bar, or asian-mediterranean and a tea station, or a funky Old World menu with homemade eggnog and wasail…

I suddenly realized my little friend jumping up and down on my shoulder, waiving his hat like a madman. He had been screaming at me for some time now and was getting quite hoarse.

“....”
“What?”
“Tuscany!”
“WHAT?”
“TUS…CAN…EEEE!”
he yelled in his loudest, most exasperated, voice.

Ooooooh, what an interesting idea! A trattoria-themed menu with Tuscan-inspired decorations. I was listening now. Mom could decorate her house--and tree!-- in those wonderfully warm mustard yellows, sage greens, and terracotta reds.

Her menu would be delectably simple:
-an assortment of nuts, olives and cheeses
-stuffed mushrooms
-grapes coated in blue cheese and walnuts
-turkey meatballs
-prosciutto chips with fried artichoke (much easier than they sound)
-and a bruschetta station consisting of little toasts and various toppings: tomato bruschetta, pesto spread, artichoke bruschetta, etc.

And everything could be prepared in advance and simply assembled the day of! But the grand finale was yet to come—the gifts for their guests. Little bottles filled with the most delicious olive oil, and decorated with a handmade label. It was simple, buy a large bottle of good olive oil at the shop in the mall, several small bottles with lids, and basic Avery sticker paper at the office supply store. Eccola: a small taste of Tuscany for each guest to take home. Che bella.

I kissed my darling little friend--now slumped on my shoulder trying to catch his breath--and thanked him for his ingenious idea. Angel or devil, he had just become my new best friend.