This involved cooking a Saturday Lunch of 5 Italian Courses, a Pizza Dinner and a Sunday Lunch of numerous fish courses and dessert.
But let me tell you more, for this was no ordinary weekend!
It was Maggie's 70th Birthday party.
Maggie is my lovely boss.
A tower of strength, an inspiration and a true pleasure to have worked for.
Me and Maggie on the day! Just look at her smile!!
And although I do not have a picture of the house I do, however, have a picture of the view from the kitchen window and you can just imagine what an experience it was to cook looking out to this view.
All the guests were family or life long friends of Maggie's and what a truly lovely, warm and welcoming bunch they were!
They had a wonderful time and were very keen to tell me how much they'd enjoyed the food.
All in all they made the experience truly memorable.
Still, what made it all the more special for me, was seeing Maggie, walking into the kitchen, when it was all over, with such a warm and genuine smile of happiness and contentment.
Only then did I feel I had done a good job!
And in true Foodie Blogger style, lets talk menu.
I have to say I started cooking on the Friday night and literally did not stop until Sunday afternoon. No lunch breaks, no rests, short sleeps.
Was I shattered? Very much so! Did I love it? Every second of it, and would definitely do it all over again!
I have to say I couldn't have done it too, without my assistant's help who did all the washing up and clearing up!!
You know who you are and how grateful I will always be for your undeniable support.
But I digress! Yes, the food!
For Saturday Lunch we agreed the guests should have a full-on Italian experience.
And such was the MENU:
Campari Fruit Punch
With Antipasti
Parma Ham and Honeydew Melon
THE STARTERS
Risotto Alla Milanese
Lasagna Al Ragu
Tortellini
Creamy Baked Spinach and Potato Pasta
Barbecued Chicken
With Mediterranean Salad
And Homemade Bread (Baked in a Real Pizza Oven)
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Fresh Fruit Salad
VIGNOLA CHERRIES AND CREAM CAKE
And we wanted to make full use of that gorgeous pizza oven in the garden, so what better way to celebrate a Saturday night than with Homemade Pizza!!!
It was a buffet style meal. The food placed on a big table and the guests just helped themselves.
For the STARTERS
Fresh Tuna Kebabs
Calamari
Seafood Kebabs
Garlic King Prawns
For the Main Course
Fresh Grilled Tuna
Barbecued Fish
But on with the dessert which was a huge success.
Baked Bananas in a Cinnamon Syrup with Fresh Cream
But before I get on to it, in order to prevent any boredom, if you would like the recipe for any of those meals, just drop me a line or I might even post one of them here and there, every now and again!
So, just for you, loyal reader, here is the recipe for those yummy Garlicky King Prawns!
GARLIC TIGER PRAWNS/SHRIMP
INGREDIENTS
Serves 2 generously
4 cloves of garlic
250mls of good quality white whine
200 gs of butter
500gs of raw shelled prawns -or de-shelled, depending on taste but they should be raw as they will absorb more flavour
2 whole lemons
DIRECTIONS
1. Melt the butter in a frying pan on a medium heat until it starts to foam
2. Peel the garlic and place the garlic clove-whole- in the butter and fry gently for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the garlic when golden.
3. Pour the wine into the butter and turn the heat to medium-high.
4. Add the King prawns/shrimp and cook for 4 to 6 minutes until they turn a nice deep pink.
5. Remove from the heat and squeeze a whole lemon over them
6. Slice your other lemon and serve the Prawns/Shrimp with the lemon slices.
I can't begin to tell you how popular this dish was with the crowd so I do hope you give it a try.
Just before I go, I would like to say a Very BIG THANK YOU to Mitchy for taking all the pics here. There's no way I would have been able to, otherwise!
So thank you, Mitchy, so very much, for taking the time and trouble to shoot all the food!!
