Party Time

 

I'm having a birthday this weekend, and I've decided to host a party. Yeah, I know, but this way I get to control everything. Who comes, what to eat and what kind of cake. Since I am a pretty good cook I know the food will be good, and I get to have a cake I actually want to eat.

I'm having a salsa and chips party. I'm making a Salsa Board (think charcuterie but with different kinds of salsas and a variety of chips). Since the salsas and chips need bowls, I've already figured out what's going in what, and last night I washed the bowls I would need. Yes, I made a detailed checklist of what groceries I needed to buy and when to prepare what. I've invited about two dozen people and I expect 16 to 18 will attend. It's a mix of family (obligatory) and friends and coworkers. 

I'm quite looking forward to it. I've actually tested some of the salsas I will be making and I absolutely love what is called Taco Truck Guacamole, which is a Salsa Verde made with tomatillos, Serrano peppers and avocado. I plan to have the usual red salsas along with a black bean salsa, a corn salsa, a mango salsa and a tomato habanero salsa (at least one of my guests is a "hothead" and I aim to please.) I'll also have a bowl of Queso (the easy kind: Velveeta cheese with Ro-Tel tomatoes) and a Seven-Layer Dip.

For drinks I've got a bin full of bottled water, small cans of ginger ale and some nifty fruit drinks.

For cake I'm making Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy. 

In theory anyway.

I upgraded my phone, and the software that adds a watermark won't work so for now you get to see only one photo.

My retirement date is fast approaching, and I am almost at the place where the number of vacation days I have to use is half the days I have left to work. I do not want to work five days a week and stop working three weeks earlier than my R-date. I've been working four day weeks for a couple of months now and I really like it. I tell folks I am "practicing" being retired. Week after next I will work three days a week until my last day. Feels weird.

The company just moved to an entirely new manufacturing software, so EVERYTHING has changed and it's been quite a lot. I'm happy to be busy instead of bored, but it is fatiguing. I will not miss it.

I now have 120 yellow scrap slab triangles, and I have to figure out what color to do next. 

If my party wasn't this weekend, I'd be in the studio, but instead I've been getting my house ready for guests and shopping for ingredients. I made an excel spreadsheet to work out exactly how much chopped red onion I need (1-3/4 cups) and how many limes (8) and avocados (6) I need. Since avocados need time to ripen, I bought some today so they will be ready for Sunday.

Since it's MY PARTY and I'll cry if I want to, so to speak (RIP to Richard Simmons, who passed this past week) I also ordered a HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner and a BIRTHDAY GIRL t-shirt with silver glitter, because, why the hell not? I plan on having fun.

To whoever who asked for the recipe for the strawberry yogurt ice cream sandwiches, I promise to post it, but I've been kinda busy.