Valentine Soiree'

My mother's birthday is Valentine's Day and we had a Valentine's soiree' for her this weekend. My sister, Carole, came up on Friday and we sat in front of Pinterest planning our soiree'. Then we shopped, decorated, and cooked.

The soiree' started with Turkey Creek muscadine wine down by the fire pit.

Then back up to the house for dinner.

We started with a sweetheart salad.

Then roasted asparagus with balsamic butter, roasted butternut squash, and Love Birds (chicken in puff pastry). 

During the weekend we also had a little project- violet sugar cookies. A fellow Master Gardener had made these for the garden seminar last weekend and they were just so sweet. She told us how to make them and we were excited to try it.

Sorry!! There weren't many left by the time I took a picture!

We used Carole's basic sugar cookie recipe. We rolled the dough to 1/4 inch, cut out the shapes, and cooked them all but the last 2-3 minutes of the called-for cooking time.

 We pulled them out of the oven and brushed each cookie (one at the time) with an egg wash. Then took a violet and removed the stem and little leaves from beneath the petals. Next we laid the violet onto the egg washed cookie. (Most of the time the petals came apart after cutting off the stem, but don't despair! They are easy to rearrange on the cookie.)

When the flower was in place, we brushed it with egg wash and sprinkle the whole cookie with sugar.  Then returned the cookies to the oven for their final 2-3 minutes of baking.

The cookies were fun. The whole weekend was fun.

Of course, it is easy to have fun when putting on a soiree' for our sweet mother, Honey Pot!! She's just a fun girl! Here she is dressed up as her favorite imaginary girl, Cinderella Suitcase Smith! 

Love you, Honey!

Looking forward to next year's soiree'

Sheen

I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. 

~Abraham Lincoln

You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them. 

~Desmond Tutu

***A special shout out to my amazing husband without who soirees' would never happen! Thank you for tending the fire, emptying the trash and dishwasher, keeping ice and water in everyone's glasses, buying bird food for Dad and a car for Carole; and all of that after being out of town on business for a week. You deserve a medal!!