Saturday recap

Wow! It's finally Sunday and I am exhausted. We have been entertaining all week. Last night Mark, our friend Mona, and I put together a going away party at our place for our friend Jyoti. It was a huge success and so much fun. A very fitting way to send off our dear Jyoti to law school.

Since we expected 15-25 people, Mark and I rearranged furniture to allow for seating on the patio and seating in the dining area, so we had 3 different spaces for people to gather. Of course the dining area was the most happening because that's where we had all the food and drinks.


We made white bean dip, hummus, and caramelized onion dip and set out crackers and goat cheese with various toppings (harissa, dill, honey), as well as the obligatory tortilla chips and salsa. The caramelized onion dip was the most popular - at least until the desserts came out. Mark made pavlova! Pavlova was the dessert that made me fall in love with real whipped cream (and possibly Mark).


I don't know what I like most about pavlova. Is it the crunchy yet light layers of meringue? Is it the mouthfeel of velvety whipped cream and bitter chocolate sauce? Wait, it has to be the tartness of the berries contrasting with the sugary meringue. I love it all.

We also had a Scotch/Irish/Canadian whiskey tasting on the balcony. Scotch is the most loved around here: Glenfiddich (12 years), The Famous Grouse (not sure, but it was blended), Glenlivet (12 years), Laphroig (10 years). From the Irish camp we had Powers. From Canada we had Crown Royal.


The tasting was excellent. The unanimous favorite was Laphroaig, which was peaty, smooth, and so flavorful. But for me, the main thing I got out of it was tasting the difference between the single malts and the blended stuff like Famous Grouse or Crown Royal, or even the difference between Irish whiskey and Scotch. Mark has been slowly but steadily getting me to appreciate Scotch - essential, he says, for our future (unplanned) trip to Scotland to visit his old schoolmates. For my part, I have been slowly but steadily getting him to admit that he is open to the existence of Nessie.

My favorite part of the party was the dancing to cheesy pop (there will no photographic evidence in this medium, sorry), but the best part was that so many people came out to wish Jyoti the best. We are sending her off in a big way!