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Now I know that some of y'all are waiting for food photos. Soon. First I'd like to share the above. The ever-so-kind, Chilebrown realized that her had a prior commitment yesterday. So he stopped by before my party to drop off this lovely item. Guess I need to get some propane so that I can start grilling. Thanks so much for the lovely gift.


Now onto the food.


There was my usual fig and walnut tapenade with goat cheese.


There was the usual veggie tray. I decided to change up the dip though. This time around it contained a mixture of sun-dried tomatoes, green olives, marinated artichoke hearts and a bunch of other stuff.


There was my usual Spanish tortilla...


as well as the mini crab and parmesan quiches.


And I brought back an old favorite, spanakopita.


For something new, I made these pork meatballs. They were supposed to be in the almond sauce but I made them last and just didn't have the energy to do the sauce. People seemed to like them just fine unsauced though.


Now I always make shrimp but I wanted something really different and when I saw this recipe, I knew I had found a winner. So much so that when I tasted a shrimp from the batch I made Friday night that I would have to get up early Saturday morning to buy more shrimp. (In total I made three pounds. If I was serving it as a main course, I'd probably go for the full ten pounds.) Good call on my part because at the end of the evening there was not a single shrimp left. In fact the only thing leftover were the quiches. Then again I did make 6 dozen of those suckers. Fortunately they freeze well.

There were also some deviled eggs. I'd share them with you but I'd rather not as they are one of the many reasons from this weekend that I'd rather not speak to my mother. Other than the jabs at me, I must say that she was rather well-behaved though. And now that I'm "home," I have decided that I'm just not going to let her drag me into her crazy.

Instead I am going to savor being in my own home. Where I get to make the rules. And that so many wonderful friends and family members came to help me celebrate the day. And that they all got to meet one another. As it stands now, I think I have two future girls' nights to attend as well as a princess tea party. And there's even a possibility of some catering work. And I think that all of this outweighs the other stuff. The stuff in which I am helpless and never right. Because I know that that's not who I am.

Which first?

My dad is not big on shopping. Before my stepmother's death, I would have to go to Sacramento before Christmas so that I could assist him with his shopping. And yes, that includes his gift to me. For my birthday, I tell him what I want and how much it costs. He then sends me a check for the cost of the item. I had decided after receiving my bonus check that I should buy at least one treat for myself. When I told my dad about my planned purchase, he said that he would be sending the check so that it would be my Christmas gift from him.

And in case you're not sure what it is, it's an ice cream maker. I've been wanting one for many years but decided that I should really hold out for one that has its own compressor. So now the question is what flavor first?