Sharing the Leftovers

New Year's Day we joined with two other couples, our concert-going friends, for a feast of leftovers. Everyone cleaned out their refrigerators and brought the food they didn't want or shouldn't be eating during the new year. It was a lot of fun and and the food was fantastic.


Debbie hosted and fed us gourmet cheeses from the exclusive cheese store in town -- truffles embedded in mild aged cheese, blue, brie, and other assorted delights along with crackers from a huge brandy snifter type bowl. Deb also provided the husbands with lasagna which all the men were delighted to dig into.


Nancy brought tiny meatloaf sandwiches in egg buns and homemade lemon poppy seed bread. I had spiral cut ham from Houston along with an assortment of ham sandwich cheese to put on wheat bread with the crusts removed. Also I had some pimento cheese spread from Braums, picked up in Oklahoma on our journey home.

Both Nancy and Deb had an assortment of desserts -- cookies and chocolate bars with fresh whipped cream, peanut brittle, fudge. Nancy brought the eggnog and bourbon. Tom brought the assortment of exotic teas.


We sat around Deb's table and told stories of our respective Christmases. Nancy and Tom had the grandkids. Deb and Lou were recovering from Lou's hip replacement surgery. I had tales of the emergency room gout visit before Christmas. Hubby and I told of warm Houston weather and Karaoke parties.

We had a great start for the New Year. Normally Deb has an open house on New Year's but I actually prefer this type of get-together: sitting around a table with dear friends, great food, family stories, and lots of laughter. Finally, we divvied up the goodies, Deb presented us each with our own loaf of tea bread and everyone went home, sated with good food, good company, and good wishes.