Christmas Party

Friday night was my Christmas party in my flat - first time I had my friends from grad school over (I use the term "party" loosely, it was actually only 11 people). It went great. I love preparing for a gathering/party. To me it's sometimes more fun than the actual event! My flat looks much brighter here than it really was because of the flash - I actually had all the lights off and had 24 tea lights lining all my windows and shelves, as well as the lights from the Christmas tree. For food, I made a Mediterranean-esque mini-buffet of snacks. Note how everything is red and green! There was a cheese platter (but of course!) with crackers and Milano salami, lemon and coriander hummus, zucchini and red peppers pan-grilled in oil and garlic, two types of mini baguette bites: one with sundried tomato paste, feta cheese, and a green olive slice, and the other with basil pesto spread, feta cheese, and a sundried tomato slice, and finally a cold pasta salad (fussili pasta with chopped red and green peppers, green calamata olives cut in half, red kidney beans, and capers, with an olive oil/balsamic vinegar/garlic/basil/oregano dressing, topped with grated parmigiano cheese). Dessert (not pictured) was a Belgian chocolate log with a plate of raspberries, strawberries, and green grapes, plus stuff that others brought. All washed down with - well - never mind - but it was Christmassy! Everything other than the hummus, cheese platter, and dessert was homemade, and actually didn't take that long to prepare. Each guest brought an ornament for my tree (some store-bought and some homemade like a London Tube map cut into a snowflake), and each guest got to take a mini chocolate Santa and a candy cane hanging on the tree for themselves. Just some ideas for any of you who might be having a Christmas party these next couple of weeks! Or just wait for me to come and plan it for you. Sometimes I wonder whether I should just drop out of grad school, forget all about the PhD, come home and become a Kuwaiti Martha Stewart.

(Btw, off topic, I'm starting to like the look of the scaffolding outside my window because at night it actually makes it look like an NYC apartment with a fire escape outside. Makes me feel like taking out my ukelele and singing "Moon River" like Holly Golightly in "Breakfast at Tiffany's".)