A Happy (and fun) Ending!

In our house the Holiday Season officially comes to a close today.
Of course the tree would stay up past "Little Christmas" ~ just like when I was growing up.

And my Mother always gave us a little gift on that day too ~ such fond and heartwarming memories.

The reason we 'close' the Holiday Season today is because last night we held our annual Karate School Holiday Party.  Once a year (this was the 20th) my husband invites all the instructors and their wives/girlfriends to our home for this celebration.

These are wonderful people who are a tremendous help at the studio all year long and my husband likes to thank them in this way.

It is always a fantastic time with lots of great food, laughter and people (only 16 guests this year ~ about 6 people couldn't make it and we missed them all).

I get the house ready and then I cook...all day I cook...and prepare.  

Of course I cook mostly Japanese food for the party.  

My husband, he orders some sushi/sashimi trays and picks them up on his way home from work.

Last nights menu was a delicious delight.

(and the leftovers are minimal ~ not even enough for a meal)

Appetizers

Hot Wings (a must have)

Chips and Dip

Shrimp Cocktail

Garden Salad with homemade Sesame Dressing

Dinner

Sushi/Sashimi

Tonkatsu - Panko crusted Pork Cutlets

Yakisoba - Fried Noodles with sauteed onions, mushrooms and peppers

Rice (of course)

Steamed Sugar Snap Peas

Stuffed Mushrooms (from our friend Julia)

Dessert

Italian cookies with Raspberry Filling

Apple Crumb Cake

Diane's Fruit Tart (another must have for this crowd)

Fruit Platter

Hazelnut Creme Coffee

Even the dessert table was cleaned of the treats!  Must have been a hungry crowd this year and everyone loved every bite.

The guests arrived around 6pm and the last one left around 11:45pm.
Another successful party.

I cleaned up a little after the party.  The worst part is that I do not have a dish washer ~ other than my own two hands ~ so the dishes take a lot of time to wash ~ especially those beer, wine and sake glasses.

This morning I cleaned the kitchen and washed the kitchen floor...the rest will have to wait for...

Today ~ I sew...

Remember, have a super day and take some time to sew too.
Colleen