Sharing One More Holiday Party

Nicol Sayer Sugar Plum Snowman

I know we are into the New Year 

and Christmas 2009 is behind us, 

but I've one more holiday party to share with you. 

What with all the holiday rush, 

I didn't have time to post this earlier. 

I hope you don't mind. 

Baked Brie with Marinated Fruit

My husband had been longing to have prime rib for months, 

and with the house all decorated for the holidays, 

what better excuse to have a few friends over for dinner. 

 One of our guests brought a delicious appetizer. . . baked brie 

with marinated fruit served on a beautiful and unusual glass dish.

Neighborhood children stopped by 

to sing some Christmas carols. 

 How fortunate was that! 

 It gave the evening 

an extra special festive touch.

The tree in our dining room, 

topped with Courtly Check ribbon and 

decorated in part with MacKenzie-Childs ornaments, 

set the theme for the evening.

Dinner was served buffet style. 

 Snow people and candle glow 

filled the dining room windows.

The buffet continued the black and white theme 

with Nancy Thomas's New York Santa from her 1995 collection.

 We happened to be visiting Williamsburg 

during the holidays that year, and I 

instantly feel in love with Santa dressed in a tuxedo. 

 Nancy Thomas had designed these Santa figures 

to decorate the windows in one of the large 

New York department stores that Christmas. 

 The print is mounted on wood and framed in metal. 

 The Santa figure is carved from wood. 

 Click here to see more of Nancy Thomas's work.

The snow people are by Nicol Sayre, 

and the little silver tree is called a bullion tree. 

 It is made of coiled metal and just gets better with age. 

 The Snow Queen Angel cloche is also by Nicol Sayre. 

You can read a post about this little cloche here.

The Sugar Plum snowman is a 2005 design by Nicol Sayre, 

and his little friend is by Dee Faust designs for Bethany Lowe. 

 The Let it Snow figure is a 2007 design by Nicol Sayre.

This little bell ringer in his green 

snow suit is by Debbee Thibault, 2005.

Christmas red napkins tied with 

courtly check ribbon held the flatware.

The lime green of the lemon cyprus topiary 

with hot pink cyclamen added just the perfect 

punch of color to the black and white theme.

Prime rib roast 

was the main dish.

Served with au jus 

and horseradish sauce.

Roasted baby carrots, haricots verts 

with roasted baby tomatoes, wild rice salad 

with dried sour cherries, and fresh bread 

were both beautiful and delicious.

Dessert was Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake 

with fudge icing, whipped cream, and raspberries.

The dessert service is St. Nick transfer ware in red by Spode. It was made exclusively for Williams-Sonoma. These plates were from 2004. This series is now retired.

The mugs are also the 2004 edition of

 St. Nick Christmas series by Spode for Williams-Sonoma.

Each guest left with a party favor, 

a petite box of chocolate truffles.

Recipe for the Texas Sheet Cake:

Sift together: 2 cups flour and 2 cups of sugar

Put in a pan: 1 stick of butter, 1/2 cup of Crisco, 4 T. cocoa, and 1 cup of water.

Bring this to a boil and pour over the flour and sugar. Add 1/2 cup buttermilk, 2 eggs slightly beaten, 1 tsp. soda, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix and pour in a greased 11" x 16" jellyroll pan. Bake 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees.

While the cake is baking melt and bring to a boil: 1 stick of butter, 4 T cocoa, and 6 T sweet milk. Then add 1 box powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 cup pecans. Spread the icing on the cake while the cake is still hot.

Goodbye to the Warm Colors of Fall - Welcome to the Pinks of a New Season

Pink Peonies, Sunflowers, & Tulips

This lovely arrangement was a "thank you" from one of dinner guests Thursday evening. These pink peonies are luscious and fill the room with perfume. I absolute adore the fall season and the rich, earthy colors that we all associate with autumn, but I'm ready to welcome the pinks and brighter colors of the holiday season ahead.

Wooden Tom Turkey

So I said good-bye to the browns and oranges of turkeys, pumpkins, and fall leaves as I packed things up until next year. I don't know about you, but having Thanksgiving late in the month makes me feel pushed into the Christmas season. I like a bit of time to savor one holiday before rushing headstrong into the next. But with December just days away, I'm packing up the fall decor and readying the house for the sparkle of the Christmas season.

Lemon Cyprus Topiary with Acorns

I took the lemon cyprus topiary with its accent of little acorns that were scattered around the base out of the brown cachepot . . .

Lemon Cyprus Topiary with Pink Cyclamens

and put the topiary into an antique French faience jardiniere by Geo Martel. Then I surrounded it with hot pink cyclamen plants. It instantly took on a whole new look. I will eventually plant the little 4 inch pots of cyclamen outside in the garden, but for now they brighten our dining room table.

Cyclamen plants are by far my favorite winter annual for my garden. They bloom well into spring, and a few even continue on into the summer months. The leaves have a silvery mottling pattern and the blooms can be quite fragrant. I've just planted some of this hot pink variety in the pots on our front porch, and I delight in the fresh fragrance as I walk up the steps. I planted white ones in the beds along the walk and around the base of a pot of purple fountain grass that is by the front door. I like to use white blooming plants near the house because they reflect the light at night.

More Pink Cyclamen in Handpainted Italian Planter

I was still satiated from Thursday evening's Thanksgiving celebration, and spent some time Friday afternoon with a cup of tea while visiting some of my favorite blogs. After my stop at 1st Floor Flat, Susie's art work had me craving a bit of something sweet. Do go by Susie's and have a look at her "Kitchen Collection"; new work that she has hanging in a Gallery Show. I think you'll find it a delightful treat. Susie is a freelance artist and designer based in London and works in mixed media.

Thank you for stopping by today. Please leave a comment below. I love to hear from each of you.

And "Thank You" to Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound for organizing Pink Saturdays for all of us who want a little PINK in our lives.