Christmas gift

Alicia gave us dinner, planned and cooked by her, for our Christmas gift.  It was SOOOO wonderful.   She busied herself in the kitchen most of the day.  I kept popping in to see if I could help but each time she said, "no thanks...I'm fine".   It was really hard not to help, but she insisted on doing it all herself.

She sent an invitation and requested that we attend in formal attire, so we did!

We went outside while Alicia was in the kitchen and rang the door bell!  This is the first time that I have worn the fur coat that Reynald bought me a few years ago at a thrift store!  

Reynald, appreciating the beautiful table.

Alicia has a collection of Mason Vista dishes, that she used for this dinner party.

My mom and dad had these dishes when they were first married.  Over the years mom got rid of all but one piece.  Alicia loved that one little tea pot, and has been collecting the dishes for the last ten years or more!

This salad looked so pretty in the Masons bowl.  

Stuffed mushroom for our appetizer.  So good!

Roasted pork loin topped with a cranberry/apple/ginger sauce.  Mmmmm!

Spaghetti squash, salad, roast pork loin and the stuffed mushrooms.   It was a million dollar meal!

And for dessert, a souffle with a raspberry sauce.  She found the raspberries in the freezer that I processed this summer.

These salt and pepper shakers were my grandma Berna's.  She loved to cook and would be so proud of how both girls are carrying on the tradition of preparing tasty food and sharing with so many friends and family.  

What a fun gift this was.  It was a memorable evening to be sure!