Jena's bunko night of delectables!

Ok, so I play Bunko once a month.  We have the most amazing group!  As we roll the dice the screams of joy resound throughout the room.  If you are lucky enough to achieve a "Bunko" roll you are entitled to wear the princess crown and bracelet.  Sometimes the crown is passed often, and each of us reluctantly hand it over.  Last night was a little sticky at times; too many Bunkos and well, Lynn and Val and Pam had to have a playoff!  And, NO, the crown is not real jewels if you were wondering, but, you sure would think so!

The good news is, the food and wine flows all evening long.  I catered the evening last night.  We had delicious bruschetta oozing with garlic, juicy tomatoes and basil.  We also enjoyed some Old Bay shrimp cocktail with a spicy cocktail sauce, and lump crab-stuffed tomatoes.  I made my favorite chicken salad.  Why is it my favorite?  Well, it is my favorite because it's not ordinary at all.  I add tarragon which is a very fragrent herb, and I also add chopped walnuts to the salad.  I bake the chicken with the skin on to ensure moist chicken breast meat and I do not add onion because it overpowers the salad.  A little celery, mayo, salt and pepper do the rest of the work.  It seems simple and it is, but, you must do the little tricks I shared to ensure a big success.  Croissants don't hurt the total package topped with fresh mesculin greens.  This is a yummy, decadent,  fresh sandwich.

Instead of your next tossed lettuce salad, try this option:  A four vegetable salad.  I used blanched green beans, asparagus, peas and fresh spinach leaves dressed in a lemon, tarragon vinagrette dressing and toasted pine nuts.  Talk about a healthy salad that tastes great with the chicken salad.  It is always a good idea to "marry" your flavors together dish to dish.  They will compliment one another when you do so.

The sweet, sunny, indulgence of the evening was the lemon bars.  Made from scratch of course, as all my food is.  The fragrence from the oils of the fresh lemon zest were a bouquet in your mouth. The lady of the evening was the garnish of a ruby red raspberry with a bright green mint leaf.  Sweet, creamy, lemon on top of a flaky crust, topped with the classic powdered sugar that melts in your mouth.  The pop of the juicy raspberry was a perfect curtain call to this sweet indulgence. By the evening's end we all were trending a new lip color of white powdered sugar and bibs to match.  While I personally didn't win any cash, we did decide to donate all our future winnings to The Ada Jenkins Center. in Davidson, NC.  That is what I call a personal win.   Thank you for traveling with me to my catering event and  Bunko!