A Fond Farewell

A couple of weeks ago, two days after Kathy and I went to see Bobby Flay to be exact, I hosted a farewell party for my Personal Trainer and good friend Kathy. The send-off was at our home for about 40 guests, most of whom I didn't know. I chose a Southwest influenced menu because Kathy's new beau likes that type of food. And, well, let's be honest...I love Bobby Flay's recipes. I wanted everything to be easy to eat and serve. Steve and I have a gorgeous tropically landscaped backyard which is perfect for entertaining. We set up a buffet table on the patio with a colorful serape draped over a white cloth on a 6 foot table. As usual I planned to make way too much food and had to keep rearranging the table in order to make room for all of it. Of course I also planned for everything to be prepped, cooked and on the buffet when the guests arrived, but that didn't happen. Actually I think that Kathy's friends liked watching me prepare their food. They all asked if they could help, which I declined. Steve said I was enjoying myself so much that he could see how passionate I am about cooking. We served Frozen Margaritas, wine and beer. I never would have even considered the frozen drink if we didn't have a Vitamix blender. Steve was the bartender and he said it was so easy to make batch after batch of perfectly smooth frozen drinks in a matter of seconds. And they went down so easily making everyone VERY relaxed and happy. All of the recipes I used came from Bobby's "Mesa Grill" cookbook. They were all easy to make and extremely "Flayvorful". All of our guests oohed and aahed over the food which made me quite happy. Once again I thank you Bobby for your bold flavors and wonderful contrast of textures. By the end of the evening we all felt as though we had been friends for years and a great time was had by all, including the chef!

Kathy's Farewell Party Menu