My tag line can now read “food a man will love and increase his business with.”
At midnight, Friday night, as this Cinderella was turning into a pumpkin, my husband came into the bedroom where I was laying somewhat like a car crash victim, the casualty of catering his grand opening party. Ever so sweetly he said, “I could have pulled this off. I could have gotten people there. But, I never could have made it the classy and special event it was without your touch. I love having you as my partner.”
Now, please don’t roll your eyes or think we are sickeningly gushy. We are more like Lucy and Ricky, than Romeo and Juliet.
But, while Lucy would have totally screwed up Ricky’s party because she would have insisted she perform against Ricky’s wishes and taking the spotlight with some mishap, I let the real musicians do that, and I did what I know how to do. I showed my love for my husband and my support of his business venture with food.
It is no easy task to prepare a cocktail party for 100 people, especially when I decided to build a cupcake stand and bake 150 cupcakes. This took a lot of my time during the week, and it left me very little time to get the appetizers prepared.
Somehow I managed to get it all done, although I could think of 100 ways I could have done things differently in putting together a party for 100 guests. And, this served as a great learning experience. The nicest note I got was from Doug’s marketing person telling me there was as much positive buzz about the food as there was about the showroom.
Rosemary Roasted Walnuts
One of my last minute additions to the party are these rosemary roasted walnuts. I made them while I was getting dressed and brought the bowl while the nuts were still warm. They were a big hit, not only delicious and a perfect nibble, but the smell of the rosemary set the right food mood. I also used white vases filled with sprigs of rosemary from my garden to decorate the bar table.
If you google other recipes for rosemary roasted walnuts, they will tell you to roast the walnuts for 15 minutes. Don’t. I tried it and it was a disaster. Five to six minutes at 400 degrees is all you need. Otherwise the nuts burn. Also, wait until you take the nuts out of the oven to add the rosemary to prevent bitterness. And, if you happen to have a splash of walnut oil, it’s a nice extra touch. You can substitute other nuts such as pecans or almonds or even mix the nuts up.
Recipe for Rosemary Walnuts
- 1 pound of raw walnuts
- 1 tablespoon walnut oil (optional)
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- Toss walnuts with just enough oil to coat. Add brown sugar and salt and toss again.
- Bake at 400 degrees on a flat baking pan (I used a stone) for 5-6 minutes. Toss with fresh rosemary immediately taking from oven. Taste for seasoning. Add more salt if needed.
Note: You can add in a dash of cayenne pepper to bring a little spice as an option.
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