Morocco

Shannon and Ben hosted another smashing success. We were transported. And stuffed to the gills by the time we rolled out of there. Sit-down dinner for thirty. All the furniture removed in their dining and living room. Low tables with cushions. Candles burning. A stormy night. A two and a half hour power outage occurring the instant the main course was ready to be served. Games by lantern light.

The menu was incredible. Shannon had done a bit of research and found that Moroccan cuisine is often a blend of the best of French, Mediterranean, Spanish, and African food.

She started us off with appetizers of olives, hummus and pita chips, and stuffed dates. We drank pomegranate ginger punch and ate grape pecan salad and carrot orange salad. My grandmother cooked an authentic steaming dish of couscous served in her large Moroccan bowls. We finished off the evening with Greek Walnut Pie, Pumpkin Semolina Cake and Moroccan mint tea.

My mom's parents joined us for the first time. Fifty years ago they were living in Morocco as missionaries (with my mother and her two brothers). My grandfather created a wonderful slide show with pictures from their travels and time spent there, complete with Moroccan music. My grandmother helped Shannon with the couscous. We were delighted with all they added to our party!

Holly and Ivy. You just can't have a Christmas party without Holly and Ivy. Grin.