I can hardly believe its been 2 years since I married The Hubbz; time does fly when fun is being had. Of course, I can’t do anything by the book, and as busy as we’ve been, I had to plan our anniversary get-together a month after the date. The important thing is that we celebrated it and a great time was had by all.

I fussed around the kitchen. Planned an impressive “easy” menu for our guests. HA! T’was easy, but it wasn’t quick. Well, each dish was quick, maybe if I had stopped at 3 or 4. But I didn’t. Why would I? I mean, c’mon! True to form, I overdid it, but that’s the beauty of it, overdoing it because you love to and because you love who you do it for.

Inspired by my visit to Argentina, I wanted to serve a platter of fiambres, aka charcutterie, yes, cold cuts. Very good and tasty cold cuts. I was impressed by the way the restaurants in Buenos Aires serve these platters, they take such care in the presentation, so I mimicked it. The Hubbz told me to take pictures of it before guests arrived. I didn’t. I was running late. So I don’t have a picture to show off. But it was piled with jamón serrano, chorizo, pepper crusted salami, prosciutto, and various cheeses. It was as gorgeous as it was delicious.

This wasn’t a brunch or a dinner, just a few appetizer type things. There was a thick bacon cut into chunks then set atop boiled mini potatoes with a bit of piquillo pesto. To DIE…, no pictures. Sorry. I suck. There was a dish filled with my Mom’s meatballs in wine sauce. and some delicious tomato tartelettes. No pictures. BUT these are sooooooooooo easy. Puff pastry, cut into 2-in squares, topped with cheese of your choice and thinly sliced tomatoes. I allowed the tomatoes to marinate in a bit of truffle oil, salt & pepper, before topping the tarties. Then baked till golden. The same idea as the tomato tart I made a few months back, just in cute bite-size.

There was Langostinos con Clavos, a Spanish recipe calling for shrimp to be poached in a broth scented with cloves. Also on the lineup, crostini topped with a salmon cocktail, which turned out to be a cool and refreshing bite. Both of these recipes will be in a future post.

And Pandebono, a traditional Colombian bread, made with cheese and tapioca flour (which comes from yuca!). These were a hit!

I served a tropical fruit cocktail and 2-year-old wedding cake that tasted as good as it did on our wedding day. Really, it did.

And since I’m the #1 Cocktail Fan, there were cocktails. This one is simply perfect for summer’s hot days. It’s cool, refreshing, sparkly, PERFECT.

Lemon Champs!

In a flute, drop a couple of scoops of lemon sorbet and top with your favorite sparkling wine, I used Spanish cava. A lemon garnish and sip. No photo for you, but trust me. Super yum and refreshing!

Do you think I went just a tad overboard?

Happily yours,
Anamaris

Tagged as: appetizer, cocktail, cooking, easy, Entertaining, food, fruit, memories, quick, seafood, shrimp, Sweet Desserts