Progressive Dinner

Saturday evening 20 or so ladies from our church went on a progressive dinner. We gathered at church to meet/greet, gather in two groups and enjoy an appetizer of strawberry soup and accompaniments. Each group went to three homes, one for salad, one for main dish, one for dessert. It was a delightful evening! What began as a very windy evening, ended so relaxed.

Our salad course was hosted by Joan, who set such an elegant table!

We all loved how Joan folded the napkin folded into a rose bud.

Ladies in my group were: Judy, Elaine, Tina, Brenda, Rosemary.

Hostess Joan, Lisa, Della, Cathy, and Donata. We would catch up with Gail, our main course hostess at her home.

We began by going around the table introducing ourselves.  There were women I knew fairly well, some not so much, some not at all, so it was a very sweet time. Because we were on a schedule for our hostesses, we would finish our "story-telling" at Gail's. Theses are some of the things we learned:

• All but one (I think) was born on a farm (yes, even I was born on a farm!)
• All but one (that would be me!) has lived in Kansas/Missouri all her life (big surprise there!)
• Four of the gals were/are teachers.
• Three of the gals were/are nurses or PA.
• Three of the gals have grandchildren/great-grandchildren of mixed ethnicities.
• Three of the gals have daughters getting married between now and July.
• Two are expecting grandbabies in the next two months. 
• Two are great-grandmas.
• Two of the gals are cancer survivors.
• Each lady has "something" that she is dealing with in her life; big, life-changing issues, yet all have the common bond of being a sister in Christ. Very sweet!

We were so busy touring Gail's new home and admiring her collection of depression glass, that I failed to get photos.  Such a shame. Gail prepared a yummy pasta dish with chicken, broccoli, and orecchiette pasta in a yummy Alfredo sauce. Orecchiette pasta is shaped in a round disk with a little hollow in the center (good for collecting sauce!). Orecchiette means "ear" in Italian, and I've heard it called "pigs' ear" pasta on TV cooking shows. No matter what it's called, it is delicious.

We ended our delightful evening with dessert at Brenda's home. She set tables on her deck, which was mostly protected from the wind. She prepared a beautiful dessert called, Pavlova.  It is a yummy meringue dessert named for the Russian ballet dancer, Anna Pavlova. Brenda served it on a "squiggle" of chocolate sauce and topped with fresh strawberries. Delicious!

Our lovely hostesses: Joan (salad), Gail (main course), and Brenda (dessert).

What a lovely evening it was sitting around candle-lit tables, getting to know one another! It was such fun to see each home, and appreciate the hospitality of each hostess.

Feeling blessed.