The Traditional Spanish Fiest This Gourmet Dinner Club gathering was held on August 11th, 2001

Our guests for the evening were Mike and Jim's sister Carol and her husband Gus. They have been our guests before and we always have lots of fun when they are around listening to tales of the Werts as kids.... And they do have some stories to tell......

Appetizers

The dinner started with Tapas. This is what the Spanish call a table full of appetizers. Jim and Judy prepared for us some Spicey Sausgage Bits in red wine sauce and also a dish of Garlic Mushrooms. Along with these two tastey dishes were bowls of Spanish Olives and delicious crusty bread. Judy also made her own Sangria. Traditional red with lots of fruit floating about and a white Sangria with Peaches. Both were excellent.

After our appetizers and drinks we gathered around our dining table for the evening. Judy had made up a beautiful table on their back porch. It was a semi rainy summer night and it was perfect place top party. The wine was flowing and the authentic music was playing in the background and I almost though I was on the Mediterranian.

Soup Rink and Annette brought soup. Annette used several recipes and created a delicious Gaspacho. A delicious and fresh soup served cold. One of my favorites.

Salad Mike and Maureen brought the salad and it was time to dish it out. They served us a rather exotic mixture of Radicchio and other greens tossed with Peppered Almonds and topped with "Spanish Blue Cheese".

Main Dish Now it was time for our main course. Jim, the masterful chef that he is, created a fantastic and very authentic Spanish Paella. This is a "large" pan full of rice flavored with seafood, sausage, and vegetables. It is the most classic Spanish Dish you could make and Jim did it to perfection. Clams, Mussles, shrimp, Chillian Sea Bass, it was out of this world.

Side Dish To go with the Paella, Sally and I brought our side dish. We made a spanish recipe we thought looked good, Baked Tomatoes stuffed with Orzo Pasta and Olives. We also made something called Mediterranian Spinach which was a mixture of fresh spinich and cooked tomatoes topped with Feta Cheese.

What a fantastic plate of food it was!!

Coffee anyone? After we finished our meal we were offered coffee before desert. Some of us drank coffee and some of us just kept drinking whatever we had been drinking all night. The Werts were making us all laugh histerically at stories of them as kids and the tricks and jokes they use to play on each other. Stories about the trouble they use to get into were the funniest.

Here comes desert.

Carol, whom we named "Desert Queen", brought us three deserts. She brought us two different cakes and a pudding thing that was yum! I don't remember what everthing was called but a picture says a thousand words. There was a spice cake, and a fruit tart, and the nutty pudding thing. We sure ate good tonight.

Time now to sit back and party up.... Which we did till quite late. Another fine Gourmet Dinner Club gathering was over and it was time to get on home. Next gathering will be at Mike and Maureens. Thanks go out to Judy and Jim for having us in their home and hosting a great dinner party. Thanks also to the other members for coming up with great dishes for the theme and Thanks to Carol and Gus for being great guests. (again)

Click the following link to view the pictures I took that evening.
http://community.webshots.com/album/19617267zEHyYwMZnI