bon vivant: A Soup Luncheon

I've been cooking lately. No, really, I have.
I know. I've been a horrible blogger here. I know you want more pictures of the food that I make. And more formulas for my culinary experiments. I have been cooking a lot lately and haven't gotten anything written down.
I will try to get something interesting written down and posted, so that any of the people who read this blog and are getting bored will have something to look at/read. :)

This week my sisters, my cronies and I had a little luncheon.
I'm already plotting the next one, I need an excuse to make little party favors and new recipes.

On the menu for this weeks party:

*Roast Beef stew (I braised the beef before putting it in the slow cooker for 24 hours, and deglazed the pan when I was making the stock, this is a just a little more effort than I usually go to. Many times I'll just toss the beef in without doing anything to it. The resulting stew was worth every extra little detail, I will definately make it again. It also had portabella mushrooms and yellow onions, and some carmelized tomato paste: very, very good stuff)

*Split Pea and Ham Soup (this soup had almost miraculous self-thickening agents, talk of starch. I kept adding more liquid everytime I reheated the stuff and it never got any thinner. This soup was a lovely combination of 2 lb split peas, cooked according to package+2 c. diced ham+salt+black pepper+a little bit of cayenne pepper {it makes a difference, the soup isn't spicy, but it just add a little something more to the flavor}+a lot of dried marjoram {approx 1 T., I know that seems like a lot, but it's not overpowering in the least, it just brightens the flavor of the soup} and some chicken stock. I had the last of it for a midnight snack last night {why I was hungry then I don't really know, I'm not usually hungry. Period. I am the queen of whole grains and veggies and fruit, which makes for my feeling quite full after a meal})

*Roasted Garlic Bread (I made some fresh whole wheat bread {someone prod me and get me to click out and post my new and vastly improved all-whole-wheat bread recipe, which is so good} and tweaked the recipe just a little. I added some white vinegar to the mix, which is what my grandma adds to her rolls. It created a nice echo of sourdough in the final loaf. If I want a really deep, yeasty, tangy flavor, I'll have give it more time to do it's thing in the bowl. I then roasted some garlic with a little olive oil and salt. I then blended it up with a little more olive oil and spread it over the bread and toasted it in the oven. The resulting bread was a milder alter ego of garlicy garlic bread. It was very good, but next time I think that I was just a little more kick from the garlic)

*Orange Punch (one part frozen 100% orange juice concentrate to 3 parts club soda)

I served up some lovely strawberry ice cream and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in old-fashioned waffle cones for dessert. I'm kicking myself in because I forgot to take pictures of the dessert etc. Oh well. :)

The place setting.

Favor No. 1.

I will be posting the FREE TEMPLATE HERE: http://thegildedbee.blogspot.com/

Cardstock: Martha Stewart crafts/scrapbooking cardstock

striped bakers twine: http://www.caramelos.etsy.com/ in chocolate and white.

A color I passionately adore.

Tiffany blue.

This is even brighter than the pic shows.

This is one of my favorite ribbons of all time, it's a wide satin that I got in a close-out sale. I bought all the ribbon they had left in this shade and I'm rather hoarding it. I should find another source for this gorgeous stuff.