A Formal New Year’s Eve

So I’ve mentioned several times that I was in Denver over New Year’s Eve visiting my Mom and Stepfather.  I had made the suggestion a few months back that my brother and I go out to visit so our little girls could spend some time together with their “Grammy” at her house.  While I’m not so sure it was such a good idea to have a whirlwind of a holiday break like I did this year, it was nice to get together in a relaxed way….well, all relaxed except for New Year’s Eve.  At the time I made the suggestion to spend New Year’s together, I was unaware of my mother’s annual NYE party.  Apparently having a small-ish (10 couples) group of my stepfather’s co-workers over has become a tradition for them.  Usually one of the couples cooks and my mom and stepfather host.

Of course, this year they decided to do something differently.  This year it was a catered, seven course, black-tie optional affair.  I was all in.  We got T settled in the pack & play and I squeezed (seriously…squeezed) into a dress I wore back when the husband and I got married.  Then, I grabbed the camera and started taking photos!

Here’s a quick shot of the dining room before it was transformed for the party.

…and now here’s the dining room all set up and ready to party!

The tables were beautifully set with artisinal breadsticks, wine-infused butter and garlic tapenade.

But before we could eat, we had to mingle…which means passed hors d’oeuvres!

The potstickers were nearly gone before I even had a chance to try one!

The seared Ahi tuna was rich and creamy…no to mention so pretty to look at!

I’ll admit, I’m not much of an oyster fan, but these were displayed so beautifully!

When it was time to move on to dinner, we started with a winter salad that had a citrus punch with blood orange supremes.

Next, we moved on to the Pancetta-Wrapped Sea Scallop on top of an incredibly creamy risotto.  It’s so hard to make risotto for a crowd, and this was executed perfectly!

Following the sea scallop was a Lobster Bisque.  Don’t let the picture fool you, the bowls were served with large chunks of lobster meat and the bisque was poured on top at the table.  There’s something so fun about interactive dining!

The next course was supposed to be seared black cod, but due to the cod being unavailable, we were served Chilean Sea Bass instead.  This actually happened to be my favorite course.  Seriously, that Sea Bass was a.ma.zing.  Just remembering it now makes me wish I’d had some more. Yum. Yum. Yum.

Unfortunately, the only other course I got to photograph was the lamb chop (which followed a blood orange sorbet intermezzo).  T had decided she’d had enough of being away from the excitement and pulled me and the Husband away from the party pretty much until dessert.  Unfortunately, the camera ended up in the room with her once she finally settled down. (The picture of the lamb chop was taken during a brief period when we brought her out to see everyone…until she just decided it was all too much to handle and we had to put her back to bed.)

I wish I’d gotten the chance to photograph everything else for you.  The final two courses were a thyme roasted New York Strip (which I totally missed) and a dessert trio of Chocolate Souffle, Pumpkin Pie spiced Creme Brulee, and a miniature Cannoli (which I definitely ate…I never miss an opportunity for dessert!)

The dinner was timed beautifully with the Mountain Time showing of the ball drop; and then everything seemed to move so quickly.  Before I knew it, the caterers had replaced everything and everybody was gone.  All in all, it was a lovely way to ring in 2011!

P.S. – I want to give a shout out to Occasions by Sandy, who provided all the amazing food and allowed me to play photographer in between courses!