Derby Party Recap

Wow- I'm exhausted.  This momma (to-be) is going to be relaxing on the couch all day with my feet up.

We had a blast at our Kentucky Derby Party.  Everyone came dressed in style, we had plenty of food and drink, and the betting was intense.  I love entertaining but entertaining while in my third trimester is not as easy... it really takes a lot out of you to prepare food, do decorations, and entertain!

Sarah and I

Jeff, Donnie, and Jeff

My friends all asked what they could do to help but when I entertain I really like to be in control and prepare the food and decorations.  Especially for the derby because I like to serve "Derby" food and not some of the normal dishes I serve at our other parties.

Flowers:
This year I created my own vases of flowers.  Since it is the Derby roses were a necessity.  The vases and shells were left over from my wedding flowers and I bought some roses and babybreath.

Food:
I love cooking... the menu is always homemade! This year the menu consisted of pulled pork tenderloin with rolls and coleslaw, Benedictine Spread (traditional derby dip), Quiche Lorraine, Pasta Salad, Avocado Bruchetta, Ham & Cheese Hawaiian sliders, Spinach dip, black bean and corn salsa, ranch dip with veggies, Greek dip, watermelon with mint, tortellini skewers, and bourbon balls. Some highlights are shown below:

Greek Dip with Pita Chips- light cream cheese with fresh dill, hummus, cucumbers, tomatoes, pepperchinis, feta cheese

Main Table Spread--  (up front spinach dip in a bread bowl)

Benedictine Spread- light cream cheese, cucumber and onion (mixed in food processor and squeezed dried), fresh dill

Tortellini Skewers: green olive, mozzarella, tortellini, rosemary ham, deli pepperoni

Watermelon with mint and Bourbon Balls (chocolate, sugar, vanilla wafers, bourbon, pecans, powdered sugar)

Horse Auction Fun:
This year we auctioned off our horses and the betting was intense.  The pot of money for the winning horse added up to $425 (last year the winning pot was $122).  We also drew a horse out of a hat for $10 a horse.  The winning horse was Orb with the high bid of $45. 

Donnie won the pick out the hat & Daniel won the winning pot

Jena and I  (the winner's pregnant wives)

Great Times and Great Friends:
Our Derby Party was a success.  Although the chance of rain moved the bar into the screened in porch we had a wonderful time.  We had a turnout of about 30 guests.  Most Guests arrived by 4:00 and  everyone was gone by 9:00 (which was so nice because I was done entertaining).  Below are some snapshots:

Donnie and Alyse (our bartender)

Kristi and I

Me, Jeff and Kristi

Dennis and Cami

The End of the Night....  (Daniel, Donnie, and Nate)

It is really nice that our Derby Party is now a tradition (this was our third year) and is something that we can look forward to each year.