15 Years Later...

When I graduated high school (sadly, what seems like eons and eons ago), each of my girlfriends chose a college in a different state- and I was the last to leave. My parent's words of wisdom as they genuinely attempted to make me feel better, you'll make new friends and lose touch with your old ones. They were partially right. I gave it the old college try and managed to snag a few really great friends through the years, but I also never fell out of contact with my hometown friends. And some 15 years after that momentous graduation day, they all gathered in NYC to celebrate me and my growing baby- does it get any better than that?

Our get-togethers always seem to involve an overabundance of food, and this one was no exception. In addition to setting out meats, crackers, cheeses and spreads, my very talented, insanely ambitious friend Margaret made enough food to feed all of us for the next 15 years. Should the financial markets collapse beyond recovery- I think she'd have no problem giving Abigail Kirsch a run for her money.

Fruit tart with fresh pastry cream and exceptional crust

Homemade chocolate It's A Boy suckers and 123 block chocolate covered pretzel rods
Gougeres, made with grated gruyere
Roasted vegetable, feta and orzo salad
Miniature spinach and cheese quiches
Carrot and broccoli pizza squares
My favorite part of the day- pumpkin cupcakes topped with maple cream cheese frosting
What else to do with extra baby figurines but turn them into ice cubes
And when the ice cube melts...