friends and a fiesta

So it was an exciting weekend around these parts - so exciting that I can't get it all into one post. You're just going to have to be a bit patient as the tales unfold.

As you know, I had my three best friends and their other halves in town for the long weekend. Given that it's not everyday that I get them all out here together (it's not exactly a short flight from NYC), Stefan and I decided to host a very casual - and just a tad silly - engagement fiesta: Latino inspired as a nod to Stefan, the massive amount of time he's spent down there for his job, and the significance of the region to our relationship. We spent our first summer together taking Spanish and kite surfing lessons in Venezuela and then our first New Years together in Mexico.

There's nothing I love more than throwing a themed - and just a tad kitschy and ridiculous - party, so I went all out planning a menu of latino-themed drinks and snacks that I would, of course, make myself:

-guacamole, salsa and chips,

-carne y queso empanadas,

-Chile Relleno bites

(a favorite of my fabulous friend and fellow August bride, Jessie),

-tres leches cupcakes to eat,

and then

-sangria,

-pisco sours,

-margaritas, and

-coronas to drink.

To say I was a bit ambitious to plan on prepping this whole party while we had six guests in town is the understatement of 2012.  But my fabulous friends put up with my ridiculousness, forgoing a trip to the German Tourist Club in Marin (if you haven't been, you should add it to the top of your list, it's fantastic) to spend Saturday afternoon pent up in my apartment cooking and mixing up a storm.

Char and her beyond fabulous man Scott hit it out of the park with their to-die-for secret recipe guac. (After Scott spent three hours running last minute errands with Stefan and Charlotte did all the dishes.)

Yes, due to our sub-par-stocked kitchen,

the pair were forced to mix in a pasta pot.

But they're always in high spirits...

...and make a mean guacamole,

regardless of resources!

Jessie reminded me of those fabulous days of when we were roomies and I would come home to a three-course homemade dinner by candlelight as she, not only slam-dunked the five-fruit-infused white and red sangria, the dulce de leche frosting, and the beef filling for the empanadas, but also self-created the most delicious spicy pulled chicken enchiladas and gooey, messy beef nachos I ever tasted.

Jess and Gretch post laborious afternoon

Gretch and Al showed us how it was done with the folding and pinching of the empanadas popping out 30 beauties in no time.  (In addition to Al making a last-minute run for paper plates and napkins and Gretch drying and putting away all the pots and pans.)

After taking a 6am flight,

completing a killer 6 mile run up and down San Francisco's glorious hills,

AND spending hours in the kitchen,

Gretters STILL had plenty of energy to party.

And my fabulous fiancée spent close to an hour and a half separating egg whites and blending 50 pisco sours for consumption later that evening.  (If anyone in the bay area needs 50 egg yolks, we're happy to supply free of charge.)

What did I do while I made all my friends and my fiancée slaved away in the kitchen?

Oh, I took a shower,
did my hair and makeup,
opened some birthday presents,
drank some champagne,
snitched all the fine cooking, and
got dressed in my get-up.

Oh how I love having friends in town. You're welcome back anytime guys!

Tune back in tomorrow for tales of our sunny Sunday in Sonoma.

xoxo

KK