A celebration in two parts: part one.

There is T-12 days to go before I ship off to Greece and I still have loads to do - so much reading to be done, so much organizing to be done, so much packing to be done... But of course, there's always room for more fun.

On Sunday we gathered for a little Italian-themed luncheon. Alright, I'll admit it: some might consider it a little malapropos that I threw myself a going away party, and perhaps it was. Who does that? But really, I just wanted an excuse to organize a fun get-together and put my inner Martha Stewart to use and spend a few hours with some of the many people I love. :]

Part One: The Food


When you think Italian, you think lasagna and garlic bread - but I intentionally went for a luncheon hoping to stay away from the heavy stuff. I decided on doing picnic-style lunches and kept the food fare light and summery.


A summer salad, complete with Romain, tomato, cucumber, red onion, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Chicken pasta salad - asiago peppercorn creme dressing on penne pasta mixed with grilled chicken, sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers and baby spinach.


Mini caprese sandwiches - so good! A roll sliced and spread with a bit of basil pesto sauce then layed with fresh mozzarella, basil leaves and sliced tomatos.

All of the food items were placed in these bags. I cut the handle off of simple kraft gift bags...

And created the "CIAO♥" stickers on the computer.

I consolidated the beverages to a separate table - just water and the makings of cherry Italian soda, though the boys promptly grabbed Cokes and made themselves a couple Roy Rogers.


Gelato was so necessary to the celebration. These little Ciao Bellas came with the spoons pictured here. I added waffle cone crisps.


Sent each guest home with one of these! Quadratini cookies in milk and dark chocolate in a baggie with a homemade "GRAZIE♥" label.
So there you have it: the goods! :] Hm, I'm making a last-minute decision to divide this post in two because I still have many photos to share - the decor and, of course, the people. :D