Luncheon with guests on a cloudy day

This past weekend had been a little hectic for me, but how was yours, everyone? Everything ended fine so far, so I am now starting my new week with a smile :)

Today, I would like to write about the luncheon I hosted on a cloudy day a little while ago. We were hoping that the weather would be nice so we could enjoy our lunch time in the back yard, but unfortunately, it didn't happen, so I ended up setting up the table at the dining area. To make my guests happy, I picked up some pink Gerbera to brighten up the table and the window area. It worked, right?

 The outside temperature had been pretty low for a while, and since I was busy the day before, I've decided to cook Coq au Van, a Frensh style poultry dish that is able to be prepared in advance as a main dish. The photo on the left is before I started braising it. Reduced red wine, fresh rosemary and thyme from the garden adds extra flavor to the dish.

 Served it with quinoa with colorful vegetables on the side. The chicken was so tender that we didn't need to use knives at all. A fresh sprig of lemon thyme used as a garnish made my guests smile. Very nice aroma!


The guests brought some salad, cheese, and olives, and they made the table very colorful and happy.


Freshly baked baguette and the organic salted butter from the farmer's market was a perfect combination, too. Yumm!

For dessert, I had a roll of green tea cake filled with golden sweet potato cream ready to be cut. The cream is the same one from the Koguma cake I introduced the other day. The combination wasn't bad, but maybe the sweet potato cream will stand out more with regular sponge cake. Will try it out again next time.

This turned into a farewell luncheon since one of the guests has to move to abroad in a month, and because we had been talking about getting together at my place for a while, I was very glad that at least it happened before she left. Last minute!


Although the weather wasn't perfect, we had a great time talking, eating, and laughing together, and I always appreciate the precious time like this. It is like refilling some gas to enable myself to go on.


Dear guests, thank you for driving a long distance to visit me, and sharing a good time together. Thank you for the lovely gifts as well. My husband and I enjoyed them together. Hope to see you soon again :D