Napkin Folding 101

I have hosted my fair share of dinner parties.  A comfortable evening with my friends for drinks, dinner and cards.  I'd always try to make the evening a little special, especially if the party coincided with a holiday like it did one year on Valentine's Day.  Even though none of my guests were (my) Valentine....I had a blast finding just the perfect gift for each one of them -- especially the guys (but we won't go there).

I have always tried to make each AHOP meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner) a little special for the officers I cook for -- either by setting a special table or with the meal itself.  I tried using paper plates once, but I didn't like it. The best for the best is what I always say, so I purchased 20 plain white plates from Pier 1.  White plates are great because you can change the color scheme of your table so easily.

Since I've started making up To-Go boxes and taking them down to the station, I wanted the To-Go box to be special too.  I couldn't bear the thought of just throwing the plasticware in a bag or laying it all out on the table, so I learned how to fold this cute napkin pocket.  I use paper napkins, but the video is with a cloth napkin - either way they are adorable and it lets your special guests know you loved serving them.

A Sunday dinner on Wednesday.....

Once again, I haven't let one of life's little curve-balls get me down -- I just needed time to rethink the game plan.  

These little ‘To-Go’ meals seem to be a nice alternative to the officers coming to my house because of their busy schedule.  They barely have time to eat at all, let alone stop by my house for a meal, so I made up a few dinners yesterday -- nine to be exact -- and dropped them off at the station. 

By the way, and this is probably TMI (too much information), but since I have stopped cooking as much, I have gained 8 lbs.  You would think it would be the opposite, but the amount of energy it takes to host a breakfast or dinner is way more than you might think.  But it was like dancing (exercising without realizing it.)  I weighed myself this morning and I had lost one pound from all the running around yesterday.  So now I'm wondering....if I cooked 20 meals a month, would I lose 20 lbs?  Heck, I could deliver these meals all over Charlotte.  There are, after all, 12 other police divisions.
 

The Menu

Pot Roast (slow cooked for a little over 9 hours)

Mash Potatoes w/ Gravy

Macaroni and Cheese
Garlic Green Beans w/ Almonds

Carrots and Onions (love them when cooked with pot roast)
Yeast Rolls

Banana Pudding

Sweet Tea

To see the Sergeant's face light up when I walked in the door and have a few other officers greet me at the back door, made it all worth it!  Love these guys!  

The production line

It probably took at least 30 minutes just to plate everything.  

Finishing touches.

♥