Woman's day table

For a few years I have been celebrating Woman's Day, something which is more common in Poland. I hope I don't become more of a Pole abroad than I'd be home. This is such a joy for me though. And yes, we gather around the table but its' not really about the food. It's about an ambiance that only beautiful women can create!

All the planning was enjoyable and I'm a planner indeed. Funny though, I started with napkins that I bought a year or two ago not sure how I would use them at that time.

They say to find joy in little things and that's exactly what happened. First, the napkins were the base of my invitations then they became the base for the whole table set up. The tulips are the perfect theme for women and an anticipation of the spring.

I was expecting quite a few guests so I used one of my long tablecloths that is grey, which helped me to decide the color combination. Grey and pink!

In addition to the grey tablecloth and pink paper, I got some new ribbons and the ideas started to form. I used dried eucalyptus, with its smell and sweet almonds!

There will be three parts of this set up:

• Candles as a centerpiece since it's an evening, with no kids. I don't really like the tulle but it was surprisingly easy to work with. I used a little of dried eucalyptus and pink ribbon for soft touch.

• Fresh tulips are a must. I like to do small bouquets, though I'm not sure if these can be called that. A big bouquet is usually too much and it feels in the way when talking to people sitting across the table, so there are small glasses with pink tulips and baby's breath scattered on the table.

• Favours with "Happy Woman's Day" note attached. I wanted to honor my guests in some special way so I figure I'll prepare small presents for them. The little package contains almonds covered in chocolate.

I can't forget the food of course. My guests usually bring something so I decided mostly to serve warm food. I tried to think about recipes that can be prepared in advance so I can be ready and focused on my guests rather than stressing in the kitchen. I keep the food in the oven so it stays warm. As much as I wanted it to be pink and grey I couldn't...

Drink

I like my homemade juices. Not only they are very tasty and guests like them, but the important advantage is that you can make them earlier as they should be served chilled.

Purple. Its beautiful, rich color comes from the beets and since it's a dense liquid it must be lightened by other ingredients. That's the complete list:

• beets

• cucumber

• grapes

• pears.

Green. It's the spinach that gives this healthy look to it, yet since this vegetable has really not taste it's sweetened by pineapple. Other ingredients are:

• spinach

• celery

• pineapple

• lime.

Orange. Carrots are responsible for the bright color and there're other sweet ingredients that give the flavor with a little, distinctive surprise from fennel. We have then:

• carrots

• fennel

• orange

• apples.

Soup

I was so tempted to serve pink soup but I don't have much experience with it.

I decided to do my well practiced carrot soup that will cook through in the slow cooker. It's simple, really one main ingredient. The flavor is from sautéed onions and garlic, fresh ginger and lemon juice then a little bit of salt and pepper. It's very tasty served with a baguette and pink pepper and lemon butter.

Meat

I'm serving Sicilian sausage, that's my husband's Sicilian influence, which is just Italian sausage in small casings. It's similar to breakfast sausage casings. This sounds to me like peasant food so I added some fancy shrimp for the balance.

I understand simple food may taste better than the sophisticated one yet I try to mix it up. Personally I prefer the sausage too!

Savoury add up

I learnt this recipe some time ago and I really like it. Vegetable muffins which are like a baked salad almost.

There are zucchini, carrots, red bell peppers and corn. Tasty and easy but effective at the same time.

The table though looks more beautiful without the food on it.

It was a lovely evening. There's no better ingredient at the table than good company. I'm grateful and keep praying for blessin over the beautiful woman who made this Woman's Day very special! Thank you all.