Martha's Party in Maine
At Martha's late-summer party at Skylands, she devised an Asian-inspired menu replete with spring rolls, rice-paper-wrapped summer rolls, crab puffs, and steamed Chinese sausages. The Skylands garden provided herbs and vegetables, including radishes and carrots. And because everyone loves them, Martha baked extra-long cheese straws made from puff pastry that looked as festive as fireworks on the table. The morning fog burned off just before the guests arrived, and the afternoon sun burnished the scene as everyone mingled.
Robster, a lot of that stuff can be done ahead of time (the cheese straws, carrots, sausage and eggrolls) and then reheated right before the party.
Everything looks so lovely, but I wish I had the helpers that our Martha does for her parties. I could never do all that on my own for one party.