It was already going to be a little less traditional Burns Night this year, given that we were doing it a day early—January 24—so that it would be a Saturday night and not a Sunday night festivity. We had the Scottish food—haggis, neeps and tatties, shortbread—ordered from a Scottish bakery in Michigan, all frozen and ready to heat. We were in the process of figuring out how much other food to purchase, given that our RSVPs had put us at around 50 people, double what we had last year.
And then the weather warnings hit, and we had to make a decision.
We canceled. Or rather, rescheduled, since so much had already been purchased and prepared.
Good thing, too. Because the ice and snow hit on January 24 and kept us housebound for three entire days!
Last weekend, we finally got to celebrate Rabbie Burns, the Bard of Scotland, with over 40 of our friends. And we had a blast!
You have to understand. We are not party people. And we certainly aren’t the people who throw the parties! Despite the past two years, I’m still not. But Jeff loves doing this one, and I love him. So there you go.
He planned the food, the music, the program. (Actual printed programs, mind you!) Besides poems and music and toasts, we had an amazing dinner. First was Cullen skink, our favorite dish from our visit to Scotland. It’s basically a fish stew. Our friends the DeMuths took up this challenge and it turned out amazing! Then came the more ordinary fare: salad and Shepherd’s Pie (from Costco!). We paired these with neeps and tatties (mashed turnips and potatoes), and, of course, haggis. We finished it all off with shortbread, decorated cookies, cranachan (basically a trifle with whipped cream, toasted oats, raspberries and whisky, and homemade ice cream (yep, made by Jeff!). Most of us took the option of mixing scotch into the ice cream, another recipe we learned on our Scotland trip!
This year, because of the size of the party, we rented our community clubhouse, which was so much more comfortable than packing our house with 25 people last year. And our friends were amazing help! Some kept an eye on the food, some helped clean up afterward. Some even helped make the Scottish food for the evening! But most of all, several of last year’s attendees were fully prepared to join in with poems and kilts and music.
As people left, they were already thinking about how they wanted to participate next year. I guess that means the evening was a success. As we tweak this (apparently) annual event, my idea for next year is to hire someone to watch the food and clean up. It’s too hard to play hostess and do that, too.
Here is a taste of the music. (Apparently, my husband’s Toast to the Haggis video was too large a file to attach here!):
Slainte mhath (S-lawn-cha vah), y’all!