Radically Retired

Tag: Raclette

  • Thoughtful Tulips

    Thoughtful Tulips

    On Wednesday this week, hubs and I hosted a dinner party for two couples in our park who we consider to be friends.

    Sherry and Den are from Wisconsin and Sue and Pete from Minnesota. It was a bittersweet evening because Sherry and Den are moving to Italy soon. It’s always difficult to say goodbyes to friends, especially when you don’t know when or if you’ll ever see them again.

    I decided to do a raclette meal, as it’s a fun way to dine and visit, while everyone prepares their preferred foods on the table top raclette grill.

    I requested that our guests bring nothing besides their appetites because we had lots of everything.

    Sherry did bring something … a beautiful bouquet of tulips. These have been my favourite flowers for a very long time because they’re the first sign of spring at home. Sherry had no way of knowing this, so that made the gesture all the more special.

  • “Swiss”mas Eve

    “Swiss”mas Eve

    My Christmas gift to myself this year was a raclette grill.

    A part of my heritage is Swiss and many years ago, I enjoyed a raclette evening at the home of a nurse friend and colleague who had, as a young teen, immigrated with her family to Canada from Switzerland.

    The evening and the meal was so enjoyable that, over the years, it was never far from my mind whenever I was planning to entertain.

    This year, I finally purchased the grill and planned the meal for Christmas Eve with hubs’ brother and his wife.

    It was relaxing and enjoyable. Each person grilled whatever they wanted from the variety of foods available, and the raclette cheese was constantly melting in the little shovels that sit under the grill.

    Missing in my feature photo are the cooked baby potatoes and cooked mini carrots. There was no room on the table for them. The little ramekins on each plate held individual carrot salads.

    The melted raclette cheese was rich and smooth without the long strings like melted mozzarella would have, and was a perfect topping for the potatoes.

    It was a brand new dining experience for everyone but me. It was a brand new food prep experience for me.

    We’ll definitely do this again, and often!