After some interruption's for the 'Ant Problem and The Fridge Problem' and other stuff,---finally, we have "The Ladies Who Lunch" for Seemah's 85th Birthday......
This time around, I did a few things that were a little different----not wanting the guests to be bored with the beginnings, I decided it was time for some different 'starters'......You know, those wonderful little things you find on the glass table in the living room which we can nibble on before lunch is served.....
The Wonderful Will Grover, makes many many yummy things and for a lovely change, I chose a couple of these very delicious-nesses----(Is that a word??? I don't think so. But you get the picture...)----that I had not had before at these lunches, (except for one thing, that is)......like......
Chicken Breast-Tenders on Skewers with Peanut Sauce....Oh My, they were truly deliciousoso! I love chicken and particularly the breast, as do many people, so this was a big hit! Then....there were two rather interesting and very tasty treats....little mouthfuls that were perfect!
On the left side of the plate were these delightful little goodies: Lox, sitting on a bed of Cream Cheese which sat on very thin squares of brown bread.....My mouth is watering just writing about them....And on the right side of the plate were these little Potato Halves with a dollop of sour cream and just a tiny bit of Black Caviar on top of that....Also, incredibly tasty!
And, of course, something I always have, above, Crudites...otherwise known as Veggies with a Dill Dip....I happen to love Jicama (pronounced Hik-e-ma)....it's crunchy and very tasty and has quite a lot of juiciness to it, if it is ripe.....
First to arrive, because she is always not only 'on time' but a little bit early, the beautiful Kim Hamilton. I had something special for her as a starter because she is having some dental work done and wasn't able to chew quite like the rest of us.....And it was in that Beautiful little bowl you see in her hand. A Curried Chicken with Raisins thingy that Will makes for me, which he had practically pulverized....And it was absolutely scrumptious! (I had some myself...)...
By this time, the lovely Jacquie Scott had arrived and at this point Kim was seeing if the slightly cooked String Beans on that Crudites plate were soft enough for her to chew....unfortunately, they weren't....But, Will put together something else special for her using the Lox and the Cream Cheese, which was soft enough......
Then the lovely Dianne Travis---my dear dear friend----arrived and was followed fairly quickly by the beautiful Lee Meriwether, having just returned from Waltham, Mass., where she had been working......
Lee had been playing in the Jerry Herman musical, "MAME" at The Waltham Theatre there in beautiful New England. It is why she couldn't be at my Birthday Lunch, but she had just returned two days before this celebration for Seemah, and we were all thrilled to see her back in Los Angeles and back among us, as well......
And then...the last two to arrive....The lovely Birthday Girl herself, Seemah Wilder Idelson, who is famous for being late to everything...lol...And, the dear Lisa Zarowin.....
Lisa was a very dear and good friend of Seemah's sweet wonderful daughter Ellen, who died in September of 2003. Ellen had just turned 42 years old that June, and she was the most talented, funny, sweet, unique young woman you would ever want to know. Dear Ellen had been struggling with Crohn's Disease since she was eight years old. She was a truly amazing writer and actress and a lovely beautiful girl, too......Dear Seemah has remained close to a number of Ellen's good and dear friends, and she has stayed particularly close to Lisa.....This is Lisa's third year with us for Seemah's Birthday Lunch and it is always a real treat to see her.....
There is always this very lovely period of time before we sit down for lunch, where we have a little bit of Hors D'oeuvres and lots of camaraderie....
Sometimes the talk is hilarious and sometimes it is serious, and sometimes it is both at the same time.....You may notice that two of our "usual suspects" are missing from this group.....Indeed, both Betty Garrett and Annie Guilbert were unable to be with us on that day.
Both ladies were struggling with some physical illnesses that kept them away.....Both are feeling a lot better now, but, they were not well enough to join us on that day....So, though we were to have been nine ladies, we ended up being just seven, and as it turned out, it was a perfect number....! And, you'll love this!
At one point, I saw Kim lean over and she said...."I just killed an Ant!" Yes. There in my living room...a frigging f**king Ant! They had now moved from the Kitchen and the Guest Bathroom, to my Living Room! They had now invaded my Living Room......!
I was shocked and appalled, to say the least.....Everyone began looking down at the little round rug where Kim had seen this ornery little critter......One of the 'scouts' no doubt......ugh!
My biggest fear? That these itty bitty creepy crawly critters would next come into my bedroom...which is where I have been feeding my dear sweet beautiful kitty cat Sweetie since the onslaught of this relentless army.....I knew now, that more drastic measures had to be taken, and very very soon. What we had been doing was not keeping these little creepy crawler's out of the house, and, if anything, they were gaining on me....Oy Vey, to say the least.....Stay tuned for Part Two of Seemah's Birthday Lunch....No, it won't be all about 'the ants', though they certainly took center stage later that day, as well..........Stay Tuned, as they used to say on The Radio.......
More To Come........
- had this to say:
oh my.. you need some "uncles" to lure away all the "ants"!!
Everyone looks fantastic ..as usual. (sigh, I wish I looked half as good!)..I do miss not having everyone there but glad the ladies are feeling better!
I have to say this.. I don't "do dresses" ok? I am all for comfort..but Lee's outfit is beautiful! Of course it helps that the lady wearing it is beautiful too!
I am glad Seemah's birthday doesn't get ruined by the "invasion of ants" !! Looking forward to the next installment- Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 4:55:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
I love that bday cake!! and the potato halves is a wonderful idea I will simply have to try!!
Sorry about the ants, for once **knocking on wood** they seemed to have forgotten about my kitchen!- Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 5:43:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Oh my gosh! What a deliciously fun get together!
- Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 5:58:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
I love your Ladies Who Lunch posts,Naomi. I don't know how I missed the last one. Happy Birthday to Seemah.
- Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 7:21:00 AM PDT
-
had this to say:
More fun, as always. BTW, I love doing stir-frys with peanut sauce-- great flavor. I can see how the skewers would go over well.
Cheers.- Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 7:37:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
I can't believe it is Seemah's birthday again....Time goes by so quickly.... And look at all that delicious food, you ladies eat well.
- Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 8:05:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Wow Naomi, will you cater my bday party? LOL Looks like a good time as always!
We have had big carpenter ants visit. We had so much rain in the north east, I think they all figured they would hang out at our house to get dry. It's not fun to have them, but nothing is funnier than watching the boys follow them across the floor.- Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 1:48:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Hi Naomi, as always your Ladies Who Lunch sounds so lovely! The Seemanh's Lunch looks amazing too! So nice to have adorable friends as you do. It's a gift and a blessing for sure.
Love the menu... looks delicious!
About the ants...I don't like these little creatures, because they eat my garden! Lol!
Have a nice week ahead! Without ants for sure...- Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 3:02:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
I read this and your previous "tease" post about Seemah's birthday party.
She looks marvelous! I would never in a million years guess she is 85 years old. She is truly lovely.
I like how thoughtful you are about your guests. These friends of yours have known your giving, loving nature for many years. I know they must appreciate and love you so much!
It makes me so happy to see your home filled with these lovely ladies whom you've lived life with. You've shared deepest times of loss and grief and you've shared life's greatest joys. What a rich blessing all these ladies are and you are to them!!!
I feel blessed to be in your circle of acquaintances and may I say... friends too!!
Ants?? YIkes! I don't like those little suckers! They need to stay OUTside where they belong!!!
:-)- Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 4:49:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
I just can't believe how radiant Lee Meriweather still is after all these years. She's just gorgeous! Oh, in the first two pictures you have a beautiful blue cup/glass. Could you show me a close up picture of it? What is it's history? I collect odd and end dishes that capture my fancy, nothing matches, but everything's a treasure to me. The look of that glass peeked my interest, but I couldn't really see it well in the picture.
- Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 6:15:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Wow -- I'm going to have to remember to read your blog first thing in the morning, not last thing at night when I try not to eat after dinner. Too tempting! Love those potatoes.
And all the happy ladies. Lee is just as beautiful as in her Barnaby Jones days. As everyone here is saying. And Seemah is lovely too.
You will have to give us some tips on how to keep so many wonderful friends for so long.- Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 10:18:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
I can see all the lovely photos now Naomi and all the ladies looked so elegant.
Seemah looked great and yes we were surprised when she told us she is 85 years old :)
I dropped her an email when I came to know it was her birthday and I am not sure if she did get to read my email.
I am so envious that all ladies had a good bonding session and yes the food looked yummy :D- Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 10:36:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
I have ants this year too! The little sugar ants and the damn carpenter ants.
To keep them out of my kitten's food bowl, I fill a wider bowlabout 1/2 way with water and then set her food bwol in that bowl. She can eat her food and the ants can't cross the moat!- Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 6:27:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Everyone looks so lovely, as you all always do and the food, the food looks delicious. I wanted bites of so many you showed in the pictures!
- Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 6:30:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Hi Naomi,
Thanks for your visiting to my orchard! This fruit is really yummy... I made only one time a jelly with them, but it is very laborious... But I did not make grape with them yet...
I saw that your friend Dianne Travis have a new haircut... Am I right? I love it, very charming!
I forgot to say that the cake looks gorgeous!
A big hug to you!- Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 8:30:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Great as always to hear about you and your gatherings of friends. Such wonderful food but the best gift has to be those long lasting friendships.
The ants are a big problem and we have had it before. Can't remember what we used to make sure it was safe for us and not for them. My husband is a chemist; so he knows the names and problems of this or that. They can sure be irritating and damaging too.- Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 10:10:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
I think I need to meet 'the ladies'! LOL!
- Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 10:34:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
everyone is so lovely
and looks so vibrant and beautiful
and ants or not, the place sparkles
I'll never forget the year we were overcome with waterbugs
it was like having VW's running around
oh - and help me lord! - there was the summer of the palmettos - flying roaches
even the cats were afraid to go to sleep!!- Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 1:10:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
I enjoyed that Naomi. Happy Birthday to Seemah first of all. She looks beautiful as does everyone! The food looks scrumptious. For some reason I would like to try those potato halves. What a gracious host you are always making sure every detail is looked at including the entertainment (err.....ants, lol).
I do hope you have been able to keep them at bay the pesky creatures that they are. Glad your two friends are well again. Thanks for your tips on the beauty secrets - wonderful inspiration you all are. Looking forward to the next part.- Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 4:44:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
As always, the cake looks delish!
And such a fine selection of food!
I hope you get your pesky ant situation under control soon.- Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 5:40:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Naomi, I'm in Chicago with my very dear and best friend (Chicago is my favorite city in the world) and I showed her your lovely blog..she was (as I am) mesmerized by your elegance in writing and the beautiful pictures I so look forward to the rest of the story.
I so hope there is some miracle and some day I get to visit with you as you seem to hold so much in life in your past.
Hugs
Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com- Friday, August 7, 2009 at 3:12:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
You made my mouth water after reading "chicken breat-tenders with peanut sauce." Wow! I love peanut sauce (on salad) so I can just imagine what it must taste like on chicken...especially if Will made it!
Everything looks delicious, and I love that you had a lively conversation over "starters." I can't wait to see/hear how it ends.
Have a wonderful weekend, Naomi! All my best to the ladies who couldn't make the lunch. Hope they're 100 percent better and I hope you're feeling well also!- Friday, August 7, 2009 at 5:04:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
I enjoyed all the photos and narrative. Funny, I am having problems with ants as well and mentioned them in my 13 Thursday this week. Mine are carpenter ants and they leave piles from the wood they are eating ... my house! I'm ready to try something stronger too.
I love Lee's dress and the food makes me want to go to a party and eat gourmet. Everything looks so warm and inviting.- Friday, August 7, 2009 at 8:32:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
The food looks lovely and I, like you, love chicken breast. Tell Lee I love her current hairstyle. Mine is similar, but not quite as nice as hers. I like her caftan too. Too bad that Betty and Annie couldn't be with you.
I hope you can manage to get rid of the ants - but I know how hard that is.- Friday, August 7, 2009 at 10:16:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Great photos as usual and a ravishing one of Lee.
After those yummy starters I don't know if I could have done justice to lunch - maybe because we went out to lunch today. I'll wait for further photos and expect I'll be tempted.
I love peering at all the precious objects and pictures and would love to have the job - just for one day - of dusting them - without the ants which I'm sure will be sent packing before long.- Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 10:32:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
What a sweetheart you were to think of making special nibbles for Kim!
If the ants keep attacking, you might want to try getting Sweetie an ant proof bowl. I had to get one for Stinky Dog because the ants kept coming in where we feed her. It really works!- Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 10:40:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
We've been battling ants since June, on and off. Makes me mad. Put those little things down to take poison back to the nest and all. Seems to FINALLY be under control but not until several battles! And yes, the pet food is especially difficult. be careful if you spray not to get any poison near sweetie.
Btw- Lee looks stunning!- Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 12:01:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
You make me feel like I was there with you! Tell the ants it is rude to crash a party without an invitation! Perhaps now that it is cooler, they will be less of a problem. Used to have a horrid time with them before we started using Grant's Ant stakes.
- Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 8:20:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Forgot to mention...
For the kitty... place his food bowl into the center of a pie plate filled with water. This keeps the ants out of kittie's food!- Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 9:21:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Thanks so much for telling me about the watercolor! I left a longer comment for you on my blog -- should have thought of putting it here first.
- Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 7:09:00 PM PDT
-
had this to say:
OMG! Would you look at the cake and of course the food! What a lovely party you beautiful women have! Belated Happy Birthday to Seemah!
- Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 3:22:00 PM PDT
-
had this to say:
See the original ant proof bowl, no mess, non-toxic and maintenance free. www.antproofbowl.com
Henry- Friday, September 18, 2009 at 7:02:00 AM PDT
x4
