Bread Sticks And Champers.....

A while ago.....  Well quite a while ago actually.... We had our very first  class get together for mothers, I was a little upset as it was round about the time I had to go into hospital..... actually I was very grumpy indeed! And I really felt that I needed to contribute to the "Cheese and Champagne" Evening even though I was not going to be there - insert very grumpy face here!

The collective group of woman that make up our "Class Mums" are fantastic, we have high powered business women that arrive in killer heels and pencil skirts, a flat out busy Physio Therapist that everyone swears is the BEST in the Fishing Village, marathon runners in gym kit ready to hit the road after drop off, accountants who help in their husbands business(probably keep the businesses running), single moms, moms who are very ill but keep going for their little girls, exceptionally creative moms who garden and paint, moms who drive from miles and leave at the crack of dawn to get to school on time, moms of not 1 or 2 but 3 and 4 children, a church director and many many more lovely women who I am so proud to call my friends! I am also infinitely blessed that my Little Madame will go through her school career with these amazing women, who will treat my Little Madame like their own child! - OOOOhhh such lyrical waxing today......     

My Cheffy type sister, Cindy was here, to look after little Madame for me, so she said she would do a Chicken Liver Pate for me, And because I was a little stressed about my impending hospital visit, I wanted to make something complicated -unusual for me I know, but stress will do that to a person...  

I turned to my trusty book, Gifts from The Kitchen, Fennel Seed, Chilli and Parmesan Grissini( a FANCY word for bread sticks!)

Mean while Cheffy Sister-o-Mine got to work on the Chicken Liver Pate, now I need to tell you , she really gets to me.... I will ask her, "How do you make this Cin?" To which I always get the really  REALLY vague answer, she adds a bit of this and a bit of that and never really knows what she adds!! Apparently this is a sort-of-Jamie-Oliver recipe......alla Cindy, her food always tastes really really good!

Frying Livers.....

Whizzing in my really BIG food processor.....

She even made her own clarified butter......

All the kneading and intense work was just what I wanted to do it was therapeutic and just what I needed to take my mind off my  hospital visit! The fun part came when we all got stuck in and started to make the actual 'sticks' We all grabbed pieces after I had  rolled the dough  and

 

Cut them.....

And rolled some more.....

Then we twisted and plaited and made knots.....

Even Little Madame got in on the act.....

Until we had a Tupperware full of very yummy grissini, that looked store bought....

I forgot in all the preparation to take a picture of the finished plate of yumminess that was delivered the next day...... But it sure looked good! In actual fact it the other moms were lucky it even got there..... The bread sticks were light and crispy and well worth the effort..... the chicken liver pate was creamy and rich and the brinjal pickle just finished it all off perfectly!

So while I was groaning in a hospital bed,  Fun and a Feasting was being had by my friends and apparently lots and lots of Champers was consumed...... copious amount apparently, funny thing is no one will tell me what happened later... apparently 'What goes on at mom's evening stays at mom's evening........" xxx

PS::If anyone wants the Chicken Liver pate Recipe...... I WILL strong arm it out of my sister! Me, I am much easier, if you want the Grissini recipe - drop me a email and I will send it to you!