Preparations begin....

This morning at 9am I was standing outside the doors of the bottleshop waiting for them to open for trade for the day.

Desperate I am not but this sort of behaviour could be considered grounds for an intervention.  

Or an invitation to a meeting.  

But fear not, I was only there for wine....(that doesn't make it sound any better....)....

This wine....

Why this wine?  It was cheap, there is lots of it and there it a picture of a meal on the box so it has to go well with food, right?

So that I can make this....

Coq au Vin...mmmmm

And this.....

Beef Bourguignonne.....

For Mother's Day on Sunday.... 

About 12 people all up (plus or minus a few) will converge on my house for a late lunch to celebrate the joy of motherhood.  Given that it is my family, a lot of food is needed so stews it is - served with steamed rice, mashed potato and heaps of piping hot crusty bread.  And since stews taste soooo much better the next day (and the day after the next day) I am making them today so that they have plenty of time for their flavours to infuse and blend (am I sounding Masterchef-ish?) and mellow and taste even more delish.  Nice.

Now to clean the house for visitors (a whole different level of clean to what I normally do!), mow and tidy the yard, find some extra chairs and work out what's for dessert.  Here's hoping the weather will be nice for us....

What are your plans for Mother's Day?