“Surround yourself with strong women, women more beautiful than you, smarter than you, and don’t envy them, admire them.
Surround yourself with good women who know how to listen, who know how to care, from whom you learn to relate to the world, women who teach you their power.
Surround yourself with women to weave an invisible web, a web for other women, so you don’t let them fall, so they feel the collective hug, so they don’t feel alone or crazy.
Surround yourself with women who embrace their shadow, who don’t apologize for being light, who are aware of their beauty and that they are alive.
Surround yourself with irreverent and brave women, women fighters who open the way and tear down walls, women of reference, women who do not ask for permission, who build their homes with the same hands, with which they cradle and caress.
Surround yourself with women who help you live as you are, who give you confidence and affection, who remind you that they are all one.”
Written by Roy Galán artist unknown.
Last night, we had our annual Sisters dinner, the women performing in our troupe. They are the core of the organization.
These women have been coming to dance class virtually every Wednesday for years. They are dedicated and are the ones who keep the organization afloat.
We have been having these “Sister of the Shawl” annual dinners since the mid-2000s.
It’s a special night for me because I get the night off from teaching and get to know what’s going on in their lives, what they’ve been up to, and what they want to share.
I talk at them for two hours every Wednesday night, so it’s nice to sit back and listen for a change.
Teaching every week can be draining sometimes, so this special night with my dance sisters recharges my batteries.
One thing in our small dance sister circle is we all love cooking and eating food. We do a potluck dinner and this year I hosted it last night.
It’s a chance to wear real-life dresses, gab, and eat. We chew with our mouths full, telling each other about recipes and other food-related things.
It was a hot day so I planned to eat indoors in our dining room. I had an amuse-bouche waiting for everyone.
What is an amuse-bouche you may wonder? The direct translation is mouth amused.
“Amuse-bouche, otherwise known as amuse-gueule, is the French term for ‘mouth amuser’. They are a type of small, bite-sized hors d’oeuvre. Chefs serve amuse-bouche to diners to enjoy while waiting for their food orders to arrive. It is a way of saying ‘welcome’ to guests and pampering them with something special. At the same time, amuse-bouche whets the appetite, satisfies initial hunger, and prepares guests for the courses ahead. Amuse-bouche are different to appetisers in that they are served complimentary and chosen by chefs to demonstrate their cooking style.” Chef in.com
I have wanted to try making tomato water and serve it in a mini flight glassware set I’ve had for years.
The photos and video below show the slow process, but it is worth the wait.
I also made some cute marinated mozzarella stuffed grape tomato tulips that I saw on Instagram a few months ago. I was giddy about making and serving them.
Kat made this incredible Middle Eastern layered salad, which was not only stunning but also different and tasty!
Trish made a unique green potato salad with cubed zucchini, pesto, chives, and a few other ingredients. Yum!
Callie was right on the money with this watermelon and feta salad, which was super refreshing on such a hot day.
Kathleen made the highly requested secret childhood cornbread that she makes every year. It’s unlike any cornbread anyone has ever tasted. It’s incredible!
Maria made a scrumptious cold cucumber soup! Let me tell you how refreshing this was on a hot day! I will be making this often as soon as I have cucumbers in my garden.
I made a couple of small platters of hand-held Caesar salads and eggplant rollatini stuffed with spinach and cheese. I was happy how it came out.
Everyone’s dishes were made with love you could taste and were all well seasoned and delicious.
After a quick tour of my garden and our production kitchen it cooled off enough to sit outside on the lower deck.
We relaxed and chatted. It was so nice. We finished off our dinner with some black raspberry ice cream that Kathleen brought for dessert.
We were missing Emily, who was unable to come, which was really too bad. We all missed her at the annual dinner.
I am so lucky to be surrounded by strong, supportive women like them.
When the passage at the beginning of the post popped up on my newsfeed this morning I knew immediately that was how I was going to begin writing about our amazing evening.
Three of us have been together for 21 years, others for more than 15 years, and the newest sisters joined our group 7 years ago. Has it been that long?
We are a unique bunch of women brought together by dance and have been through a lot together.
During good and bad times, through losses, illnesses, and plenty of successes, we have each other’s backs, lift each other up, and support the hell out of each other.
We are a rare breed and continue to blossom even in such a toxic, turbulent world that we block out every Wednesday night. 💜
Love this!