Every year, my friends Will and Carolyn throw a Kentucky Derby party.
Carolyn is originally from Kentucky, and this is her yearly (delicious) tribute to her home state.
During the other 364 days of the year, Carolyn and Will are your typical food-loving Seattleites, shopping at the farmers market and eating seasonally. But on Derby Day, the focus is totally Bluegrass State. The menu is driven not by what's happening here in the Pac NW, but what recipes they pick out from Carolyn's collection of Kentucky cookbooks.
Some selections have included...
...beer cheese...
...pigs in a blanket...
...bourbon balls (a perennial favorite)...
...Derby pies...
..of various iterations...
...brown sugar bacon...
...little cheesy puffs made with rice krispies...
...BBQ beef cups...
...of which Will made a vegetarian variation with cheese & pickles...
...that were pretty darn addictive...
...and peanut butter balls for the kids, since they can't have the bourbon balls. (I believe these are called buckeyes next door in Ohio, but this is Kentucky's day.)
The finished spread.
Will is responsible for the julep action.
I can't quite remember what was going on here (julep reporting is hard when you're also julep imbibing) but I believe Will had tried out infusing the bourbon with some mint. Or something. It's hazy.
Carolyn prepping her hats. Hats are required, at least for the actual race itself.
Even the horses at the party need some kind of head wear.
And it's party time.
Horses are considered.
Bets are made.
The hats go on.
The horses are warmed up.
"My Old Kentucky Home" is sung.
Last minute bets are finalized.
And they're off!
I have only once won at Derby Day, but I usually make it all back in bourbon balls, mint juleps and Derby pie, so I still end the day feeling like I'm up.