My Old Kentucky Home...

Long before there was Pinterest, or Tori Spelling's and Pippa's party books or loads of blogs dedicated just to party ideas, my older sister was throwing the most amazing celebrations for her kids' birthdays. These parties were second only to the incredible Halloween costumes she created for them. I admire her creativity and execution, and I always thought I would be like her when I became a mom.

Unfortunately, the reality of me is different than the dream of me. While I possess a fair amount of creativity and a fair amount of skill, I never allow enough time to do anything as amazing as a robot costume that actually lights up or a Harry Potter party, complete with a talking sorting hat. So I'm a big believer in daily celebrations that allow us to do something fun without costing us extra money and requiring too much time. Usually, this means our celebration is going to be food dependent—we need to eat it anyway!

This weekend we decided to take an interest in the Kentucky Derby, with a KY inspired meal.  As I made up a batch of pecan pie bars for our dessert, my third grader kept asking me why people care about the derby. Thankfully, I couldn't answer. It is like she handed me an opportunity to be one of those parents who are always exposing their children to learning experiences. I just turned the computer over to her and suggested a few areas for her to research. She ended up writing a report of the what, why, and whens of the big event.

Soon it was time for the race. I couldn't decide on who I would cheer for, but finally settled on Revolutionary. Sky chose...Fallen Sky of course. Noah has several choices, including that Normandy Invasion. (Now that is a horse name!) Seeing as how we chose our favorites based on their names, no one picked Orb to win. (Seriously...that was a boring name!)

We all wore our own versions of derby hats, with the exception of the little one, who preferred to wear fancy shoes instead. The evening's cocktail was mint juleps. Turns out I do not care for mint juleps. But we all enjoyed our main dish: Kentucky Hot Browns, adapted from this recipe. This was a comfort dish that will probably make it into regular fall and winter rotation.

Kentucky Hot Browns
4 thick white bread slices 3/4 pound sliced roasted turkey
Mornay Sauce (see below)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (or so...more or less as you wish)
3 plum tomatoes, sliced
8 bacon slices, cooked 

Preparation:
1. Preheat broiler with oven rack 6 inches from heat. Place bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until toasted.

2. Arrange bread slices in 4 lightly greased broiler-safe individual baking dishes. Top bread with turkey slices. Pour hot Mornay Sauce over turkey. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

3. Broil 6 inches from heat 3 to 4 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned; remove from oven. Top sandwiches with tomatoes and bacon. Serve immediately.

Mornay Sauce
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups skim milk
1/2 cup (2-oz.) shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:
Melt butter in a 3-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

A little photo booth fun in our derby hats.
Sky made my hat. See our Derby Day turned into an art project too!

A LOVELY MOMENT FROM TODAY: My two older kids packed their own lunches, rode down to the park, and had a picnic together. Their self-relience is something I'm proud of, but the fact that they got along for over an hour, is a real surprise to me!