Annual Feast of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones Season Premiere Tradition

My favorite part of Game of Thrones Season Premiere night is the feast and gathering that preludes it. Waiting until 9pm in the final stretch of the long AGOT drought can be a daunting task so I resolved years ago to eat my way through it and hence, the annual Feast of Ice and Fire was born. Throw in great company, games, food, and tons of tasty drinks, and the countdown to showtime flies by.

We followed the tradition that all guests would bring a Westeros themed dish. As usual our friends and family didn't disappoint. However, my sister Alexandra was the real MVP in helping put the feast together. She is as obsessed with all things ASOIAF  as I am so the feast was bigger (and tastier) than it's been in previous years. She is a fantastic cook and baker. We used some recipes from the Feast of Ice and Fire Cookbook and tried to represent the regions of Westeros and Essos in our dish selections.

Our delicious table

Our menu included (I subjectively categorized the dishes brought by our guests):

The North:

Honeyed Chicken

Lemoncakes  (SO DELICIOUS-My sister outdid herself with these)

The Riverlands:

Miniature Meat Pies (Frey pie, anyone?)

The Reach:

Fresh Fruit 

Buttered carrots

Dorne:

Grape Leaves Salad

Spicy Chicken Dip

Kings Landing:

Cheese and crackers

Heads on Spikes

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

My son rolling heads and my favorite neighbor delivering an awesome pose

The Iron Islands:

Pillaged Sour Ale  

Westerlands: 

Ommegang 'Bend the Knee Honeyed Ale'-Lannister sigil

The Wall:

Lord Commander Mormont inspired Spiced Wine

Dothraki Sea:

Fermented Mare's Milk (White Russian)

Meereen:

Mint Green Tea with Honey

Mint Green Tea, Cheese, Lemoncakes, and Frey Meat Pie made for a fantastic second breakfast the next day

The Feast was a success and ran all the way until showtime. When we finally sat down to watch the show, I couldn't believe the wait was finally over (stay tuned for my review). Next year for the final season, I am going to try making an Iron Throne and the Painted Table of Westeros...Ambitious, I know, but I have the luxury of that ambition at this point. Whether or not my vision will be fully realized, only Bran can tell. One thing I can say for sure, each feast has been more delicious than the last and next year will be no exception.

Anna's Bachelorette Weekend in the Finger Lakes

My sister Anna is getting married on September 4 to her college sweetheart, R.J.. I couldn't be more excited for them both.  I was given the distinct privilege of  being her Matron-of-Honor and I take my role very seriously and loved the planning process involved with being an important part of their special day.

This past weekend, after much planning, it was finally time for our bachelorette weekend in the Finger Lakes. We stayed on Seneca Lake at the White Springs Manor in Geneva, NY.  It was antique, quiet, and the girls seemed to enjoy thinking it was haunted.  Other than Lexi taking a glass marker and writing REDRUM on the window to scare Katie,  we didn't encounter any spirits or strange occurrences. Overall, it was great place to stay for a special occasion since it is a bit expensive.

White Springs Manor

I must admit, I was a bit nervous about planning the bachelorette getaway since I'm 38 years old and was planning a weekend for my two sisters, both in their 20's and my brother's girlfriend, also in her 20's.  I didn't want to be so low key that it was boring for the girls but I also know Anna is not a fast paced party girl so I wanted  the weekend to be somewhere in between.  I think on that front it was a success with the beauty of the region, the local bars, and the blowup penis Katie brought which we named Pete. There are plenty of pics of Pete but those will just have to be left to the imagination. :)

Anna, Me, Lexi, Katie at the Pier House Restaurant

 We did have a hiccup with my youngest sister getting us kicked out of a local bar for being scrappy.  It made for a great story and our guys, in Las Vegas for the bachelor party, couldn't boast a more eventful evening than we had. Unfortunately, the evening events left Lexi not feeling too well and prevented her from participating in the wine tour planned the following day. Katie volunteered to stay behind to look after her so it would just be Anna and me. The trolley was quaint, the day was beautiful, the vineyards were luscious, and the wineries were amazing. We felt guilty that everyone couldn't participate but we made the most of it and I really enjoyed having the one on one time with my sister before she gets married.

My beautiful sister Anna & Me

One of the lovely vineyards with the added beauty of Anna 

All the vineyards/wineries we toured had sweeping views of the enchanted landscapes of the Finger Lakes

Other Highlights:

Lunch cruise on Seneca Lake on a beautiful day with the Girls

Sitting on Adirondack chairs with Katie at the Manor enjoying wine and our backyard view

Enjoying this view with Lexi while sipping an apple martini

Relaxing massages followed by a delicious dinner at the Belhurst Castle

In summary, we ate a lot of great food, drank a lot of great wine, enjoyed the local bar scene (and fun cab rides), and took in the beauty of the Finger Lakes. Anna had a great time which made all the planning worth it.

As for me, I'm already planning an anniversary weekend up there with Jeremiah in November and have no doubt that he will be as smitten with the romance of Seneca Lake just as much as I was.