The special guests I wrote about in my blog the other day were Aya and her mother. I was so nervous to finally meet her mother, who I always listen to talk about with Aya. Since it was the weekend before Valentine's Day, we also incorporated a little red into the table setting...

He bought the cheese and prosciutto to put on the cheese and charcuterie board.

We decorated it on the newly purchased board. I was very happy with the beautiful result.

The mother and daughter were so cute taking photos together, I took so many pictures.

Once we sat down, we first toasted with Louis Roederer champagne. The cheese in the front had black truffles in it.

Next was the dip board. He found this board at a cheese shop and bought it on the day. From the front, we put edamame and chickpea hummus, tabouli, and spicy meat dip that Aya had made.

The wine was Russian River Valley Chardonnay that Aya had brought with her.

We took a short break here. I knew that Aya's mother was a big fan of Yoshiki, so I played XJapan on our stereo and she was so touched! I was so touched that my boyfriend was so happy.

After that, we had a light peperoncino with a hint of lemon.

For the main course, we had NY strip steak with potatoes. We also had roasted lemon and onion.

We also had a salad to make the meat taste lighter. This was made by Aya.

Then, I requested octopus stewed in tomato sauce.

We had FIGGINS wine and two bottles of Italian wine.

The two of them were relaxing in front of the fireplace. I knew that Aya's mother could speak French, but I was really surprised that she had no problems with English and was able to converse smoothly with her boyfriend. Aya's mother is a beautiful, intelligent, elegant and wonderful woman. Oh, no, I was wrong, Aya is her mother's daughter! Huh? Which is correct?

Aya was working out before this photo, so she was showing off her muscles.

We finished with some simple cookies.

And on this day, Aya also gave us a birthday gift. It arrived all the way from Europe...! Wow! My favorite owl, from Baccarat. I have a lot of owls, but this is the first time I've seen such a happy owl! Thank you so much! I'm going to put this one on the table and have her greet me when I get home from work.

Aya's mother gave us her favorite rice crackers. She's already munching away. The two on the left would go well with wine.

We also got souvenirs for the two cats! One bag is already open, and Kirean has enjoyed it to the fullest.

The Burgundy wine we ordered on this day also arrived!

I can't wait until we can drink it together in a few years. This time, it's been a while since we've entertained. My love for cooking has been on the rise, so it was even more fun.

What should we talk about next time?

YOKO oxoxoxox