Get Down and Derby!!

Yesterday was the famous Kentucky Derby, and as a local Louisvillian I felt compelled to host a Derby party. I used to attend the Derby in the infield in past years, but for those of you not familiar with the infield antics there is usually lots of drunken debauchery including topless ladies and public urination… nothing but class! That ship has sailed for me, and unfortunately the next step up from infield is box seats, millionaire’s row and such- a bit outside my price range. Though I hope that we will get to go and do Derby right someday, I would love to make a big fabulous dress and wear and awesome hat!

It was also a rainy day, so the comfort of my own home seemed like a great alternative! Of course I had to make a Derby dress for the occasion, and I found this vintage neon print of a horse racing scene and I was super pumped. There was only 1.5 yards of this material available from the seller, so I snatched it up and went back to my old faithful Simplicity Passport dress. I’ve made it a million times and its so easy to wear, I figured with only a yard and a half of fabric I had no room for mistakes. I think it turned out really cute!

 

 

It was a tight squeeze getting the dress to fit a yard and a half and still showcase the print, but I somehow managed. I had no construction problems, but I do think I could take the waist up a bit. I plan to wear this dress to the race track at some point so I’ll fix it before then. Check out our fabulous mascots for the evening, I named them Kriss Kross in honor of the fallen 90’s artist. May his backwards pants forever live on!

 

The party was a blast, Chris smoked ribs and pork butt, and I made Derby pies and lots of yummy appetizer. Two of the big hits were my mini hot brown bites (think mornay sauce, turkey, tomato, bacon, and parmesan cheese… (delicious ridiculousness! recipe here) and shrimp orzo salad. I have had a major obsession with orzo pasta lately, this recipe is great. It makes a ton and it is a nice light side dish. I was hoping there would be some left over so I could take it to work for lunch this week, but no such luck!

 

 

True to the spirit of the Kentucky Derby, we had much gambling throughout the day and night. We watched each race and sold each horse for a dollar out of a deck of cards by number, winner taking the pot. I only managed to win one race on a horse named Stephanie’s Kitten… $8 whole dollars! However, my winnings were quickly confiscated when the dice started rolling for a never ending game of Philly three’s. It is highly addictive… not sure I can recommend it on a clear conscience.

 

Our friend Joey’s perfect roll of the evening… that dog.

 

Despite the rain, we had a super fun time with great company. Even Harper enjoyed herself!

 

Happy Derby everyone! Looking forward to next year 🙂

---