Hello again, Kissers! For our recent event, hosted by Meg and Damian, we met at Damian and Frank's home on a "school night." The plan: To put our money where our mouths were with regard to creating quick, healthy, and tasty meals in that way-too-compressed vortex of time known as "after work."
The gang trickled in...Anne and Rick were the first to arrive, bearing tuna gifts, to our grand delight! Thanks, guys! They were followed by Fernando, Shawn, and Sebastian. He's growing like a weed! Or like a sprig of thyme? A sage bush? A parsley plant?
It was a beautiful, late-summer afternoon, and Frank and Damian's two cats made the most of it:
Immediately seeing the wisdom of this decision, Fernando, Sebastian, Meg, Damian, and surprise guest William all followed suit, congregating on the back porch to enjoy the sun and the garden.
Haven't the foggiest idea what they were all focused on so intently in the back corner of the yard, but I thought this was a pretty funny shot:
Pretty soon, Joyce and Jessica arrived!
Jessica said her hellos to Sebastian from the baby's-eye perspective:
Rick looks pretty jolly for a man whose been fasting for the whole day in preparation of a routine medical procedure the following day...
Joyce had picked up a gigantic sunflower somewhere (Or at least, I think it was Joyce - I missed the story of the origin of the sunflower...)
UPDATE: It was actually Anne!!
I
assume had assumed it was Joyce because she got more and more dramatic and artsy with the sunflower. Here is "Wistful Nostalgia With Sunflower."
This one is from the more surreal school of composition, entitled "Head Like a Sunflower."
Best buds! It was a treat for us to spend an evening with William.
Damian and Meg had organized this gorgeous collection of snacks - note the kale chips! Also, there were three "versions" of the same cow's milk cheese: one plain, one with chives, and one with cocoa powder on the outside. All were yummy!!
Jessica and Shawn chat while Sebastian has a snack.
There they are now! Otherwise occupied, Shawn couldn't participate in Meg and Damian's welcome and partaking of instruction.
But everyone else could! Here's the assembly, awaiting instruction and assignments:
The plan for the evening included a "Show and Tell" style menu. Kissers all sent some examples of quick weeknight meals that they whipped up when time was tight, and Damian and Meg picked a few to try out. On the menu for the night:
There were some gorgeous berries from the farmer's market that we'd use for dessert. They were to be cooked down slightly to use in the parfait.
We got some fresh cranberry beans on to boil - so good and good for you! We figured we'd put these in the quinoa salad.
Meg prepared some beautiful fresh green beans for roasting in some olive oil:
As I understood it, at least one bowl of these tomatoes came from
the guys' own yard!
UPDATE: I found out they were from Anne's and Rick's yard!! I'm so impressed! We'd use them for the chicken.
We finely diced some shallot and some summer squash:
And began cooking down some tomatoes for the pan sauce for the chicken. The herbs de provence in this mixture were so aromatic!
Kitty checks to see if anyone looks like they will be offering treats anytime soon...
While things got rolling in the kitchen, Rick knocked the rust off his child-rearing chops and held Sebastian for a while. Look! They have matching heads!
The green beans went from the oven to the red-light district. I mean the warming light below the range hood!
And of course everything is better with a shadow puppet! Thanks, Frank!
Jessica made the socca - it was different than what Shawn and Fernando typically do, as this was much thinner. More a chip-like consistency, better for snacking. The recipe that Shawn and Fernando really rely on at home
is the one you can find here. It yields only one thick crepe, but when you cut it into wedges and serve it with a green salad, it makes a delightful light supper.
The first one came out of the oven and was sliced into thin pieces and passed around as an appetizer.
I'm fascinated with these three and their identical lines of vision! Here, they focus with laser-sharp crispness on something in the kitchen. Tee-hee!
Meanwhile, Shawn put random ingredient after random ingredient into the quinoa salad. I think it ended up being composed of the c
ranberry beans, raw summer squash, carrot, shallot, and lemon juice.
The guys take a load off. Fernando will say he was "babysitting" a sleeping Sebastian.
Here's the aforementioned sleeping Sebastian. And a monkey.
Our dishes were nearing completion, so the plating fun began. This is one breathtaking platter of roasted green beans topped with soft-fried Meg's eggs (with the exception of Fernando's
de rigeur "
chicharron de huevo" - can you identify it in the photo below?)...
Just look at this! Every time I see the photo I want this for dinner. Again.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Improvised Quinoa Salad.
Here's a closer look:
The table was set and the dinner bell was rung:
What a plate!
We glanced over our shoulders every once in a while - it felt as if someone were watching us.
Shawn exclaimed how impressed she was that we had controlled our portions so carefully, saying she felt the amount of food that we prepared and served was "just right" and expressing her happiness in not feeling stuffed to the gills. Then someone reminded her that we still had chicken to eat. Shawn's reply: "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh..."
It was so tasty, however, that she (and everyone else!) risked the dreaded Overly-Distended Belly Syndrome.
Citing her need for extra protein for being responsible for two people's nutrition at once, Shawn even had seconds.
We all sighed contentedly and savored the flavors of dinner. Soon it would be dessert time. The berries had been cooked down with some maple syrup...
Damian had found some fresh local Greek yogurt at the farmer's market, and to its tasty (full-fat, natch!) tang we would add some amazing fancy maple syrup that Damian and Frank's friend had brought from Canada on a visit a few months prior. Then, we'd fold the whole tasty business into some freshly whipped cream! Yum!
Here, the berries pose alongside their supporting actor, candied ginger. We would layer these three ingredients into glasses to make parfaits!
Of course, I didn't specify which kind of glasses...But these worked just great, and guaranteed a hefty dessert serving for each Kisser. It tasted just like late summer--those bodacious berries with that autumnal kiss of candied ginger...It was so delicious!
Here' a peep over the top.
Again, the end result makes for easy dishes cleanup.
Sebastian still slept on...
We had a delightful discussion around the table as we digested. We touched upon politics, spirituality, community building, and our personal commitment to support any or all of these concepts in our lives. Then Sebastian woke up, and we all had fun watching him. Frank compared him to a lava lamp - he doesn't do a lot, but is very fun to watch! What a perfect description!
We have tentative dates selected for November and December, thanks to Anne's being fast on the draw and very well-organized. Please hold these dates:
- November 11 (for biz-ness - at Joyce and Jessica's house)
- December 16 (for cookies - at Meg's house)
See you on Saturday, October 20 at Shawn and Fernando's house! Till then, Kissers! oxox
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