Whew! Where DOES the time go? As you all know, in January (yes, I KNOW we're in March already!) we Kissers went to Lopez Island for a weekend away. For the sake of time to publish this before summer arrives, I didn't do a final edit pass on this entry. So if you see any errors, my apologies-please forgive!
Joyce would carpool with Sebastian, Shawn and Fernando...She arrived at their place and graciously (broken arm and all!) entertained Sebastian while Shawn and Fernando dispatched a trio of unexpected visitors and finished packing. They raced off to Anacortes in the Friday-night traffic and, magically, made it onto the 7:50 ferry with less than 5 minutes to spare!
They navigated over to the house and were warmly received by the other Kissers in attendance. Frank and Damian would join the fun the next day, but Meg, William, Anne, Rick, and Jessica were already in full-on relaxation mode:
And how could they do otherwise, with a super cozy fire like this?
First things first: Unpacking some newly-arrived offerings to the house's beverage selection. Can you identify an element in this photo that looks a little different from last year's photo? I can!
Dinner was held for the late-comers, and boy, was it ever worth the wait! Have a look for yourself:
Put it all together, and what do you get?
We settled in, organized sleeping spaces, and briefly discussed the weekend's plans. Mostly we just relaxed, though.
Anne showed Sebastian how we do relaxation on Lopez. Wait...
The evening's festivities weren't too drawn out; it had been a long day and folks wanted to be sure to be ready for a day of excitement Saturday. So we turned in for the night. We woke up the next morning to this view:
Rick slid outside to investigate the previous evening's wine casualties in the truthful, unforgiving light of day. Shawn reminded him through the window that not all the evening's consumption was represented outside.
Breakfast belonged to Joyce and Jessica, and on the docket were some fancy eggnog pancakes. Rick came in to warm up and read his morning news electronically on Joyce's iPad. The iPad, however, didn't seem to be in agreement, prompting Rick to declare, "This iPad needs an enema!"
He followed that up by a joke involving polar bears and peas, but the only part I remember is that the punch line involved the oh-so-charmingly-catchy phrase "Kick him in the ice hole." Anyone? Bueller?
Anyhow, we hung out and chatted as the laydeez put the finishing touches on breakfast.
Meanwhile, Fernando had ended up with the first shift of baby duty, but Shawn caught him in his underwear as he fished out his PJs so he could emerge and hang out with the rest of the group. Actually, the truth is that I'm really only including this picture because in it, Fernando looks naked, and that makes me grin.
Speaking of baby duties (or was it baby daddies?), awwww...
OK, back to breakfast. We would be enjoying a delicious baked egg dish. Individual ramekins filled to the brim with savory greens, prosciutto, and eggies...then, baked! Yum! Have a look for yourself...(J&J? Was there a recipe I can post?)
Also, eggnog pancakes! I didn't really notice a heavy eggnog flavor, but they were still super yummy!
We were getting closer...preparations began for setting the table and plating.
Someone mixed up a fruit salad...
Rick, sporting some fancy-dancy fish pajamas, reminds us that we are here to relax, and raises his glass to imbibe accordingly.
As the other Kissers finished up the breakfast details, Shawn and Fernando circled these extraordinary panna cotta that their faster-arriving friends had left for them and for Joyce from the previous night's dinner. Don't they look stunning? Let me assure you, they tasted even better than they looked! One of my favorite desserts in a VERY long time. Could y'all please share the recipe? I'll post it here. EDIT: Panna Cotta with Fresh Plums Recipe! Meg says: "There weren’t any fresh plums to be had, so I made a kiwi compote, instead – with lemon and some lemon peel, and I’m pretty sure I added a bit of sugar and vanilla. Lesson learned: for the warm water “dip” required to remove the custard from the ramekins, don’t make the water too hot – it melts the custard. Duh."
Soon, it's brunchtime. We're ready to eat. Even Sebastian has his bowl ready to go.
Doesn't that look festive?
Looks pretty tasty, doesn't it? Extra super bonus - our extra super-special guest William brought along TWO kinds of extra super-special homemade apple butter (!!!) to share. Apple butter and pancakes? Yes, please!
During breakfast, we calculated how much butter had been consumed during our breakfast. Upon arriving at a cholesterol-raisingly high number, some of us decided it was time to move our butts a bit. Jessica headed out for a bike ride on her fancy new wheels, and Fernando went for a run. Anne, Rick, Joyce, Meg, and Shawn (Sebastian in tow!) decided to go for a walk. So they strapped Sebastian into the baby carrier and were off.
Off they all went, seeing all sorts of fun things along the walk. Ruminating sheep, a pissed-off dog, a Hispanic guy digging a very long ditch, an old rusty wagon wheel, and all sorts of birds. About 45 minutes in, Joyce, Shawn, and Sebastian turned back and Meg, Anne, and Rick continued up along a trail they'd found in a small park.
It was a chilly day, but Shawn had figured that, between her body heat and
the hood on Sebastian's little jacket, Sebastian would be plenty warm. Sadly, Shawn was incorrect, and the poor little guy had a full-on "I'm freezing my cute little baby butt off" meltdown shortly after turning around to go home. Shawn and Joyce did their best to calm him as they high-tailed it back to the house, and finally they made it.
Rick, Meg, and Anne continued to the top of the hill, where they found a hammock and a buddha statue - neat!
Back at the house, Shawn finally managed to calm Sebastian down, and then even got him to go down for a nap. After that, it was time to celebrate - Frank and Damian arrived!
More relaxation and reading followed.
Shawn settled in to make "Sally's Slightly Trashy Taco Soup" and a blood orange olive oil cake - crispy on the outside, soft and delicious on the inside. It would be a while, so a curious melange of snacks was provided. Meg made guacamole, adding a bit of olive brine for flavoring:
Also, a chorizo and cheese plate was organized...
And some tasty beets!
More chatting and hanging out over a few glasses of wine ensued...
Shawn received some great instruction from William about supreming the blood orange sections.
The aroma of the olive oil cake filled the living room, where other folks had migrated to rest and read...
Speaking of cake, here she is (slightly underdone! Next time, I'll leave it longer so the sides get a bit more crispy). The top stuck a teensy bit, but at least you can tell it was homemade. Ha. Such a tasty flavor!
Once the cake was done, Shawn turned her attention to the taco soup preparation. Meg helped out by feeding some yogurt to little Sebastian. She's a natural!
The taco soup simmers happily away...
Our Kissers amused themselves while waiting for dinner to be served. Meg gave William a massage...
These guys enjoyed something more high-tech...
Even Sebastian entertained himself.
Finally (Finally! It was well after 8:00!), dinner was served. Sally's Slightly Trashy Taco Soup! We added a dollop of sour cream and a dollop of sharp cheddar cheese. Pretty tasty!
Post taco soup, it was cake time. This cake has a very delicate crumb, and a subtle flavor that would work fine using any citrus combination I think. Doesn't it look pretty with the blood orange, though?
Dinner was lively, and the lack of a "regular" schedule allowed us to linger longer around the table than we typically do. Marvelous conversation ensued, including a lengthy discussion about the particulars of, ahem, the practice of care and maintenance of one's, er, "orchids,"as well as various methods to improve upon an already naturally-lovely specimen.
For those of you to whom I promised to provide additional proof information, here are some options:
And that was only a single Google search - there is PLENTY more where that came from should you care to research further.
So, back to our dinner. The downside of having dinner so late at night is that, during dinner's preparation, you have more time to drink more wine. We all felt the day's festivities catch up with us a bit...some of us more so than others, tee hee!
We all slowly trickled into our respective beds, ready to rest up for the following morning. Night!
When we woke up, we were treated to a beautiful view of a frosty--but gorgeous--morning!
After our wine-fueled dinner, we all hit the coffee pretty hard. Here, Jessica shows off mad skillz using her fancy Aero (is that the name, J?) espresso maker.
Damian doctors his cup o' joe....Oh, wait!
Shawn had a healthy pre-breakfast of caffeine+plus+chocolate chip cookie.
Then, she wandered in to wake up her boys. What a cutie!
Folks were all moving pretty slowly prior to breakfast.
Well, except for this guy. He was at normal speed!
Meanwhile, Sebastian enjoyed hanging out with the other Kissers. Here, Anne and Sebastian have a chat...
Then it was Damian's turn...
And Jessica showed Sebastian the joys of reading a good book on a winter day.
Here, our little toothless shark attacks Joyce's thumb...Ouch!
William and Sebastian enjoy each other's company...
We plated everything up, and voila! Lovely, isn't it?
Inkeeping with our theme of the table as a place for sharing information, William provides some tips on knife honing.
After breakfast, William and Sebastian share some special time together.
A short while later, we decided to introduce Sebastian to his first piano, a process that was extra stinkin' cute. Have a look:
Look at those cheeks!
Then, we enjoyed his very first recital. I think he's a natural!
Sadly, it was time for most folks to leave our temporary island paradise shortly after the show. We got our things together and headed out into the sunset.
Folks who stayed behind - feel free to send me photos and/or recipes, and any fun anecdotes from the time I missed, and I'll be glad to post it here!
I'm sure I left a bunch of stuff out, but what the heck. That wraps up Lopez - Next up, J&J's house for a Tom Douglas extravaganza! See y'all on Saturday! oxox
Our group has been cooking together at least once a month for more than a decade. From French Laundry to homemade s'mores to flavors of Asia and pastry experiments, we love to cook (and eat!) it all!
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