Yesterday was Leslie and Joel’s wedding.

The ceremony was outdoors at French Creek State Park – a beautiful wooded area alongside a lake.

The reception immediately followed at their home – a mere two miles or so from the wedding site.  Tents and tables and food galore.  A Middle Eastern feast started the festivities, with a 30 pound fresh Alaskan salmon slow-grilled over hardwood briquettes.  Champagne flowed like the stream behind their home.  It was non-stop food-fun.  And it was non-stop fun-fun seeing folks I just don’t get to see that often.

Not even raindrops could dampen anyone’s spirits.

One of the highlights for me, was seeing my dear friend Ruth, again!  Ruth – among other things –  is the groom’s sister, a best friend to the bride, and a woman I shared a wonderful job with for almost 7 years – before she moved to Vermont last year.  We keep in contact, email, phone, text – all the modern stuff – but it just isn’t the same.

So it was a double treat when she and her younger son Dylan came over today and we convinced them to stay for dinner. It was more non-stop talking and laughing and just catching up.

It was also a play date for the dogs – Cybil and Yuengling.

Victor made homemade focaccia – fresh herbs, sliced tomatoes, caramelized onions, and asiago cheese – and rigatoni with homemade marinara sauce pulled out of the freezer.  Instant dinner for four.  The dogs ate their kibble.  (They got their share of people-treats, too.)

I will have to get him to write down the recipe.  It was spectacular!

There is almost always sauce in the freezer and pasta in the cabinet – and flour and yeast. In literally no time at all, dinner was on the table.

Dinner totally rocked – and proof that at any given moment we can put dinner on the table.

What a good time.