Dinner with Linda and David

Linda and David

One of the great joys of moving to Pennsylvania was meeting up with people from Victor's past... and the greatest joy of them all was meeting Linda and David. Victor has known Linda for nigh on 50 years. They grew up together, their mothers played bingo together, they worked together... Linda was our real estate agent when we bought our house back here and David arranged our home loan. Friends, indeed.

And what's even more fun is they both love to eat just as much as we do. We have two main dinners a year - one in August where we celebrate Linda's and my birthday, and one around Christmas. Summer, their house - winter, ours. Linda and I exchange fabulous presents and ignore Victor and David's birthdays. True friends!!

We were a little late in the birthday celebration this year because of Victor's foot surgery, but we headed down to their house tonight knowing that a treat was in store for us - and boy oh boy was it ever!!

We arrived right at three o'clock and were greeted platters of salami and cheese, breads and crackers, a smoky red pepper hummus, a variety of olives... the perfect nosh after an hour drive.

Linda and David live way out in Oxford - where local fresh from the vine tomatoes and picked 10 minutes ago corn abounds! The fresh tomato salad and corn on the cob were, of course, the perfect accompaniment to a succulent pork roast and some of the best ribs I've ever eaten. David really knows his ribs - and these were perfection! A barely perceptable sweetness coupled with a great smoky heat had me going back for more - and more - and more!

Just perfect. There was a Caesar Salad as well as Oven Roasted New Potatoes - perfectly roasted with fresh garden herbs - to round out the table - and me.

Steaming cups of coffee and espresso - and fresh Fruit tart, a medley of fresh melon, and decadent fudge brownies finished me - and the meal - off.

The fun part will now be planning dinner for their visit to us this winter... I have no idea what it's going to be, but i have a tough act to follow.

Damn, this is fun!


Tortuga Rum Cake - Sicilian Style!

Tortuga Rum Cake

I love the internet! The other day I received an email from a woman in Sicily asking about the Tortuga Rum Cake recipe. From Sicily! Clear across the world!

Her name is Daniela and lives in a village at the foot of Mount Etna. How cool is that? She had a question about baking powder (lievito in Italian!) While she has a fantastic command of English, the phrase had her stumped. It took me a few minutes searching Google to come up with the correct term (my Italian is pretty much limited to "ciao") and we've had a few emails back and forth since. A girlfriend of hers has raved about the cake forever, so she decided to make it for her. A true friend, indeed!

I've always said that food is the great equalizer - that food truly does bring people together. And here is but more proof. Meeting real people from real places. Bringing the world together, one recipe at a time!

Sicily has always been on our list of places to see - and it's just been bumped up a few notches!

I just love the internet!