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.