A Real Sunday Dinner

Last week, I was invited to Sunday dinner by my friend Karen at her home in Alameda. Happy to have someone else do the cooking for a change, I happily said yes.

This photo post is just one little way of saying thanks to Karen and her kids for the wonderful hospitality. Oh, and for introducing me to the game Apples to Apples. I demand a rematch…

This is Radar, my new best friend.

Zane glazes his Tuxedo cake as we talk of bacon confectioneries.

Cheese provided by Alex and Amelia…

Pesto palmiers before:

And after:

Much wine wine was drunk…

… which caused me to focus my attention on the surrounding chinoiserie.

We decided to take a break from noshing, digest for a few minutes, and enjoy the sunshine before heading into dinner.

There was no centerpiece to supper– no roast chicken, no beef, no barbecue. Just a festival of side dishes, as Charlotte so well put it.

Edamame salad with shaved Manchego…

Zane-made buscuits. I can’t for the life of me make a decent biscuit…

Spinach salad with figs…

There were several other dishes, like shrimp panzanella (below), but I lost count. I did manage to fill my plate and belly.

Once seated, the mistress of the house held court. We all gave her our full attention when we weren’t busy shoveling food into our mouths.

After dinner, I did my best not to fall into a food coma, but was unsuccessful. I dozed in the living room for a little while as the younger folk broke into the first bottle of Fernet Branca.

When I awoke, the finishing touches were being put upon the desserts:

Tuxedo cake (my very first)…

… and fig tart. Not my first, and certainly not my last.

As we found more room for eating, we sat around the dining room once again, but this time to play a hotly-contested round of that damned Apples to Apples game. The ensuing shots of Fernet, softened by ginger ale chasers, were deemed very helpful to all of us.

Karen, Zane, and Charlotte– thanks again for such a great day. I hope there will be more like it.