Sunday Funday

As much as I try to be super spontaneous, it's not always my strong point. As I get older, my love for my calendar and a plan grows stronger. But every once in a while a glimmer of my younger self shines through and provides me a great day of random adventure.

Yesterday was one of those days.

Courtney was in town for a show Saturday night so I knew I would see her Sunday, but I didn't know when or for how long. When she showed up around 1pm and said she was staying the night I began thinking of what we were going to do - what should we do for meals, where should we kill time etc.

We decided a visit to Green Lake was in order and after a quick phone call to Grandpa, headed in his direction. He decided he wanted to take us out for lunch and after an hour or so of visiting, we popped up to Tangletown for lunch at The Elysian. We started with mussels, then Grandpa had a quesadilla and Court and I split a Ruben. It was Courtney's first Ruben and I think she was pleased.

During our visiting, Grandpa told us a bunch of stories about his time in the military. We heard about where he was stationed and how he worked his angles to get things like a quick airplane ride to San Diego to play golf, or to get transferred out of Dallas. Don't tell Billy, but Grandpa referred to Dallas as the place where "if you were to give the country an enema, the tube would go in Dallas".

He eventually made his way to Whidbey Island where he developed a solid relationship with The Commodore after helping the high-ranking officer with a Sunfish injury. Neither Courtney or I knew what this was. Turns out, when a horse sticks his front legs straight out and falls on it's stomach, that's called Sunfishing. It leaves the rider with a separated pelvis. Not a pleasant experience.

I'm not really sure the conclusion of the relationship between Grandpa and The Commodore because as he was leading into an ending, the phone rang and Connie was on the line. Grandpa quickly wrapped up with Court and I to take the call.

After having a beer with lunch (and a mimosa with breakfast, in Courtney's case) we decided that another drink was in order. I mentioned having bloody mary fixings at the house and Courtney's response was more than excited. So we headed back to my house to continue the party. We cooked egg muffins and quinoa patties while we drank and pretty soon Matt was home from the studio. A quick text to Mel confirmed that she would head in our direction after work and a couple hours later it was a full on family function.

We had a great evening of snacks, wine gossip (Matt retired to the other room, smart man) and ended the evening with a quick walk to Mel's house for a shot of Fireball. All I can say is I never would have planned that's how the day would shake out and I'm glad for that.

Summer jobs

I heard about three summer jobs Grandpa had during college and thought I'd share:

1.  Milk truck delivery driver - commercial, not residential

2.  Counselor at a summer camp for poor kids with chronic Rheumatic conditions outside Chicago

3.  Assistant to a doctor outside his hometown. After two years of medical school Grandpa inquired about helping the local doctor for the summer. The local doctor said yes and promptly left on summer vacation, leaving young Amos to run the show.

What are some memorable/strange/funny/hard/favorite/interesting summer jobs you've had?

My favorite summer job was working as a Special Olympics softball coach when I was 18. My team was a lot of fun and we even won a regional tourney!

1-25-2012 I'm a dessertie

Last night's dinner was another one for the books! As people arrived, they were greeted by the fragrant smell of the smoker hard at work.  The drink-of-the-day was a tasty Sea Breeze - fresh squeezed grapefruit, cran and vodka. The appetizer was toasted baguette with goat cheese, kalamata olives and roasted red peppers and was both aromatic and delicious. Eddie pointed out that it smelled like a pizzeria!

After a solid happy hour, Grandpa Pres, Mel, Jess, Eddie, Ted, Johnnie, Morgan, Chelsey and I got seated around the table in anticipation of the main event - Smoked Turkey. You could smell it from the street, so we were all excited for our first bites. Based on the moments of silence, I think everyone agreed the turkey was fantastic. Chelsey even said it was her favorite meal yet.

We also had broccoli diablo (muy caliente), Grandma Corrine's German potato salad, a fresh green salad and some rustic bread to accompany the protein. Conversation wrapped around food (of course), bike racing, the crazy weather of the past couple weeks, the famous blue binder cookbook, and how to make pear brandy.

But I think the best line of the night was after we had indulged in another great dessert of pear crisp with ice cream made by Jess. I had mentioned that someone should write a blog post and we started talking about being foodies. Grandpa had not heard the term before, but after a quick explanation, he proclaimed that he was definitely a dessertie. If you are related to Famous, you can thank him for your sweet tooth.

What's a favorite line you've heard from Grandpa lately? And Grandpa, what's your favorite dessert?

1-18-2012

Snowpocolypse 2012 prevented me from making it to dinner this week. As Ted pointed out, I sound like a coastie - two inches of snow and I can't make it out of a 2-block radius.

I have gotten some delicious cooking done in the last few days - red beans & rice, cornbread, shrimp with feta & tomatoes, zuccini & spinach casserole, cheesy bread and sugar cookies were among the new recipes I tackled while cooped up in the house. It's a good thing the grocery store is within that 2-blocks!

1-11-2012

Watch out here comes Grandpa Pres!!!!!! I just love family night dinner. And I urge all of the family come celebrate this big important gathering. The food is great the conversation is even better it is just a great evening, Pres also Bruce & Kate will be looking forward to seeing you all January the 11th.

First post, a few months late

After three months of great dinners I decided it was time to document. When grandpa Pres moved to Seattle in September a great new tradition started - Wednesday dinners!

Each week we trickle into Ted & Johnnie's kitchen as the work day ends and the festivities begin. Grandpa is usually sitting in the captain's seat with access to any hor dourves and all the conversation. As the crowd grows, so do the smells coming from the little kitchen. It's amazing the amount of food that comes out of the mid-century setup.

Depending on the night, the table fills with a handful to more than a dozen friends and family and the real fun begins. The conversation bubbles as the dishes circle the crowded table and pretty soon everyone is enjoying the seasonal feast.

It's time to start a record of the delicious food and always memorable conversations that ensue each week.

Cheers!