Let me start by apologizing for this late post. But honestly, I didn't want to write it. Dinner was great, the group was fabulous, but it was the end of an era and I was having a hard time making it official. Last Wednesday was our last weekly meal with Grandpa Pres in the mix - he left us for the sunnier skies of Wenatchee over the weekend!
So as he settles into his new digs, I'm settling into the fact that I don't get to talk shop with him each week. It was great having him here and I got to spend a lot more time with him than I otherwise would have. AND! He's the reason Wednesday Dinners got started, so thank you for spending some time on the coast Grandpa and I hope you are loving your new spot!
Now what you have all been waiting for, the recap of last week's family dinner. Since it was Grandpa's last meal (until he decides to come visit us), it was quite a big affair. I arrived around 6pm to Ted at the stove, Johnnie at the island and Grandpa and Eddie at the nook on either side of a huge plate of smoked salmon collars. YEEEEEEEEEES!
Being the gentlemen they are, Eddie offered up his seat by the apps and Ted made me the drink of the night - watermelon hooch and limeade. After the
tragic events of the day, I was happy to have a retreat that included family, food and COCKTAILS. We shared how our days had all been affected by the shootings and Johnnie and Eddie shared a story about
Scott 'Hollywood' Scurlock, the bank robber who hid out in the neighborhood over Thanksgiving 1996.
So as we got the nervous energy of the day out with the first drink, more people filtered in - Chelsey, Jessie, Mark, Charlie, Ted's friend and his two buddies (totally drawing a blank on names right now), Todd and his wife. Thirteen plus a dog, that's about as big as it can get in a turn-of-the-century house.
But I'm getting ahead of myself with group dynamics. I only briefly mentioned the salmon collars, when in fact, they deserve a lot of attention. I think I ate three. That's slightly embarrassing to admit to my millions of readers, but they are so damn good! Totally worth my hands smelling like fish for days, Omega-3 overload. Eek! I just looked up the
nutrition facts, probably shouldn't have done that. I'd still have eaten three had I looked at the facts beforehand. Every fatty, delicious bite I could dig out from between the cartilage was like hitting the jackpot at the slots. DING DING DING DING DING and the lights start flashing and I'm rich!
Ok, moving on. We crammed as many plates as could fit around the table and filled what space was left with green salad, artisan bread, tomato marinade (of course!), brown rice, wine, hot sauce and a whole lot of Copper River Salmon. Ted had clued me in early Wednesday that when he filleted the fish, it was the most beautiful one he'd ever seen. And he did it justice. Brined for a few hours and then put on the Tragger for a short time, the salmon was hands down the best salmon I've eaten. I was sitting next to Grandpa and he agreed. And then we both ate more than we should have.
With such a big group, there were lots of conversations going on, many of which I didn't catch. But one thing is for sure, people were happy to be sharing the fabulous meal with each other. One of the things I've learned in the last 9 months at family dinner is that if people want to be at dinner, they are bound to have a good time. The policy always was that if you could make it, great. If not, we'll see you when you can. And I think this mentality created the perfect environment for great meals time after time.
As a few of us started clearing plates, Ted's friend (doh! the name still isn't coming) pulled out a deck of cards and entertained the bunch. That was a first for fam din and enjoyed all around. And it was the perfect distraction that allowed us to dish up dessert.
Jessie made a banana cream pie and we had apple and strawberry rhubarb from PCC. A little sliver of each with a dollop of vanilla ice cream went to everyone interested and the crowd continued to enjoy.
It's been decided that the tradition Grandpa started when he moved to Seattle last fall will continue because we all like each other! I don't think we will be meeting every week, and the venue may change, but either way, this group loves drinking, eating and talking and an event that's been so enjoyable couldn't just stop happening. I'm hoping we get an occasional appearance from Grandpa, too, because we learned this food/family-centrc behavior from him!
