Reunion Weekend

*The corn, green beans, and tomatoes are all local produce.*

*I prepped late afternoon by blanching the green beans, cutting the corn off the cobs, and making the maple, cilantro, and mustard dressing for the fish.*

*A clean and well-stocked fridge can reduce hosting anxiety. Putting together meals on the fly is easier when you have good stuff.*

Husband’s 50th High School Reunion (5oth!!) was this past weekend, and we celebrated by hosting out-of-town guests and attending festivities two nights in a row, the first at the town Memorial Park and the second at a local brewery. It was a whirlwind of activity, and I did my part by tucking in food supplies and cooking up a bit of a storm.

*I set the table on a covered part of the porch, and when we were sure that the rain would hold off, we carefully moved out in the open to dine under the stars.*

*Thursday night, I wore fun parachute-style pants and a favorite cropped sweater.*

The company arrived late Thursday evening from Phoenix, AZ, and I served Maple-Baked Salmon, green beans, sauteed fresh, local corn, and a Caprese salad. I sliced local peaches for dessert, mixed up some old-fashioned oatmeal, dark brown sugar, and a pinch of kosher salt, and blended in good, cold butter. The peaches went in two gratin dishes and were topped with the crumble mix and dotted with more butter. I used two dishes instead of four as I thought a shared dessert per couple was fun and intimate. They baked off while we sat outside, and once done, I topped them with vanilla ice cream. Two gratins, four spoons. Serving dessert this way also made us switch up the seating, which is also fun and can keep the energy of the evening going.

Grilled burgers and leftover salads for Friday. Yes, good leftovers are part of the rotation. I made the pasta salad for dinner on Thursday, and it kept well until Friday. Dill pickles from the farmer’s market are always a favorite.

*The event dressing was casual. I wore denim, a black tee, and boots for Friday night at the park.*

We did a late lunch of burgers on the grill and Greek orzo salad on Friday. No dessert; we had a park party to go to. Bill brought wine, even though we weren’t supposed to bring in outside alcohol (his wine preferences spoil him), and the house guest and I showed our support by purchasing drink tickets and ordering draft beers.

*Saturday morning, we all did a Farmer’s Market run. I wore a long skirt and fitted tank I picked up a few weeks ago at Hamburg boutique Nigh Road.*

*I used a mandolin for the cole slaw as my food processor out here doesn’t work with the shredding disks; only the steel blade* *works. A mandolin is not a drinking game activity or even a conversation* *with others activity. It requires focus and concentration lest you want to add* *blood or small bits of finger to the party.*

*I was busy all day,* so I never changed out of the farmer’s market outfit until after lunch.

You see my handsome husband and our handsome dog in the upper right corner. I picked up the pretty blue water glasses at the Dollar Store a few years ago. The wine glasses are from Ollie’s, and I scored those for $5 a stem. We go through glasses like crazy out here, and everything goes in the dishwasher, so we can’t be too precious *with our glassware.*

*The hot dogs were a hit. I haven’t had a hot dog in probably ten years yet; wow, they were good.*

*Blueberry Pie is always a favorite. The deep dish is from Bennington Potters.*

*I am preparing to plate and garnish the pie with vanilla ice cream.*

*After lunch*, *I changed into a white cotton dress before heading to the brewery.*

We hosted an afternoon lunch at the house for eight on Saturday before the evening’s activities at the brewery. I served lobster rolls, cole slaw, grilled corn on the cob, Sahlen’s hot dogs, and blueberry pie. It was a lot of food, yet we also had a lot of alcohol, as these things go, so the two sides of the coin balanced things out.

Fifty years of memories is a lot of memories. It was fun to have time around the table at home to celebrate.