We had a party! Though The Lovely Lisa laughs at me when we have a few people for dinner and I refer to it as a "party" - it truly is a party. In reality, every meal served at this house is a party. Even if it is "just us". I set a pretty table. Light candles. Flowers. It is the same amount of work if we have zero guests or ten guests.
Just more dishes.
We have a dishwasher!
A few weeks ago, our Beloved Housesitter no, you cannot have his phone number, Brandon, went on a fantabulous fishing trip to Canada with his family. They stayed at an incredible resort on Vancouver Island - Sund's Lodge - where guests fly-in via seaplanes to enjoy luxurious accommodations, deep-sea halibut & salmon fishing, gourmet meals and all the booze you can suck up daily. Brandon and his family caught 600 pounds of salmon and halibut!
Six Hundred Pounds!
The fish is cleaned, filleted, flash-frozen and vacuum-sealed on the boat daily and then packed in dry ice for your return flight. (All inclusive, by the way.) Luckily for us, Brandon deposited several lovely fillets in our freezer. Being a Friend of Brandon has its privileges. Tonight we asked Mary, Steve, Kathy & Woody over to sample Brandon's catch.
This fillet weighed in at 3 pounds, 10 ounces. It was from a puny 14 pound salmon.
Half-moon zucchini
I used my friends as guinea pigs for a zucchini recipe I was trying out.
Ready for the oven
Zucchini slices are tossed with sauteed-in-olive-oil-and-butter green onion, garlic and thyme - plus crushed croutons and grated parmesan cheese - then baked.
My experiment turned-out well. Six people ate five medium zucchini, so I count this as a success. I will be posting the recipe in a few days.
DT grilled the salmon to perfection. It was a difficult task, as portions of the fillet were nearly 2-inches thick and portions were less than one-inch thick. He also grilled a few chicken breasts, just in case Mary someone didn't want fish. (DT is very considerate.) We served a very simple basil, garlic, lemon & olive oil pesto-like sauce with the fish & chicken.
We also served a very simple salad of sliced organic heirloom tomatoes, drizzled with organic extra virgin olive oil and garnished with organic basil leaves. Is this a good time to mention everything served at the meal (except the wine!) was organic?Anyway, I assume the salmon was organic.
Though not invited, this bandit showed-up to the party. I think s/he could not resist the smell of the salmon on the grill. S/he came out of the forest to see if maybe s/he could snag a snack.No deal. We were not sharing.
Woody, Steve, Kathy & Mary
These party animals were invited.
We are so healthy! How about a fruit plate for dessert? Watermelon, figs, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Perfect ending to a perfect evening with friends.Until my next update, I remain, your hospitable correspondent.