We have ourselves almost totally booked for company this year. I'm ambivalent about so much activity. Already we had friends from home staying for 4 days last week and that was pleasant but I need down time which I didn't have with them, as thoughtful and helpful as they were.
My sister and her best friend come next week and then the day they leave, my husband's college friend and his wife arrive for 8 days seguing into a two day class reunion of sorts in St Augustine. Then we spend an extra day visiting a professional colleague and his wife, staying at their place. I hate staying at someone else home but at least it's only one night.
We have the tail end of Feb free but only because my husband will be back at work, attending meetings.
Then there are the kids in March, still undecided on when they will come.
Then we go home.
I'm fortunate I love Florida, especially the weather and beauty. But also the new condo we bought two years ago beautifully fits our needs. Size, access, convenience are decorated to our tastes and perfectly suited to our needs.
My old college friend and her husband rent here in Florida, have rented here probably for the past ten years. Her husband, very pragmatically states it is not financially beneficial to own a second home if you actually spend less than 5 months in Florida. But I visited her yesterday and her rented condo was cluttered with the owners"stuff": knick knacks, pictures, food in the pantry. Yuk. That's like camping out in someone's place, very temporarily and alienating. They are looking for another place to rent for next year, a real nuisance.
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
A Tale of Two Dinners
We seem to be forever doing something these days, especially since so many friends from throughout the country converge in Florida in Winter. That doesn't include the visitors - family and friends. I joke that next year we'll go to Minnesota for the winter.
My husband and I looked at our schedules, including his work/travel schedule and decided that we had three days in which to "pay back" friends for dinners of years past. We divided the group into two couples for each dinner and I thought I'd be clever and do the dinners back to back.
It seemed logical to have exactly the same meal each night, combining the prep for each meal. So I made Ribollita for the soup. Stored half in the frig. No problem. Made a fennel rice dish, stored in fridge. That left asparagus (easy) and fish. For one group I purchased sea bass. For the other red snapper. Used somewhat different miso recipes for each fish dish. The sea bass the first night was outstanding. Everyone raved. The red snapper on the second night using a slightly different recipe was awful. First, the red snapper was a thick slab, undercooked and tasteless. I distributed the fish to the seated guests and then realized it wasn't done. Then back to the broiler, fish crusty and cooked OK. But still tasteless. Plus, I forgot to add condiments (lime wedges, etc) that might have made a difference. Plus the asparagus and rice got cold waiting for the snapper to cook.
Oh yes, and for the second group I tamped down appetizers. left a very good quality cheese on the table in the living room, along with crackers and nuts. Woops. I entered the room to hear them say watch out, Zoey is licking the cheese! She only got the corner someone said, so I cut off the corner. No one ate the licked cheese. I'll bring it to the Superball party friends are having Sunday night.
I think everyone soldiered through the meal. Enormous silence as they chewed. And chewed.
So is there a lesson in this? Maybe I was too complacent the second night? Maybe I didn't pay attention to the timing of each dish (easy to do these days). Maybe I shouldn't have cooked snapper in miso if I have never cooked it before?
It was a little embarrassing. Oh well, they will forget. So will I. I hope.
My husband and I looked at our schedules, including his work/travel schedule and decided that we had three days in which to "pay back" friends for dinners of years past. We divided the group into two couples for each dinner and I thought I'd be clever and do the dinners back to back.
It seemed logical to have exactly the same meal each night, combining the prep for each meal. So I made Ribollita for the soup. Stored half in the frig. No problem. Made a fennel rice dish, stored in fridge. That left asparagus (easy) and fish. For one group I purchased sea bass. For the other red snapper. Used somewhat different miso recipes for each fish dish. The sea bass the first night was outstanding. Everyone raved. The red snapper on the second night using a slightly different recipe was awful. First, the red snapper was a thick slab, undercooked and tasteless. I distributed the fish to the seated guests and then realized it wasn't done. Then back to the broiler, fish crusty and cooked OK. But still tasteless. Plus, I forgot to add condiments (lime wedges, etc) that might have made a difference. Plus the asparagus and rice got cold waiting for the snapper to cook.
Oh yes, and for the second group I tamped down appetizers. left a very good quality cheese on the table in the living room, along with crackers and nuts. Woops. I entered the room to hear them say watch out, Zoey is licking the cheese! She only got the corner someone said, so I cut off the corner. No one ate the licked cheese. I'll bring it to the Superball party friends are having Sunday night.
I think everyone soldiered through the meal. Enormous silence as they chewed. And chewed.
So is there a lesson in this? Maybe I was too complacent the second night? Maybe I didn't pay attention to the timing of each dish (easy to do these days). Maybe I shouldn't have cooked snapper in miso if I have never cooked it before?
It was a little embarrassing. Oh well, they will forget. So will I. I hope.
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