15 August 2014
From a Neighbor
Another perk of living in the country is that a lot of folks have gardens and they like to give stuff away. I took the above photo after such an event back in late June. A home garden is something I long to have one day, and I'm getting closer. Right now I am taking care of various potted herbs and one resurrected tomato plant...
I've been reminiscing a lot, lately, and one of the constants is that sharing food creates community. Whether it's cooking, eating, gardening or sharing one's bounty...food can bring people together. I also have fond memories of hanging out in my parent's backyard while my dad tended our Summer garden. He would work and I would talk :) I also loved picking the vegetables once they were ready.
I want to keep moving forward in this spirit.
After receiving the above bounty, I cooked for an outdoor picnic by the river. It was the first large party I've done since getting this job and I was fortunate enough that my friend and former culinary classmate, Amanda, came out to help. I was pretty nervous and having her here was amazing!
I did a BBQ which included a potato salad with asparagus and bacon in stinging nettle mayo, smoked paprika burgers with green bell pepper, a green tomato, cucumber and onion salad, grilled corn on the cob with basil-lime butter, chicken fingers, assorted fruit, and raw veg with a chipotle dip.
The nerves had me majorly distracted but when the smoke cleared all I could see and hear was deep appreciation and compliments to the chefs. It reminded me of why I like to cook.
My dream is to work with a team of people again one day...to share food and create community.
XO
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