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Fifty Years In A Flash

My sister Joan and her husband Brian are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. How can that be? We were there when they got married, but it seems like yesterday. They say that time flies when you are having fun, so yes, we must have been having a blast.

One explanation of  the 50th wedding anniversary for people so young, is that Joan and Brian were 12 when they got married. Well maybe I exaggerate a little, but they were only 21. I recently asked my mother, who is 100 years old, how she and my father let them get married so young. She said it wasn’t exactly her choice, but she knew they were in love. Fifty years later, one might say, getting married so early wasn’t such a bad decision.

Susan and I followed Joan and Brian at State University of New York at Plattsburgh. When we got to Plattsburgh, they were the old married couple. Here is a picture of the two young hippies in their garden just outside of Plattsburgh.

Joan & Brian in the early 1970’s

The crops from this garden were the ingredients for the first Supper Club. The fact was, we didn’t have the money for much more. It didn’t matter. Joan and Brian had rented a little house out in the middle of an apple orchard. We had many good times and too many good meals there.

For one of our early Supper Clubs, we hosted a group of our college friends at Joan and Brian’s on a meal centered around bountiful crop of late harvest zucchini. We made a dish that our buddy Ron Iles aptly called: “Seeds Parmesan”. It didn’t matter, like most of the meals at Joan and Brian’s table, it was consumed with relish. It is amazing how a little wine can mask over a slight culinary imperfection.

Fast forward over the next 50 years there have been so many great times.

  • Summers in Westhampton watching our kids grow up together.
  • Holidays between New York, Virginia, New Hampshire and Memphis.
  • Most recently, visits to Bayside Island in the Thousand Islands, where Joan and Brian have restored what was Brian’s Great Grand Parent’s vacation home.

Joan & Brian’s Island in the Thousand Island today

To celebrate the anniversary, Joan and Brian’s children, Katie and Emily, hosted a party at the island. Emily created a wonderful meal that centered around a beef roulade that would be the delight of any Supper Club. Both Joan and Brian are better than good cooks and some would say that apples don’t fall far from the tree.

Emilie’s Culinary Masterpiece for the anniversary party

Fifty years have gone by in a flash. Some things change and some things remain the same. Our definition of culinary excellence has changed from Seeds Parmesan to a Barefoot Contessa quality beef roulade. The cornerstone of love that justified getting married fifty years ago is still a cornerstone today.

To Joan & Brian …congratulations on your 50th Wedding Anniversary

 

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/wine group/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.

 

California Crisp Fried Wontons

Fresh Herbs From The Garden

Nothing says summer more than fresh herbs from your garden. And, nothing adds to the color, flavor and presentation impact   of a dish like fresh herbs. It doesn’t matter if you are cooking for two or appetizers for twenty, make sure you add fresh herbs to your dish.

I always have a supply of herbs on hand. Summertime is great as many herbs are perennials that come back year after year and are plentiful.

 

(Maya garding the garden with fennel, sage and oregano in the background)

We even keep a few herbs growing in the windowsill through the winter. Whenever we entertain, I keep jarfuls of 2 or 3 herbs next to my prep area for use and a mixture of chopped herbs in a container as part of my mise en place.

(herbs on the windowsill)

I do have a confession to make, I haven’t always been a fresh herb fan. As a child I remember begging my mother not to ruin my plate of soup with parsley. My sister tells the story of taking her daughter Emily to a special restaurants and having her insist to the waiter that she didn’t want any green stuff on her food. I am proud to say that even the picky Emily recently sent me a picture of her grilled pizza creation with green stuff – fresh basil. Yeah Emily!

Some of the major herbs consist of:

Basil – There are numerous kinds of basil including spicy and sweet basil. Basil adds a unique flavor and character to many dishes. It’s usually mixed with tomatoes and other vegetables in French food. It also adds zest to pasta dishes and other delicacies.

 

French Tarragon – This smells like anise. It’s widely used in French seafood dishes. It blends well with the rich taste of fish, shrimp and other seafood, while adding a distinct and memorable flavor that makes the dish even more enticing.

Thyme – Thyme comes in many flavors and is a very versatile herb. It can add zesty flavor to a wide variety of stews, meats, soups, seafood, dressings, sauces and more. It can also be used in marinating meats and seafood so that when you cook them, it brings out the natural flavor of the dish while infusing its own distinct taste.

 

Sage – Sage has been around since the Roman times and is unique in that it’s one of the few herbs whose flavor gets stronger as it dries further. Its subtle but tasty flavor is great for salad dressings, soups and sauces. It’s best to add sage at the final stage of cooking.

 

Mint – Fresh mint adds that cool and refreshing flavor to any dish. Even water is made even better if you add some mint leaves.

Chives– Chives are an important herb in the French kitchen and they have the most delicate onion flavor which make it a wonderful seasoning for many dishes.

Fennel – Fennel is a beautiful tall and graceful perennial herb with fine feathery green leaves and bright yellow flowers. It looks very much like dill but the flavor is a sweet anise which is very different.

Parsley – All varieties of parsley are hardy biennials but mostly treated as annuals. Of course no herb garden would be complete without its parsley! The two most popular ones are the curly leaf parsley and the French or the flat leaf parsley which undoubtedly has the better flavor.

Oregano– Oregano is a culinary herb, used for the flavor of its leaves, which can be more flavorful when dried than fresh. Oregano’s most prominent modern use is as the staple herb of Italian-American cuisine. Its popularity in the U.S. began when soldiers returning from World War II brought back with them a taste for the “pizza herb”, which had probably been eaten in southern Italy for centuries.[13] There, it is most frequently used with roasted, fried, or grilled vegetables, meat, and fish. Oregano combines well with spicy foods popular in southern Italy. It is less commonly used in the north of the country, as marjoram generally is preferred.

No matter what you are making. No matter what you are cooking for. Fresh herbs will make it better!

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.