earth day!

this past sunday, guest after guest and dish after dish arrived and oh my did the earth provide wonderful inspiration! we had, as usual, an incredibly delicious meal and fun evening, but the plates came not just tasting good but looking absolutely beautiful.








the guests did too of course! some new, some regulars, and some who hadn't been since the first supper last october.

it was a gorgeous spring night, and a gorgeous meal awaited us all

dinner menu

todd's mixed cherry tomatoes
amanda's roasted asparagus & tomatoes
lydia's asparagus tart
melinda & sean's mushroom tart
erin & jack's braised carrots
celia's roasted chickens
rachel's warm white bean, shrimp & tomato salad
courtney's cherry tomato & mozzarella and cherry tomato & three beans salads
maryellen's wild rice with cardamom & ramps
amanda's barley salad
nick's wild greens, snap peas & dried apricot salad
jason & kate's jicama & cilantro salad
suzanne's multi-green & multi herb salad
erin's herb bread
paul's sourdough bread
rachel's blueberry corn corn bread

it wasn't long before the dishes were cleaned out! such an amazing meal we actually ran out of much of the food - luckily there was dessert to look forward to. some people couldn't wait for it to be served....

dessert menu

jessica's mud pies
serena's blueberry bars
rachel's carrot, currant, walnut bread

a truly phenomenal evening, filled with so much - yes food - but fun, and friendship, with old and new friends, and of course, my constant companion with me through it all...

... dirty dishes too.

xoxoxo

The Family Tree

wow! 6 suppers - half a year of cooking and eating, of meeting and greeting, of expanding my new york city family. fitting that family was the theme for the supper tonight.

in anticipation of passover, and the seder which, unfortunately, my family will not be having this year, i felt compelled to make gefilte fish. partly because i love it so much and eagerly look forward to eating, and partly because i loved the idea of making something that my mother taught me how to make, that her mother taught her how to make, that her mother (or rather mother-in-law) taught her how to make. this dish, in this incarnation, has existed in my family for so many generations. knowing the extensive history made the 48hrs endeavor all that much more worth it.

nyc itself plays a large role in my family history. as a child i knew this is where i wanted to live. and today, nearly eleven years after making the move, this is my home, and the people in my life here are my family. it is a family that has evolved over time and, much like a tree, is ever growing, changing, sometimes shedding leaves and often growing new ones. tonight, with over half the guests newcomers to the suppers, and some entirely brand new to me, this could not be more apparent or more true.

on this beautiful second day of spring, 6pm rolled around, the gefilte were ready to be eaten, and my nyc family started to arrive. neighbors and former neighbors, school mates, old co-workers, friends of friends....

what a wonderful group - more then friends but a family indeed (especially when the group includes actual family - my sister!) and boy oh boy, can they cook!!

THE MENU

appetizers

allison's artichokes with homemade mayo
serena's ajvar spread with pita chips
jessica's clam dip in a bread bowl
stephanie's hummus and pita bread

main courses

rachel's gefilte fish, with horseradish and matzoh
annie's tortellini with pesto and marinated carrots
ali and kyle's risotto
lauren's green bean casserole
lindsey's noodle kugel
amanda's spring salad with cherry tomatoes and avocado
ami's cucumber yogurt raita
laura's creamed corn

drinks

laura's orange infused sparkling tea
sarah, amanda, ami, stephanie and julia's wines
erica, chris and andy's beers

desserts

rachel's tea cake sampler
candice's "maw-maw" ugly cake (but it was beautiful!)
kyle's chocolate chip pie