So, in an effort to reach BOTH of our respective patriarchs at the SAME TIME, Brian and I hosted a Father's Day gathering, which was just us, our parents, and Brian's sister and brother in-law. And. It. Was. Lovely!
It was exactly the kick in the pants that we needed to clean up our stupid house (which, I commented to Brian last week, was "starting to look like one of those places they take kids away from permanently"), organize our deck for summer awesomeness, and get ourselves actually cooking some lovely seasonal food!
I had a fantastic time at the farmer's market (complete with sunburn), buying all the veggies, cheese, and flowers to craft our celebration. This was followed by a trip to Holzkopf's meat market, also known as My New Favorite Deli. Now, I generally leave the meatrotica to my sis, the significantly more accomplished and knowledgeable chef and sausagephile. But this time (apart from a phone consultation with said sister on appropriate kebab quantities), it was aaaallll moi. I got me some lamb sausages, shrimp, and pork kebabs, and no shortage of friendly Chicago guidance from the most neatly dressed butcher I've ever met. As I paid for my purchases, he asked "first time here?" When I said yes, a customer next to me added, "you'll be back." I will indeed.
I WISH I had taken photos of the party that ensued...our newly arranged deck, the colorful food, and of course, Sal resting under the table praying frantically for kebab spills. (He just got groomed! He is the softest!) Alas, I was too busy scarfing kebabs, my mom's salad, and my sister in-law's ridiculously yummy semifreddo. And accentuating the party mood with tunes from my iphone, which would also have been my camera, had I thought of it. In summary, I was too busy putting on a badass bbq to deal with documenting it.
But never fear! The 4th of July and my birthday are soon to be celebrated!
Happy summer, yo.
