A Hot Summer's Night

 I was really in need of a distraction this weekend. I actually had some time off and invited visiting family over. It grew from 4 guests to a whopping 14 guests including ourselves. The three youngest were 5 years old. The kids were sweet and so delicious you could eat them with a spoon.

Because I was in need of a distraction I cooked for hours. 

The menu ran as follows;

Fresh Mozzarella with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Basil

Antipasti Plate

Littleneck Clams with Garlic Herb Butter

We then moved onto to 

T-bone Steak

Roasted Mahi Mahi with Green Sauce

Grilled Vegetables

Hot Artisan breads

Dessert was the piece de resistance

Crepes filled with homemade ice cream, laced with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. I then sprinkled them with chocolate shavings.

I have no pics because my camera was visiting Cornell University's Graduation.  But I wasn't feeling much like a photographer anyway, so that was just fine. I threw in a few photos I like instead.

The three 5 year old kiddies were wonderful. Full of imagination, they sat at my kitchen table, drawing pictures of dinosaurs, houses and flowers. Later as the evening cooled off, my son organized games and races for them.

It was a hot day, that said I can admit my homemade vanilla ice cream didn't freeze. No matter how hard my ice cream maker worked, it just couldn't be done. At the last minute my daughter volunteered make a trip to the grocery store. She saved the day, or rather the dessert. Which was really very nice because she's been as mean as a snake lately.

All in all it took my mind off of all the things I didn't want to think about.  It also made me realize that it is cooking for friends and family that I enjoy. Delicious food, good wine and friends are the ingredients of the perfect dinner party. Really the perfect evening. 

All text and photos are property of The Gypsy Chef