Saturday's Story

I woke up at 6:15 AM on Saturday. This would appear to be a very busy day, and I have miles to go before I sleep, so I think a good breakfast is in order. First order of business: coffee! Then, I sliced up the last of the ham (that little ham did itself proud!) and warmed it up in the frying pan. I removed it and kept it warm while I fried two over-easy eggs and make toast. Under the watchful eyes of Caley and Scruffy, I ate my tasty repast.

I called Joe and learned that Carl and Kal are picking up my Mom and taking her to the church for Julie's wedding. I am hoping I can hook up with them and give her the soup, thus saving the long drive to New Baltimore on this day of long drives. Why not just take it to her on Sunday? We have a Winter Storm Watch for all day Sunday, supposed to get snow and freezing rain with "significant ice accumulation." So, I plan on staying put tomorrow!

Next, I wash up (the shave and shower will come before leaving for the wedding, so I can keep that "just fresh feeling" as long as possible). Then I head out on the two errands I must accomplish today: drop the library books off (to avoid those nasty fines) and stop at the grocery store for Kosher salt (I am ALL out) and some rutabagas (out of those, too).

On the way back home, I stop at the quarter car wash and hose the salt off the Volvo (I can't show up at a family function with a dirty car!) I get back home just before 11:00 AM and, grabbing a towel, dry off the car (so it won't freeze!)

I clean up the breakfast clutter in the kitchen and then its time to get ready for the wedding. So, I shave and shower and get dressed. Then, at 12:45, I leave, heading for St. Peter and Paul Jesuit Church in Detroit. No problem finding it, but deciding where you were supposed to park was a problem. I finally decided on a little lot across the street and hoped when I got out after the service, my car would still be there.

St. Peter and Paul Church. Oh, I wish you could have seen it. Simply put, it was one of the most magnificent churches I have ever been it. I tried to find some pictures of the interior on the web but no luck. I did find this bit of its history:

"The cornerstone of Sts. Peter and Paul church is dated June 29, l844 making it the oldest church building in the city of Detroit. It was completed and consecrated as Detroit's Catholic Cathedral on June 29, l848. The builder of the church was Bishop Peter Paul Lefevere, who headed the Catholic diocese until l869. His body was buried in the building until l939. His successor, Caspar Borgess, gave the title to the building to the Jesuit Order (Society of Jesus) in l877 as part of an agreement to start Detroit's first Catholic College, which became the University of Detroit-Mercy. The law school of the university still is adjacent to the church. In its 150 plus years of existence, the church has served a wide variety of Detroit's citizens, and is an active partner in the reconstruction of the downtown area."

And, speaking of the University of Detroit-Mercy, the bride's father (my brother Joe) went to business school there (back in the day).

My mother was already there, all bundled up in her wheel chair (the church was a little chilly). As I remarked about how beautiful the church was, my mom mentioned that this was Mama Rene's (my grandmother) church when she was a little girl, and she and my great-grandparents had lived about two blocks away.

Then the wedding began. Julie, the bride was as lovely as her husband-to-be, Ricky, was handsome and the ceremony was simple, yet quite elegant.

I made sure I got the split pea soup out of my car and into Carl's before he, Kal and my Mom left. Then I headed out. It was 2:45 PM and the reception in Sterling Heights (about 40 minutes from the church via the expressway) wasn't until 5:30. Joe and Kathy are having a get-together at their with appetizers, but since the hall is so close to my friend B___'s place, I decided to stop in there instead (its been almost a year since I was there!)

His house, with it's many Christmas decorations inside, reminded me just how lax I have been in doing the interior of my house. I had a cup of hazelnut coffee while visiting with B___, his wife and eldest daughter. Then, after two hours, I reluctantly decided to leave.

I found the hall with ease (in fact, everything was pretty easy to find today!) It is a new building that now houses the original Ike's (a Lebanese restaurant) and their new banquet hall operation. How new? Well, believe it or not, they still had no place to hang your coat! It was only 5:20 PM when I got there, so I watched them setting up the room. It was a very intimate setting and I would guess there were only about 50 people invited, in all. Again, the phrase, simple yet elegant, comes to mind.

Now, I admit, knowing the groom came from Puerto Rico, I was looking forward to some authentic Latin/Caribbean dishes. But, apparently, Lebanese food is a favorite of Julie's (I know it is with Kathy, her Mom), so that's what we had.

I asked the owner (presumably Ike) to write down all the dishes we were served so I could faithfully report them to my Mom. He did, and here they are:

Appetizers were Hummus with pita bread, Tabbouleh and a platter of cheese, olives and pickles (including raw turnips, which were excellent).

Then came a Lebanese salad with a lemon/olive oil dressing.

The entrees were served family-style and included pasta primavera, chicken piccatta, beef tips with mushrooms and gravy, redskin potatoes and a mixed vegetable platter.

Carl and I got into a discussion about what the spice was in the beef tips (they didn't taste like the European-style beef tips that is normally served on top of egg noodles). I thought it was cinnamon and paprika; Carl said it was allspice. So, we asked Ike and it was allspice. Damn! But, then Carl mentioned that allspice is the main ingredient in most of Kal's meat dishes. So, I didn't feel too bad after that. I was trying to identify it by taste, but he had inside information!

Okay, okay, it's no surprise to people who know me but I am not that fond of Lebanese (or, Middle east or Mediterranean, or whatever the official name is) food. I don't know why, it's just never appealed to me. So, say at summer family gathering when Kal and Hannah would bring Hummus and Tabbouleh, I would pass and eat a hot dog and some potato salad.

But, I gotta tell you, either I was starving from not getting lunch or this stuff tasted damn good!!!

It was getting late and I knew because I had B___ check the hour-by-hour forecast that the snow was predicted to start around 9:00 PM, so I made my goodbyes and left. It took me just over an hour to get home and I was about four miles from my house when it started to snow.

I'm not sure why, but I was just exhausted when I got home. I changed clothes and got a drink, turned on the TV, but I think I fell asleep in less than 20 minutes. I woke up at 3:00 AM and decide to write this before going back to bed for real. I did walk out on the front porch and the snow has stopped and no ice storm is here, yet.