Family Fun, Part 1

I woke up at 6:00 AM on Saturday and immediately made a pot of coffee. I enjoyed the first cup on the front porch, in the cool Canadian air (thanks, Oh, Canada, BTW). By 8:00 I had taken a quick, rinse-off shower, got the hose pulled out front and the big sprinkler turned on.

Back inside I set about addressing the big mess "somebody" left in my kitchen because he HAD to go watch the fights last night. Most things could just be rinsed and put in the dishwasher, but the frying pan, the Shun and the half-sheet pan needed hand-washing. So, I did. I would have started the dishwasher (it's full enough), but it would interfere too much with the lawn watering.

I hand-dried the frying pan, the Shun and the half-sheet pan and set them on the stove to air dry the rest of the way. The timer went off, so I switched the big sprinkler for the square sprinkler and began to water the front side lawn. Then I washed the two tinfoil lasagna pans and big Glad containers I bought yesterday. I'll need them today and tomorrow for transporting food.

Next I wrapped Carla's present and signed her card. I switched the sprinkler again in the middle of that. I got the elbow macaroni boiled, rinsed and set aside.

At 11:15 AM, I turned the water off for the last time. The entire front lawn was now watered heavily. Inside, I had the ingredients for the Roasted Potato Salad all cut up and was about to make the dressing. The temperature outside had climbed above 70 degrees F., so first, I shut all the windows I had opened last night. After dressing the potato salad, I transferred it to the bowl I am taking, dropped a little more fresh parsley on top (from way up high), covered it and put it in the fridge. One down, one to go.

So, I am using a Tyler Florence recipe for macaroni and cheese. He's a classically French-trained chef, so it's a bit more complicated, but I've made this before and prefer it. If you were paying attention, you know I have a pound of cooked elbow macaroni, now sitting in the tinfoil lasagna pan (after I buttered the pan). Next I took four cups of milk and put it in a saucepan with a bay leaf, three sprigs of fresh thyme, four cloves of peeled garlic, a teaspoon of dried mustard and 1/2 of a yellow onion, peeled, with one whole clove stuck in it. I warmed that over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, careful not to let it boil. I pulled it off the heat and let the flavors infuse the milk while I made the roux.

In a large pot over medium heat I added two tablespoons butter and two tablespoons of flour. I cooked it, stirring, for about 2 to 3 minutes; making sure I didn't let the roux color. I slowly strained the infused milk into the roux, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. I cooked it, stirring often, for about 5 minutes until the sauce was thick.

I removed it from the heat and added one cup of grated sharp Cheddar and 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan; stirred until it was melted and smooth. I tasted it and adjusted the seasoning with salt and pepper. I poured the sauce over the macaroni, added one cup of chunks of sharp Cheddar, and mixed until well blended.

I put that into the prepared tinfoil baking dish. I sprinkled another cup of shredded sharp Cheddar and another 1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheeses evenly over the top. As an afterthought, I used the micro-planner and added my favorite, Parmigiano-Reggiano, to the top. I baked it in a 350 degree preheated oven until the top was golden and crusty, about 25 to 30 minutes.

While this was in the oven, I took the time to shave and really shower. Then, I pulled the macaroni and cheese out and covered it with tinfoil for the journey. That went into the car, covered with a blanket to keep warm. I put the potato salad in the cooler and left for the party.

When I got there, there were balloons hung on the front porch light and Jerry and Cathy's car in the drive. Jerry and Cathy are Jay's parents and friends of all of us from back in our old St. Clair stomping grounds. Everybody came out to help carry and the macaroni & cheese went into the oven on Warm and the potato salad into the fridge (on cool, lol!).

Needless to say, we all had a good time! It sprinkled a few times, there was a brief shower once (we just moved the lawn chairs into the open garage). I had been hearing about all the trimming and yard work Jake was doing, and I must say, it really showed.

We did go swimming (except for Cathy who wisely sat that out) and played that Lasso Golf game (Jake and Jerry against me and the ladies).

And dinner? Jake had slow-smoked two racks of baby backs with a dry rub on them. Carla made cheesy fries (matchstick thin and delicious) and they grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. My potato salad was good, but I thought the macaroni and cheese was kinda dried out (the ribs got on late and we ate later than I had planned for). Thinking about it now, I should have assembled it here and baked it there, 30 minutes before dinner.

It was almost 8:00 PM when I headed home. I was treated with a beautiful rainbow all while I was driving east. In fact, I watched the Weather Channel Sunday morning and somebody in Dearborn, Michigan, had sent in a picture of it that they showed on TV!

I watched one taped show and then realized just how tired I was from all the swimming and playing, so I went to sleep. The last thought I had was regretting concentrating on those ribs so much I forgot to get a burger!