Part 3 Family Celebration Summer 2010
On the actual day of our parents' 55th wedding anniversary, we all gathered at the Colorado country home of our youngest brother, John, and his wife Jen and their four kids. John and Jen raise Berkshire pigs which become reputedly (and deservedly so) the tastiest pork on a plate. We knew that the meal at their house would feature their delicious pork, either ham or pulled shoulder roast. In fact, earlier in the week, some of us had assisted in the physical pulling and bagging of the meat from a recently slaughtered piggie. I had offered to prepare the vegetable side dishes from produce that is already abundant in our Iowa farm markets---in addition to the 36 ears of corn we ate the first evening, I had brought along green beans, Yukon gold potatoes, various summer squash, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and fresh peaches.
What you should know about John and Jen is that they are laid-back and creative cooks. They have industrial-strength equipment and do just about everything totally from scratch. They are used to feeding crowds and don't let a little chaos or extra people milling around bother them. Eventually, the food finds its way to a table, and you will have witnessed amazing technique along the way.
We gathered in the kitchen after a late lunch, a coffee break, and a quick ladies-only excursion to a historic mansion nearby. John had rousted out two enormous hams with bones and smoky rinds into a massive roasting pan and put them in the oven to bake. I parceled out vegetable cleaning and chopping tasks to willing helpers, mostly of the female younger generation, all four of whom are showing impressive kitchen skills. On the vegetable menu was a green bean-potato dish, which dresses the vegetables in a homemade vinaigrette with fresh herbs (mint, chive, parsley) I had brought from my garden. Unfortunately, I am not used to cooking at high altitudes (7000 plus feet at my brother's farm), and was surprised at how long it took the vegetables to cook to tender. As it was, the potatoes could have used a bit more cooking, as they should have been tender enough to create a creamy coating to the beans.
We cut up the squash and onions, and Jen dressed them with olive oil and seasonings, then sent them out to John to grill. We also sliced gorgeous vine-ripened tomatoes and laid them simply on a platter; they glistened like jewels. The cucumber was sliced and treated to a classic sugar-vinegar dressing. We dumped the frozen corn from earlier in the week into a big pan and heated it through, adding butter, salt and pepper. Somehow, dinner rolls and mounds of fruit appeared---probably from Gina's limitless supply of food (she's like the disciples and the feeding of the thousands----food miraculously appears and multiplies in her presence). We washed grapes and cherries and set them in large bowls for the taking, and put the buns in a basket. Then it was time for the meat to be plated, but alas, the ham was not done--nowhere near close to done.
Hungry teenagers and small children and older people were beginning to circle around the food in process, so John pronounced with authority that it would be a pulled pork dinner instead. From some mysterious hiding place, a massive supply of pulled pork shoulder roast appeared, delicately seasoned and needing only a quick heating through before serving. The ham went back in the oven and about an hour after dessert, decided it was done. With the near-crisis roundly averted, we gathered around for a blessing and sent the guests of honor through the food line first. Similar to the previous evenings, there was little left for storing as leftovers. The home-grown Colorado pork with the Iowa farm-grown vegetables were perfect complements to each other, and both received many compliments from appreciative family members.
The meal was finished perfectly with a delicious chocolate cake that Gina had baked and decorated (you guessed it) ahead of time and kept in her freezer, accompanied by homemade vanilla ice cream from John and Jen's bottomless freezer. I think there were one or two pieces of cake left.
We finished our three day feast with a song-fest to celebrate the long running affair our parents have carried on for the last 55 years. The look on their faces was worth all the planning and traveling and cooking and serving and cleaning up--- a look of utter satisfaction and happiness well-seasoned and flavored by years of family togetherness.
Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts
Monday, August 2, 2010
Welcome Home Feast, American Style
Part I of Family Celebration, Summer 2010
For the occasion of my parents' 55th wedding anniversary, my three siblings with our spouses and children (except for some young adult males) gathered in Colorado for several days of family fun. As is usual for family occasions, especially a Socolofsky gathering, food figured largely in the celebration plans The number of diners varied from between 17-20, depending on the meal, so we planned food that was relatively simple and would please most in any crowd. Each of the three large meals we shared reflected the talents and preferences of the "Head Host."
For the first evening, we gathered at my sister's house. She and I had worked during the day to do some final preparation for the meal, which was the quintessential American summer picnic menu. It was the perfect welcome home dinner for our daughter, Jen, who had arrived back in the states the day before from a six-month study-abroad experience in the Netherlands. She added a flavor of Holland to the meal with several Dutch cheeses she had bought a few days before from the open-air cheese stand in the Leiden market. She was excited to have some of the traditional American foods, some of which she had to describe to her international friends while she was abroad (what are deviled eggs???)
What you should know about my sister, Gina, is that she is a do-ahead cook. She likes to plan food that can be prepared in advance and be ready with just a stir or an addition of an ingredient; or food that can be made in a crock pot early in the day; or desserts that can be baked or frozen ahead of time. Once the advance prep is done, she is free to clean up the kitchen, lay out the serving dishes, and not be troubled by last minute preparation and mess.
By the time I arrived, the evening before the picnic menu, she had already done a majority of the preparation. She had boiled and cubed all the potatoes for a potato salad, hard boiled the eggs and made the dressing; all that was required was mixing the parts together. The eggs for the deviled eggs had likewise been boiled, and only needed stuffing. The two ice cream desserts were already in the freezer. We put beans in the crock pot, and she had her husband out on the patio grilling the burgers well before the guests arrived. The grilled patties were then stored in another crock pot till ready to serve.
It's a good thing all this was done ahead, as I had brought along three dozen ears of Iowa sweet corn for the meal. Several people pitched in to shuck and clean the corn, but boiling all those ears took numerous pans. As they were done, I transferred them to a cake pan coated with butter, and rolled each ear in the butter, added salt and pepper, then piled them in a roasting pan placed on a warming tray. The pre-buttering reduced the mess and delay in a serving line for all the diners. There was a little bit of last-minute preparation involved in slicing and arranging relishes on a tray for the burgers. But by the time the rest of the family arrived, we had everything ready and laid out. Barely had people walked in the door than we were gathered for the blessing and sent through the line for the food.
A quick survey of left-overs showed that there wasn't much to store and put away. There was a bunch of corn, which a couple of us worked to remove from the cobs and put into freezer containers. The dishes went in the dishwasher, the pans were washed, and we all had a chance to sit down with each other and look at photos, listen to Jen share her travel stories, and let the younger kids watch a movie together. It was nice not having to spend hours in the kitchen after the meal cleaning up, since so much had been done earlier in the day and week. We got to have our cooking fun together with the few things that needed last minute preparation, and no one minded that the hamburgers weren't flipped onto the buns straight from the grill. It was a study in American epicurean efficiency, and a fitting Welcome Home Feast for any traveler.
For the occasion of my parents' 55th wedding anniversary, my three siblings with our spouses and children (except for some young adult males) gathered in Colorado for several days of family fun. As is usual for family occasions, especially a Socolofsky gathering, food figured largely in the celebration plans The number of diners varied from between 17-20, depending on the meal, so we planned food that was relatively simple and would please most in any crowd. Each of the three large meals we shared reflected the talents and preferences of the "Head Host."
For the first evening, we gathered at my sister's house. She and I had worked during the day to do some final preparation for the meal, which was the quintessential American summer picnic menu. It was the perfect welcome home dinner for our daughter, Jen, who had arrived back in the states the day before from a six-month study-abroad experience in the Netherlands. She added a flavor of Holland to the meal with several Dutch cheeses she had bought a few days before from the open-air cheese stand in the Leiden market. She was excited to have some of the traditional American foods, some of which she had to describe to her international friends while she was abroad (what are deviled eggs???)
What you should know about my sister, Gina, is that she is a do-ahead cook. She likes to plan food that can be prepared in advance and be ready with just a stir or an addition of an ingredient; or food that can be made in a crock pot early in the day; or desserts that can be baked or frozen ahead of time. Once the advance prep is done, she is free to clean up the kitchen, lay out the serving dishes, and not be troubled by last minute preparation and mess.
By the time I arrived, the evening before the picnic menu, she had already done a majority of the preparation. She had boiled and cubed all the potatoes for a potato salad, hard boiled the eggs and made the dressing; all that was required was mixing the parts together. The eggs for the deviled eggs had likewise been boiled, and only needed stuffing. The two ice cream desserts were already in the freezer. We put beans in the crock pot, and she had her husband out on the patio grilling the burgers well before the guests arrived. The grilled patties were then stored in another crock pot till ready to serve.
It's a good thing all this was done ahead, as I had brought along three dozen ears of Iowa sweet corn for the meal. Several people pitched in to shuck and clean the corn, but boiling all those ears took numerous pans. As they were done, I transferred them to a cake pan coated with butter, and rolled each ear in the butter, added salt and pepper, then piled them in a roasting pan placed on a warming tray. The pre-buttering reduced the mess and delay in a serving line for all the diners. There was a little bit of last-minute preparation involved in slicing and arranging relishes on a tray for the burgers. But by the time the rest of the family arrived, we had everything ready and laid out. Barely had people walked in the door than we were gathered for the blessing and sent through the line for the food.
A quick survey of left-overs showed that there wasn't much to store and put away. There was a bunch of corn, which a couple of us worked to remove from the cobs and put into freezer containers. The dishes went in the dishwasher, the pans were washed, and we all had a chance to sit down with each other and look at photos, listen to Jen share her travel stories, and let the younger kids watch a movie together. It was nice not having to spend hours in the kitchen after the meal cleaning up, since so much had been done earlier in the day and week. We got to have our cooking fun together with the few things that needed last minute preparation, and no one minded that the hamburgers weren't flipped onto the buns straight from the grill. It was a study in American epicurean efficiency, and a fitting Welcome Home Feast for any traveler.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Kids in the Kitchen
I grew up helping in the kitchen. It wasn't really a choice--we all pitched in to cook and clean up. My mom was patient to allow us to make messes, and enthusiastic when we wanted to do everything ourselves. She often decried a sister-in-law who never let her kids help in the kitchen because she couldn't stand the messes; she consequently ended up with cooking-impaired children. My mom, on the other hand, created four Cooking Machines. My sister has a "feed the world" complex and is deadly efficient in her goal to cook large meals for large crowds. My two brothers are creative and scientific in their approach to food-creation, researching things such as smoking meat, spicing sausage, and cooking with local ingredients. I straddle halfway between my sister and two brothers---I can be very efficient and produce large quantities of food, but also like the experimentation and use of local foods.
Now I am proud to announce that I have also created several Cooking Machines of my own. Before my son went off to college, we knew he would be living in an apartment. I was determined that he would have mastered several meals, and would be able to employ basic cooking skills. He learned how to scramble eggs, cook spaghetti and sausage-with-peppers, as well as the basic method for stir frying. He has been cooking for himself now for over 5 years, and is creative and adventuresome in the kitchen. He is not hesitant to try new things and has collaborated with friends to host dinner parties and serve his creations.
My older daughter had been independent in the kitchen for several years before she left for college---she could bake cookies and make a pie and put together a meal from a recipe. After almost 2 years in the dorm, her main goal was to have access to a kitchen so she could cook for herself. Now she is abroad for a semester, without access to a cafeteria, but sharing a kitchen with other international students. She made her first dinner last night in the resident hall kitchen--an invention of sauteed broccoli, peas, zucchini and young cheese from the Dutch market. She said it ended up being an Alfredo primavera, and was wonderful.
My youngest daughter is fast becoming a cooking whiz. She decided awhile ago to learn how to decorate cakes and has successfully created several beautiful cakes for special occasions. She recently roomed with two friends in London in a flat with a postage-stamp sized kitchen, and they fearlessly baked pancakes (after a few flops they figured it out), cooked their own soup and shopped for themselves. Yesterday, we saw a cooking show while we were working out, and she almost single-handedly made the scrumptious barbeque chili from the show for us for dinner. She even cleaned up the mess afterwards.
Soon I will be a superfluous accessory in my own kitchen. This is a good thing. There are still things out there I can show my kids how to make---complicated meals with multiple courses are a challenge for young cooks. Timing all the courses to be done at the same time takes practice and experience. But at least all of them have foundational and beyond skills for carrying on the family food fascination. I can't say I will ever leave the kitchen entirely to my kids---it is too much fun to spend time cooking together, even if all I really do is wipe up the spills and rinse containers for recycling. When they are all gone from home, I will have plenty of opportunities to make my own messes and clean them up and eat my creations.
Eventually, I will be guests at their tables and be told to sit down and be served. That might be hard to do. Surely there is a little job I could do so I don't miss out on the fun.
Now I am proud to announce that I have also created several Cooking Machines of my own. Before my son went off to college, we knew he would be living in an apartment. I was determined that he would have mastered several meals, and would be able to employ basic cooking skills. He learned how to scramble eggs, cook spaghetti and sausage-with-peppers, as well as the basic method for stir frying. He has been cooking for himself now for over 5 years, and is creative and adventuresome in the kitchen. He is not hesitant to try new things and has collaborated with friends to host dinner parties and serve his creations.
My older daughter had been independent in the kitchen for several years before she left for college---she could bake cookies and make a pie and put together a meal from a recipe. After almost 2 years in the dorm, her main goal was to have access to a kitchen so she could cook for herself. Now she is abroad for a semester, without access to a cafeteria, but sharing a kitchen with other international students. She made her first dinner last night in the resident hall kitchen--an invention of sauteed broccoli, peas, zucchini and young cheese from the Dutch market. She said it ended up being an Alfredo primavera, and was wonderful.
My youngest daughter is fast becoming a cooking whiz. She decided awhile ago to learn how to decorate cakes and has successfully created several beautiful cakes for special occasions. She recently roomed with two friends in London in a flat with a postage-stamp sized kitchen, and they fearlessly baked pancakes (after a few flops they figured it out), cooked their own soup and shopped for themselves. Yesterday, we saw a cooking show while we were working out, and she almost single-handedly made the scrumptious barbeque chili from the show for us for dinner. She even cleaned up the mess afterwards.
Soon I will be a superfluous accessory in my own kitchen. This is a good thing. There are still things out there I can show my kids how to make---complicated meals with multiple courses are a challenge for young cooks. Timing all the courses to be done at the same time takes practice and experience. But at least all of them have foundational and beyond skills for carrying on the family food fascination. I can't say I will ever leave the kitchen entirely to my kids---it is too much fun to spend time cooking together, even if all I really do is wipe up the spills and rinse containers for recycling. When they are all gone from home, I will have plenty of opportunities to make my own messes and clean them up and eat my creations.
Eventually, I will be guests at their tables and be told to sit down and be served. That might be hard to do. Surely there is a little job I could do so I don't miss out on the fun.
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