Labor Day Weekend BBQ

My siblings and I were invited to my dad's place in the Poconos for a cook-out this weekend. His home has become a wonderful place of retreat and relaxation for Chris and me. We've been up there a number of times this summer. Even though the cook-out was planned for Sunday, Chris, Cassie, Margee Liz and I went out on Saturday. I quickly discovered (was reminded) that there is no rest or relaxation when you are responsible for a three-year-old. That being said, we still did have a lovely time.

On Saturday, we took Margee Liz to a little farm/petting zoo. She got to feed the pigs with a baby bottle and she loved seeing the monkeys and goats. It is always sad to me to see animals confined in what is so obviously not their natural environment. They seemed to be treated well, however, and their cages were clean. One of the monkeys actually seemed to turn the tables as he would jump up when you weren't expecting it just so he could see you jump.

We had dinner at Top of the World, a restaurant on top of a mountain in my dad's community. There were not a lot of vegetarian options and since I'm trying not to eat fish out very much, I got the pasta primavera. Then, because I couldn't resist, I ordered it with cream sauce. It was a wise choice.

My sister came up late Saturday night and on Sunday morning, we all met my dad's friend, Sharon at the Garlic Festival. It was nowhere near as creative as the festival we attended in Saugerties a few years ago, but we enjoyed the different vendors and the samples that they offered. We watched an hour long cooking demonstration, and my sister was sold on a set of high quality (ie very expensive) cookware. She has since decided she needs to do some more research on the product and is trying to cancel her order. Margee Liz loved getting her face painted and there was a fun play area for her to use up her seemingly endless energy.

We went back to my dad's and got ready for the cook-out. Margee Liz took a three hour nap. I had some wonderful (From Thursday's farmers market) yellow cherry tomatoes, an orange bell pepper, a purple bell pepper and fresh basil that I tossed in a bowl with white beans, olive oil and lemon juice. I also made a tomato galette (sp?) using puff pastry spread with fresh ricotta and basil, topped with beautiful red field tomatoes. TJ didn't want to eat the tomatoes but we convinced her they were no ordinary supermarket tomatoes. Sharon made a salad with cherry tomatoes and olives and my favorite bottled dressing, Trader Joe's cilantro garlic. My dad bought some grass fed beef from a (somewhat local) farm called Hendricks. I tasted it and it was truly delicious.

Ben and Brenda had brought some dates stuffed with blue cheese, sliced fresh figs, asiago cheese and this really awesome spinach dip. I love having family who work at Whole Foods Market. They also brought a cake for dessert. Our wine was from Oregon . . .my dad had brought it back from his visit in Eugene with his brother. So really, almost our entire meal was bought locally.

It was nice to be all together and spend some time with the new twins. I also really like Sharon and it was fun to have her involved in our crazy family. More than anything, I am happy to see my dad experiencing joy. He's had a hard few years and it's great to see him enjoying his retirement.