Just one short week after the last dinner we had yet another planned. This one was unique since it coincided with a weekend getaway to Long Beach, WA, home of Jake the Alligator Man!
Cooking was done in stages, starting with Amber making some home made chickpea flour for the Socca she was making before leaving for the cabin we were renting. I thought she was doing this because she couldn't find it in the stores, but she actually wanted to make it. Kookie girl.
After our first night at the cabin and our morning visit to Marsh's Free Museum to see Jake, first up for the kitchen was Jenny in the early afternoon to prepare her Onion Monegasque since they needed to sit for a few hours.
Next was Travis, preparing his Cassoulet. Cassoulet is named for the type of pot it is traditionally cooked in, the Cassole. It it were named for the pot he cooked it in it would be called the "slow-cooker-oulet".
Before starting to cook Travis tried to get someone else to cut up the onion he needed for his dish. Upon further inquiry we found out that onions make Travis very, very sad. I didn't believe it was any more than anyone else, but once he got going it became very clear why he didn't want to chop that onion. Being the sensitive person that I am, I immediately started laughing after seeing his red puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks.
Once his Cassoulet was slow-cooking away it was my turn. I made Barbaguians, which are little pastry dumplings that first required you to make the dough, then the filling, then cut out the rounds, wrap them up, and fry them. They were quite the effort. Meanwhile the rest of the gang start a game of monopoly with Bryan standing in as my proxy, aka, rolling the dice.
Despite my limited involvement, it was, in fact, the best game of monopoly I every played. That is to say, I did not immediately go bankrupt. I addition, I was up against Jenny, the most ferocious monopoly player you will ever meet. Pity is not in her vocabulary.
Bryan held on as long as he could, but was the first to go. Meanwhile Amber and I have to put the finishing touches on our dishes so he steps in for Amber. And goes bankrupt. So I let him stand in in for me. And promptly looses the game. Not his fault. He might as well have been going hand to hand with the Hulk.
If you can't tell from the photo, Jenny really enjoys this game. The entire time not only is she ruthlessly negotiating her way to the top, but jumps into other's negotiations to broker deals without being solicited to do so. The entire time with that silly grin on her face.
Once we were sufficiently beaten down by Jenny it was time for dinner, so I finish frying up my dumplings...
(Celebrated March 12th, 2016)
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