I have been so lucky to always have really great people living nearby. When Pat and I lived in AZ we lived next to Rosemary who was into new age stuff and Jeff and Alan who wanted to be helicopter pilots and loved a good joke and a challenge. We loved them and they became family. We have always been lucky to have Stacey nearby, and now she is still right across the street - it is just a bigger street...
Of course our whole block is the greatest - Pete and Kim, Steph and Joly, Susan and Jose, Sue and Andy, our beloved Brian, Phil and Julie, and there is Frank, Joan, Gary and Kathy... So moving for me was not just a move, it was a dissection from my family, digging up the roots and replanting the bulb somewhere else, hoping-hoping-hoping that I would make friends somewhere else.
A couple of weeks ago we bought a new oven and a TV. Now we thought the items would be delivered, but that wasn't how it worked. They told us to pull around the side and they would load it in our little car. HMMMM. The TV actually fit, once we took it out of the box, but the oven -- that was a problem. In a stroke of pure desperation, I remembered that our new neighbors had a station wagon, and I had their phone number in my cell phone. So, I called them and asked for their help. "Bonjour Phillipe. C'est Jenny. Votre voisine. Oui, j'ai un petit problem..."
Another wonderful neighbor to the rescue. Well to thank them for helping us with the oven, and for watching Chili, and for lending us a heater when Grandma was here, adn for just being really friendly and great, we invited them to dinner. In the french Sunday lunch tradition, we knew it would go from ~2 to 8 p.m. So we cooked and cleaned and readied the house, and it turned out to be glorious day. Outside, the sun was shining, the crocus were in bloom and Pat was tickled because he could cook the meat on the grill. It was a real American-French meal. What did we have? Depends upon which course you are asking!
With the appertifs? Kir, and a relish tray with pate and french bread, pickles, and a kind of crunchy cheese puffy thing and great spirited conversation.
For the entree, (that is the appetizer or salad course in the states), we had an excellent salad with bleu Auvergne cheese, roasted pine nuts and white raisins. Pat makes the salad dressing and did I mention great conversation? Yes, in French and in English. Catherine's english is as good as yours. Phillipe's english is much better than my french, and between the four of us we do quite well.
Then for le plat we had BBQ ribs and Pat made his mother's famous german potato salad (enough for 40 of course). But Catherine brought saucisse made by Phillipe's mother, and that was excellent. I tried to make bbq sauce, but ultimately we bought some. Everyone was duly impressed with the first three courses. Pat said the wine was good, too.
Next would have been the cheese course, but we were just too full! 6-year-old Tristan was patiently, (okay not so patiently) waiting to break out the chocolate cake and Cream Anglaise that he had helped his mother make, and that his brother had so carefully carried from their house to ours.
I couldn't let dessert go unchallenged. So I served Grams'pineapple upside down cake. I didn't have Jiffy Mix and Cool Whip or baking powder*, but it was still fabulous. I did forget the marischino cherries, but not the whipped cream! Tristan thought that was the best part.
* I found that while you can't buy baking powder, you can buy cake flour with additives already in the flour to make it rise. It worked great.
Did I mention the fabulous fun and interesting conversation! The eve of the first day of spring had brought with it a great gift of a new friendship and plans for fun. I know fences make good neighbors, but good neighbors make good friends.
Happy spring.
