back on the set

"Your family is just like a sitcom."

So said my friend (and former house sitter) Jordan when he first met them.  At the time, I thought it was an odd analogy.  But he meant it as a compliment.  And I think he was correct.  In some respects.

We are one of those classic sitcom families -- like Modern Family.  Earnest.   Witty.  People who genuinely enjoy being in each other's company.

That may sound a bit egotistical on my part.  But I am calling this one as I see it.  If you want to spend a good time with cascading puns, fractured cultural references, and old-fashioned banter, this is the place to stop.

And all of that is best displayed preparing and eating a meal.

Yesterday's theme was Mediterranean.  Christy, my sister-in-law, had just experienced what she thought was one of the best pasta carbonaras she had ever eaten.  She asked what I thought about having it for dinner.  Pasta.  Cream.  Bacon.  Parmesan.  What is there not to like?

While shopping for ingredients at Safeway, I saw a display of heirloom tomatoes.  The type of tomatoes that make you remember how good the store-bought variety once tasted.

I make an outstanding Greek salad.  And I now make it only when I can find heirloom tomatoes.  They usually run around $12 a pound.  Today they were only a bit over $3 a pound.  So, I gathered up some cucumbers, sweet onions, South African peppers, Kalamata olives, feta, lemons, and mint.

We were ready to go.  While Christy made pasta carbonara, I sliced and diced my Greek salad.  With the addition of a loaf of crusty bread, we could easily have been taking a dinner break from a hard day sailing the Adriatic.

Over dinner, my brother, mother, and I decided that we would fly to Mexico on the 24th.  That will put them there on one of the busiest days of the Mexican holiday calendar -- semana santa: Holy Week.  Not many northerners get the opportunity to see my sleepy little fishing village in high gear.

Until then, I intend to enjoy a few more episodes of our little family sitcom in Bend -- before we take it on the road.