Dryden Is Home

Dinner for Nine: Part 2

I invited Megan and Aaron over a few weeks ago. They live up the street and I'm trying to be a little more social with my friends and neighbors without spending all kinds of money eating out in loud and crowded restaurants. After I invited them I found out they were off to Watkins Glen for dinner the night I had planned and I also found out they had three kids! So we checked our schedules and this being Cornell's spring break Megan had some time this evening for dinner.

One of my goals of having dinners at my house is to bring Ithacans together who may otherwise not get together. I hope to be able to mix my Cornell graduate student friends with my local Ithaca friends. This evening I invited Kamran and his wife Sofie over for dinner. K & S brought over their 1 year old and M & A joined us for dinner with their 5 year old, 3 year old and their 9 month old.

I picked up two whole organic roasting chickens (3 lbs. each) from NVA on Wednesday. To prepare the chicken I put them in the pyrex glass roasting dish,  put a little salt and pepper over them and then put little bits of sage and thyme over the chicken. About 100 minutes later (at 350 degrees and then 375 degrees) the chicken was ready to be carved. I also prepared a couple cups of white rice and then poured 1 cup of cherries and 1 cup of cherry juice (both from Trader Joe's) over them and stirred. The rice - - turned pink (which was commented on by the five year old as disgusting - - and then later she asked for seconds) and then I added (secret ingredient) to sweeten the taste.

Megan brought over a chocolate pudding pie (with home made crisco included crust) and a half gallon of Breyer's vanilla ice cream. It was a perfect combination and a perfect dessert. Kamran whipped up a batch of tea (chai?) and after a few conversations about aphids, t-shirts, small business, farming, birth heights and weights, teething, how I became a website developer, air temperature in my house in the winter, first steps, kids at home, living in Ithaca forever and how to really tell if a chicken is ready my friends that had kids had to get the kids home to bed.

This dinner's mix: Web site developer, house wife, grad student, house husband/farmer, retail manager, and four cute children.

Looking for a home cooked meal in Ithaca? Drop me a line!

Dinner for Six: Part 1

Dinner this evening wrapped up about three hours ago. I finished doing the dishes and mopping up the floor and then came up to my office to finish up a design project and now it is 1:24am and I'll give you a quick recap of dinner.

Dinner guests tonight included two couples and another friend of mine. Six adults, no children. Professions: Web site developer, landlord, grad student, grad student, microfilm services manager, web publisher. Dinner: Spicy Lamb Stew, Spicy Tofu Stew, Asian Cabbage and Tofu Salad, Cornbread with cherries, Cornbread with green onions, Tart Lemon Tart, Macaroons, Tea, Sodas, Juices.

Not much else to say, I've been on the go since last Wednesday and I need to get to bed. The next Dinner at 1960 will be in a few weeks. Do you want a home cooked meal? Any requests? Maybe next time I'll invite some friends that have children!