Ski Weekend Dinners

Sorry I have not posted anything in a little while--I have been out of town for work and then play, but I am now back!

The play part of my departure was in Vermont. Every year about fifteen friends and I go up to the Killington, VT. We rent a house for the weekend to ski during the day and hang out in the house at night. I love it, and we all look forward to it throughout the year. This year the ski conditions were not the best (too much ice) but that never hurts how much fun we have together.

So who cares about my ski trip? Is that what you are thinking? Well, I bring it up because one of my favorite parts to hanging out in the house with my friends is dinnertime (another favorite is us all sitting in front of the fireplace). Keep in mind that most of us New Yorkers have small apartments and can not have this many people over for dinner, much less be able to sit fifteen friends all around one table. So this in itself is such a treat to me.

I love food for lots of reasons. Obviously it tastes good, and it keeps me alive. I also love it because food is a great way to bring people together. It is an activity that brings us to one place, sitting down, and enjoying each other’s company. Families strive to have family dinners for this reason, just as how many of our holidays are centered around cooking (Fourth of July bar-b-que’s, Easter brunches, Thanksgiving feasts, etc.). Therefore, it only seems appropriate for me that our annual ski trip includes good-ole family style dinners to celebrate us all being there together.

Clearly after a day’s worth of skiing, no one is in the mood to cook for fifteen people! Lucky for us we have two very much appreciated friends who help us out. Melissa comes from an Italian family who recently came over to the States before she was born. True to the Italian nature, before the big ski trip she and her mother make HUGE amounts of pasta and breaded chicken cutlets that only need to be re-heated. What a treat to come home and know that a truly Italian meal is about to be enjoyed. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to take pictures of Melissa’s and her mom’s dishes, but trust me that their work is very good!

The second night we enjoyed Gemma’s lasagna (made from her mum’s recipe). This was served with salad (we had to at least pretend we were being health conscious for the weekend) and pre-prepared garlic bread. Again, the lasagna and garlic bread only needed to be reheated in the oven before all fifteen of us sat down to an awesome meal. And of course these dinners were so great and created such a fun atmosphere that we would find ourselves still sitting around the table hours after we had empty plates.

We ate lots of good food, drank lots of red wine, and enjoyed lots of great laughs. I am looking forward to next year’s ski trip (and dinners) already!