A Team Brunch

The A Team is a group of friends who have become family.  We were neighbors and realized we all loved food, we loved to cook, we loved to be with each other. We get together and eat luscious food. We have highly planned pot lucks.  We also love deep down in our hearts to blow away the others with our cooking magic.  Not that we are competitive or anything.

Saturday we had brunch at our apartment.  Two months ago we said we will host in October.  As you all know, all I have done lately is plan doctor visits.  The brunch happened, it was spectacular, we planned it out and I gave up some of the finer entertaining rules in my head.  We planned our part of the meal to be something that we could prep the night before.  The brunch was all about being together.

Many, many pictures below of the prep and the party.

Marty and I made a Crab and Shrimp Tower with a citrus vinaigrette.  We used the black pipe to shape the tower.

Marty lined the pipe with foil and then layered the food.  Then the pipe was lifted off and the foil supported the tower until it was served.

Hank setting out the appetizers.  We had stinky French cheese, soft French cheese, wonderful charcuterie, and meat balls, 

Hank and Thom went all out.  We also had deviled eggs, veggies and dips, and mozzarella, basil and cherry tomatoes on a skewer.  I think they were afraid I would be too tired to prepare a main course.

We call this our Boudoir Dining Room.  The bedroom is huge and the only place to set up a table for 6 or more people.  

This is a long shot of the table.

The tower shot from the top.  I should have done a side shot.  The tower was lettuce, heirloom cherry tomatoes, shrimp, dungeness crab, carrots, and a crab claw.  We poured the vinaigrette around the tower.  There were sliced mangoes and avocados beside the tower.

The table is ready for our guests.  But first, just one more picture.

Nancy and Lew made an apple crisp for dessert.  The warm crisp was on vanilla ice cream, raisins, other wonderful rich goodness.

The A Team!  From left to right:  Janet, Marty, Nancy, Lew, Hank, and Thom.

Marty and me enjoying a little Bubbly.

The best part of this wonderful meal was I was able to eat.  The nausea pills work, Mr. Morphine worked, and everyone brought rich tasty food that appealed to my out of whack taste buds.  

It was a great day.  We laughed, we cried, we remembered other events.  And we planned the next event in November when our A Team Texas couple will be able to join us.  

THANKSGIVING WEEK

In about two hours my brother and his wife arrive from Kentucky.  They will be here all week, so normal posts, whatever that means, won't happen.  We have one plan set in stone and the rest of the week will be what feels like fun or is most relaxing.

Tomorrow Little Brother is treating us to lunch on the Wine Train.  Tuesday we may visit a Japanese Garden and have supper at the food trucks in San Leandro.  We hope to go to San Francisco once, also to stop at Treasure Island and watch the light show on the new Bay Bridge.  Some days we may just sit, read, and sip good wine. ( I received permission from the Anti-coagulant Clinic to have one glass of wine a day this week!) And of course one night we will cook some Dungeness Crab.

As I have time I will post what we are doing, and probably bore you with lots of pictures.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.  I truly feel thankful.  I lived, I am doing really well, and I have excellent health insurance. 

More Cooking

If I keep posting cooking pictures, I may have to change the name of the blog.  I do have endings for the food.  We eat it, all of it.

Saturday, Marty went out to run errands.  He came home with live Dungeness Crab.  He threw them in a big pot, steamed them, and we then picked them. 

He picks the claws and I pick the bodies. 

After we got all the meat out, we had to decide how to fix it.   After much discussion . . .

Marty made crab cakes.  I made a Remoulade Sauce to go with them.  The crab cakes are made mainly from the meat of the bodies.  He served the claws whole.

A close up of one plate.  Lemons are from our tree.  The crab cakes had no filler, all luscious meat. 

This was a great Saturday night meal.  Not boring.  And again we were working together in the kitchen.  Even both of us cleaned up the kitchen. 

Hope you like the cooking side of our life.  The next blog is Pho.