Celebrating Oktoberfest

Yesterday was a perfect autumn day to celebrate what has become a yearly tradition in our family, Oktoberfest. It is hosted by my ex-husband and his lovely wife Heather, and includes the grown children from marriages past and current, and any nieces, nephews and friends who are available to participate. Many of my friends are amazed that my husband and I have become such good friends with my ex and his wife. Normally divorce is a bitter end to a family's way of life, but when two people sincerely put the welfare of their children ahead of negativity and resentment, the rewards are astounding. What you get is a bigger extended family in which the word "step" does not enter into the vocabulary. Heather is a terrific cook and a fabulous entertainer who has a real eye for detail. Both her home and her buffet table look like a page from Country Living magazine. My ex Jay is a grill master extraordinaire and still has the most contagious laugh I ever heard. The food was incredible! There were brats, ribs and london broil, homemade baked beans, and a pear, goat cheese and radicchio salad with walnuts on the side. Heather is so close even to my current husband's children, she knows and corrects recipes for their food allergies. She treats all the kids (including the nieces and nephews) as her own, and in return the kids adore her. I am proud when my own children state that they have two mothers, as she has been there for them right from the start. The only bit of trepidation I had in attending  this year stemmed from the fact that my cooking skills have become a little rusty (generally I'm a baker), and so I labored over a german potato salad recipe right up until party time. Luckily Heather and Jay only live 5 minutes away. You can't really miss with any recipe that calls for a pound of bacon. The kids (all over 21) brought various beers or wine, and our girls contributed appetizers of cheese, crackers and fruit, and desserts of drunken pound cake and apple crisp. There was no shortage of laughter and stories around the fire that burned in the chimenea, as the family enjoyed the last of the outdoor celebrations for the year. Midge, Midas, Lily and Betty (two pit bulls and two bulldogs who are family pets) ran around the yard playing and chasing in their own version of merriment. Even the finches hiding in the nearby bamboo got into the boisterous fun of the party, which carried on well after sun down. Driving home, I thought of our family as a true testament that life can be better after divorce ... once the decision has been made to get along. 

P.S. I am now including all my mentioned recipes from a gadget at the end of my blog. Just scroll and enter the recipe name.