The Aftermath

Weddings are never a single day event in my family and Erica and Davey's wedding was no exception. The whole family stayed overnight at the Radisson and the next day we all seemed to meet in the hall several hours before check-out. My sister Bonnie and her husband Mike were up from Florida and were leaving to go their daughter Kelly's house and begin preparations for the "after party" as they like to call it. We headed home after stopping for coffee at a quick check... a little crunchy but feeling pretty good in spite of the minor dehydration. Once home we met up with Gerry's son Colin who flew in for the wedding from his new home in San Diego. Gerry whipped up pork-roll egg and cheese sandwiches, which is the best breakfast after a night of drinking. I gave my bunny Otis plenty of attention, as I felt guilty leaving him alone overnight. We make a quick stop to the store to buy the Halloween candy, a chore that I neglected in all the excitement of the wedding, and also picked up a cheesecake platter to take to the after party. Gerry's tux was returned and then after returning home we sat on the porch and gave candy bars to the trick or treaters. At 4:00 it was time to go to Kelly's house and so we put three bags of candy in a bowl, left the porch light on, headed one town over to the party. Mike is a retired chef who started a catering business with his daughter Krystal and they were cooking up a storm. The table was set with a carved pumpkin that had guacamole, sour cream, and salsa cascading out of the mouth (a puking pumpkin) along with chips for dipping. There was cheese and crackers and deviled eggs that were decorated with spiders made from black olives. Krystal made a hot crab dip that was to die for and served it with deep fried wonton chips. Mike's sister-in-law Frannie was sporting a Santa costume in the spirit of Halloween and the fun and merriment continued with about 30 invited guests. The rain didn't dampen anyone's spirits although we were planning on eating on her deck, but tables were brought inside and there were plenty of chairs to go around for a sit down meal. Mike cooked two huge prime ribs with au jus and a horseradish sauce. He baked potatoes on the grill and served them with sour cream, bacon, chives and grated cheddar. There was sauteed broccoli and garlic cooked tender crisp to perfection and a big Caesar salad. It was another night of feasting and laughing. The dessert spread was like a Viennese table... carrot cake, almond cinnamon cake, a chocolate cheesecake platter, a homemade cheesecake with cherry topping, brownies, and white cake with cherry filling. There was plenty of food for leftovers and everyone took home extra dessert. I hate to think of all the calories consumed this wedding weekend, but it was all so fabulous and so I won't.