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August 7, 2008

The UNEvent of the Year, Part I

1-Wings.jpgOur first anniversary of the UNWedding, dubbed the UNAnniversary, was a huge success. Everybody had a great time, Richard got to stuff us full of his favourite comfort foods, and there was just the right number of people so that, as we hoped, we had time to truly connect with everyone. And our guests made this gathering so easy to pull off, jumping in to help with the food prep, cooking and cleanup. By the time everyone left us Monday afternoon, there was hardly a thing to clean up. (Thank goodness – at that point we both had a nap!)

Because I had to swing right back into work mode alongside finishing the remaining cleanup, and we were surprisingly exhausted (not from the visit but from weeks of preparations), it’s taking a while to select my photos and get this post written. I took over 400 photos, unbelievably, not to mention those from Bob and Dagny so far, and my short list narrowed that down to 60! Meanwhile Richard says everyone has been nagging him to get pictures posted… So, I’m going to do this in three parts.

Part I: The Food

After our annual trip to visit the Lunds in Washington for July 4th, it occurred to me that we could make meals over the long weekend even easier for everyone by following the Lunds’ example. This year, instead of each family taking responsibility for a meal, they bought all the food and we all pitched in to cover the bill. It worked out much easier for us, as we can’t take food over the border and normally pay ridiculous prices for produce when we get there. For our UNEvent, being at home means we have everything we need to cook for a crowd (more than most people!), so we set a menu for breakfasts, lunches and dinners for three days and all our guests left their own food, cooking gear and coolers at home.

It worked out wonderfully. Chef Richard beamed from ear to ear as he used the grill and deep fryer, which Chris worked on all Saturday evening to convert to propane for our outdoor kitchen. Our chafing dishes made it easy to feed our crowd of 25 without things getting cold. Richard kept notes and calculated how much it actually cost compared to what everyone paid per meal. You all paid $6 a meal; next year it will be $7.50, and we’ll plan it so we don’t end up with a freezer full of ice cream and bread. (Not that I’m complaining about the ice cream!) We promise to have lots more onions, mushrooms, and Dole tropical fruit juice. Least favourite item? Coke Zero. Nobody was watching their waistlines!

There’s nothing Richard loves better than feeding his friends, and apparently you all love to eat, so it was a recipe for a fabulous weekend. More on fun and friends in the next two posts, but following are highlights of the food. All you busy people who couldn’t make it can sit there and salivate, and mark your calendars for next August. Those of you who stuffed yourselves to bursting this weekend, we’d like you to post comments on your favourite food or dining moment, and let us know what you’d like on the menu for next year! We’re looking forward to your comments.

1-FoodZonePrep.jpgFriday morning, our cooking zone still looked like this!

1-FoodZone.jpgHalf a truckload of gravel made it more kitchen-friendly.

1-ChefRichard.jpgChef Richard was up early Saturday to set up.

1-GrillSetup.jpgChris got us the grill and fryer and fixed them up.

1-ServedUp.jpgOur outdoor kitchen in action: wings!

1-YamFries.jpgMore equipment: the potato cutter made perfect yam fries.

1-Burgers.jpgHappy campers Dan, Barbie, Sharon, Cynthia, & Bob.

1-HomemadeFries.jpgSunday's dinner: burgers, fries & shakes.

1-Andrew.jpgAndrew loved his milkshake. Pic by Dagny.

1-IceCream.jpgMonday morning, everyone helped with the leftovers!

Posted by anita at August 7, 2008 9:04 PM

Comments

OK campers. Here's the deal: I'm not posting Part II (all the BEST photos) until we get at least ONE comment to indicate you read this one... And after I skipped dinner to get it done sooner, hmph!

(Please don't leave me hanging, it's the weekend and I'm dying to share the next round, of all of you hanging out in (of?) your swimsuits at the river....)

Actually, it's mostly about the boat, the kayak, and the Predator. The boat got stolen on the way home, you know? There, maybe that will get you guys to post a comment! Please?

Posted by: anita | 00:15 09 August 2008

good morning Richard & Anita.
Wish we had been there - if only just for the food!! Being Rick's mom,you know I also looooooooove to eat - especially when Rick's doing the cooking.
Did you make those divine chocolate pecan cookies???
Looking forward to part 2

Luv Momsie

Posted by: mommsie | 07:52 09 August 2008

Hi Bev!
We were thinking of you. A few guests missed last year, so I was showing photos of the barn and all your beautiful flower arrangements. The kids used up every remaining bottle of bubble mix this year.

Sadly, no chocolate chip pecan cookies. We had all the ingredients, but Richard was so worn out with all the outdoor preparations and so busy just setting up the outdoor kitchen equipment, that he had to skip making them. There was so much food - especially ice cream - that I don't think anyone missed them. And Sharon and Pat introduced us to one of their family favourites, chocolate chip pancakes, so we did crack open the Costco-sized chocolate chip bag. I preferred blueberry - Adrie and Ben brought us a whole box of BC's finest.

Posted by: anita | 08:30 09 August 2008