Thursday it all started again. I had to attend three 90-minute/2-hour
meetings. One of them I chaired. Yesterday I attended to numerous
small fires and got things mostly on an even keel for the first
classes beginning Monday. I left the office at noon to cook.

We hosted a dinner for faculty and grad students at our house last
night. A dean or two showed up, and I saw the odd librarian lurking
about, as well. I believe there were about 80 people in my place at
one point last night. I had a lot to cook.

D, our friend S, and I made these things:

Sweet potato casserole (spiked with orange juice and smoked jalapenos
-- none of that icky marshmallow-encrusted stuff)

--Smoked pork loin (S made that)

--Four smoked chickens

--Baked beans with chipotles

--Multi-bean salad with garlic-infused olive oil, lime juice,
cilantro, and cayenne

--Cole slaw with garlic-infused olive oil, lime juice, cumin, capers,
and mayo

--Assorted finger foods like pickled okra, chips, etc. (Okay, we
didn't pickle the okra or make the chips. We just set them out for
the multitude.)

For the meats, I made a chipotle/garlic/lime mayo and a Sriracha/green
onion mayo and a really hot Scotch bonnet relish for them as relish
that sort of really hot thing.

D picked up a trashy sheet cake at the market on her way home that
afternoon. Grad students love cake.

The wine flowed like wine. The beer did, too.

I was truly worried we'd not have enough food, but some sort of
loaves-and-fishes thing must have transpired because we had leftovers.
And I got a chance to get people to sample the results of my 2007 fig
jerky experiment. It was great fun, but I was exhausted by the time
the last guest left for home.

BTW, Tom Waits' "Foreign Affairs" at a respectable volume seems to
help people decide to call it a night. Just a tip.
--

modom

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