Okay, not doing so well on blogging regularly. Now that two of my major distracters are gone: studying for boards and “The Bachelor”, maybe I will do better.
A couple of weeks ago Chris and I traveled 6 hours to Del Mar, just north of San Diego, to see my favorite aunt and meet her fiancé. Carol married my dear Uncle Mike not long before I was born, and ever since has been one of the closest family members outside my immediate family, despite residing in Minnesota. Carol has always been fun; however, it was not until my adulthood, or perhaps since Mike’s death seven years ago that I have gotten to appreciate her as a friend and confidant. And though everyone in my family has gotten to meet her fiancé Scott, Chris and I had not had the pleasure until this visit. He had the same ability as Carol to put you at ease and make you feel completely at home. Needless to say, they were wonderful hosts and we had the best time. I also got to hang out with my cousin Laura, who at 23 years old, reminds me a whole lot of myself 7 years ago. She is in that limbo time between college and graduate school, trying to decide exactly what she wants out of this life and whom she may want to share it with. At the same time, and in spite of some of the familial anxieties that we share, she does some pretty amazing things-aerial dance, for instance; and performing with one of her gifts we do not share, a beautiful singing voice.
How blessed am I to have such awesome people in my life; and to be related to them, at that! I know not everyone is able to cut loose and have fun with family, and I’m thankful that I have that kind of family.
Our weekend in Del Mar just happened to coincide with the seven year anniversary of Mike’s death, so you can imagine it was an emotionally loaded time. I think of Mike often, and mourn his loss from this world as well as the fact that my husband never got to meet him. But I can only imagine what his absence has done to his immediate family’s life. We shared our favorite jokes that Mike told over and over with such animation over fishbowl margaritas. And I was in awe of Scott’s grace in sharing these moments of remembrance, us toasting and mourning (yeah, we are a weird family) someone that sat in his place. He just took it in stride as if he had also lost a dear, dear friend. It definitely showed me his character. Needless to say, Scott scored big with us!
While we were in Del Mar, we collected stones from the beach, toured La Jolla and saw the seals at the cove, went to the lighthouse at Point Loma, and watched the sun set from Mount Helix. We also enjoyed Carol’s fabulous cheese fondue, which I am including for my recipe of the day. Beer + cheese= my favorite meal. Enjoy!
Cheddar Cheese Beer Fondue
(Adapted from a recipe found in The Fondue Cookbook )
¼ c. butter (about 2 T.)
¼ c. flour
Scant ½ t. Accent (MSG)
¼ t. salt
¼ t. dry mustard
12 oz beer (nothing too dark or heavy; PBR works well)
1 ½ t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 lb. cheddar cheese
Melt butter in heavy saucepan and whisk in flour. Stir in Accent, salt, and dry mustard. Gradually add beer, whisking each addition of beer until incorporated and thickened. When all beer is incorporated, add Worcestershire sauce and start adding cheese, an ounce or 2 at a time and stir until each addition is melted. Serve with bite sized chunks of bread; suggestions: baguette and caraway rye.
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