Memorial Day

Someone left this little bouquet of peonies on my porch.

At first we suspected Rolf's girlfriend, but the way the stems were so carefully arranged made me think it was someone a bit more Marthaish.  

So now I am leaning toward my neighbor Coleen... Coleen did you leave flowers on our porch?  Thank you kindly if it was you.

We worked like slaves in our horrible, despicably filthy overgrown yard on Saturday, and rewarded our hard (but hardly noticeable) work with a little dinner party on Saturday.  

I am much better at dinner, than yard work.

That ugly pole ruining my photo, is holding up the umbrella that theoretically keeps sun off of us, while we eat out on our deck.  There was very little sun this weekend, so the umbrella was mostly useless. 

I wish the picture showed off the little yellow mid-century divided relish bowl I recently found.  It is just the perfect shade of yellow.  

On that evening it was holding marinated mushrooms, olives and bread and butter pickles.  

We were having a nostalgic meal in honor of Memorial Day.  

I made roasted root vegetables,  mashed red potatoes, baked beans, sauteed savoy cabbage, and tomato aspic with bay shrimp, just to horrify my family. 

I even piped horseradish sour cream around, to make it extra kitschy and tacky. 

Rolf had been telling of the horror of tomato aspic I made sometime in the early 90's,  for years, so I decided
I would make it again, because I like it, and it is a great conversation piece.
  

Maxwell ate it with diplomacy, mostly picking out the shrimp.  

Rolf's girlfriend picked out the sour cream part and everyone else ignored it.  I happen to like it and it reminded me of my Grandma Betty.  

I made strawberry lemon-aid and an iced herbal tea. 

We were given homemade pickles in these giant 1/2 gallon jars, which I found positively delightful, and kept long after the pickles were eaten.

That is what I do, I sit around wishing for an occasion to fill up a 1/2 gallon jar with something pretty.

I also made the most perfect Devil's Food cake ever.  

No, really, it was my  masterpiece.          

I only wish I had, had a larger audience to share it with.    We ate it with some of the best local whipped cream I have ever tasted, and some ice cold Riesling.  An excellent end to a good evening.