Early this week, my sister informed me that we won't need to prepare food for this Sunday because we were invited for lunch at her Mother-in-Law's house. They live 100 meters away from each other and I know her especially well because I used to spend time with her on the summers I was here as a little girl. Her Mother-in-Law is a very calm woman who I admire and look up to. She loves to cook, sew, and maintains her own little vegetable and fruit garden. She also used to have a small housing with hens and I used to go get fresh eggs with her early every morning. But those fresh eggs are just a memory now as she has let go of her hens because it was becoming too hard for her to maintain at her age.
So it was with excitement and full smiles we walked the 100 meters by foot to her house. The weather has been especially good since I got here, but I could feel the start of a chilly breeze today.
My Brother-in-Law has 2 sisters and 1 brother. They are all married and have children. His mother finds that it is too much work to have all the children and grandchildren for lunch at her house so she likes to divide. One time it's with her sons, another time it's with her daughters. Today, we were joined by one of her nephew, his wife, and 2 children.
We sat down on our designated seats at the long table. I loved how she meticulously wrote each of our names in a paper to indicate our seats. I was seated between her nephew and a sister-in-law. This was a very French setting and so was the meal. We started with the Aperitif. This consisted of little Amuse-Bouches, crackers topped with a variety of mousse and nuts. We were served a glass of Sparkling Wine.
This was followed by a simple cold entrée with a bit of green salad, tomato, avocado, and smoked salmon. This was slightly drizzled with a vinaigrette. We were served a white wine. I thought this was very good. Simple, but very good.
The main course was a Poulet Basquaise and red wine to go with it. Dad also makes this and this is one of my most enjoyable dishes. It is chicken stewed with a variety of red, yellow, and green bell peppers. I just love the taste and smell of bell peppers! This was perfect. And she served it with roasted potatoes and haricots verts / green beans. I personally prefer white rice or pasta as an accompaniment, but I was told one of the guest doesn't like rice. Nevertheless, the potatoes and green beans were excellent too.
The traditional French cheese platter was passed next with a Mixed Green Salad and Vinaigrette. I got a bit of both, wanting to save some space for the dessert.
The dessert was a generously served plate of 2 kinds of cake and a slice of homemade Raspberry Ice Cream. It was one of the best fruit ice cream I've ever had. It was half sour and half sweet. I absolutely loved it and even asked for the recipe! Wait till the season of raspberry starts and I'll surely be making this. We definitely need good homegrown raspberries for the perfect quality. We ended the perfect meal with a cup of hot coffee and a walk around the property. (We started the meal at lunch and ended at close to 5PM - no one was hungry at dinnertime. LOL.)
But as I felt it earlier, the chilly wind was definitely present. But it's nothing like a backyard hot tubs can't fix! Hehehe!
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