Rice and wheat crackers with cheddar dip and salsa; carrots, jicama, olives, watermelon and lime wedges, to zip up any of it that’s in need.
Shared companions at their best help to strengthen individual relationships.
This is true of people, any great net of friends and acquaintances woven, knit and spun together making the two people at their center-most intersection better through their support. It’s true, too, of meals, where the cast of side dishes and sauces, condiments and accompaniments all work together to make the main dish better and more interesting than it would be on its own, and make a standard entrée a standout, distinctive and more memorable for the occasion.
Now, when these two instances of the supporting cast making the show coincide, things can be tons of fun. As on our latest anniversary, for example. We enjoy our twosome time immensely, and are glad to celebrate at any excuse, but we’re not sticklers for specific dates or rigorous traditions. So when our anniversary lined up with a rare opportunity to gather with a houseful of students, we merged our various celebratory plots into one plan.
Dinner for any more than four people is inevitably served buffet style when I’m in charge; besides my preference for informality, I like people to be able to sit at tables for ease of dining, and while I can make that happen for up to a couple dozen in our contiguous living, dining and kitchen spaces, it doesn’t leave much spare room for elbows, let alone heaps of serving dishes, on said tables. So it’s easier to concoct big-batch comestibles in big-batch pots and pans and let the guests scoop up platefuls of their own design at will.
This time, the centerpiece of the meal was my lazy version of carnitas, one of my pet make-ahead foods for carnivores, surrounded by a range of things that could keep the vegetarians, the allergic and the whatever-averse all reasonably well filled.
The center of attention. Get those edges crispy!
Carnitas de Señora Loca
Carnitas and all the fixings.
Don’t forget some coleslaw when there’s shredded meat, whether BBQ style or otherwise; the two are simply good friends for a good reason. The version of the day had sliced almonds, black and white sesame seeds, and a light lemon vinaigrette with a dash of honey. See, addicted as we are, I can sometimes vary slightly from my standard sushi ginger flavored creamy coleslaw. The creamy dressing, whether made with mayonnaise or yogurt or sour cream in its dressing, would’ve added elements not all vegetarians like, so I wanted to keep an option or two open. Cheese dip for the vegetable crudites was not going to allow such a thing, including not only the grated sharp cheddar and Parmesan cheeses but also an equal mix of mayo and sour cream, along with a pinch of cayenne and a dash of bacon-flavored salt), and I had asked ahead and was pretty sure I didn’t have any true vegetarians, let alone vegans, coming that day, only lighter meat eaters.
Slaw, of course. Always a good choice, but wait–how to choose its style remains…
Since the non-meatatarians in the crowd might otherwise have been stuck with just salad and fruit, vegetable, cracker sorts of foods, I did make up a big batch of rice without my typical inclusion of homemade bone broth, substituting homemade vegetable broth for the occasion. I credit myself with making a pretty dandy broth, no matter what the kind, so no one was shortchanged in the equation, I hope.
Corn salad. What, you need more?
The last side dish leaned back toward the savory and did include a little mayonnaise: corn salad made with fresh kernels of sweet corn, diced tomatoes and avocados, and for those who wished, crisp bacon pieces to sprinkle on top. You know me: if a passel of pork is a good thing as the main dish, why not more pork alongside it?
Art-Colored Glasses 
WOW! made me hungry now 🙂 They are beautiful should be delicious too dear Kathryn, Thank you, as always great post. Love, nia
If we can’t get near enough to dine together, at least we can share our meals in cyberspace, dear Nia!
Much love!
good grief, now I’m starving! Wish I had the time or reason to make such a spread. I’ll just come visit you, I think!
And very welcome, too, when you show up! 🙂
Wait! Why didn’t I get an invite? Nom nom nom
The invitation’s always open, my dear! 🙂
the pic looks yummmmyyyy!!!!
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but I find that a taste is worth a thousand pictures! 😉
haha true!!! Btw any progress with book 😉 ??
I won’t be able to start reading it immediately. I’m a verrrrrrrry slow reader and am working my way through another friend’s book just now. But I promise I’ll keep you posted. 🙂
cool 🙂 waiting
Will take a big bowl, half slaw, half corn salad– yum!
Playing catch up with your posts, ki; to continue tomorrow…
Needless to say, by the time I’ve made a post out of any meal, let alone answered comments on the post, the food’s loooooooong gone. But that’s just an excuse to make a few new batches, of course!
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