Thursday, March 24, 2011

And the cooking continues, but now for a good cause!

The funerals ended with 6. I suppose that actually is bad things by three's, just twice. Now I'm cooking for my daughter's wedding. It's cookie time! The count so far is 906 kolachies (red raspberry, blackberry, apricot, and cream cheese filled) and 568 cream wafers (which of course required the rolling, cutting, and baking of 1136 cookie rounds sandwiched together with creamy buttercream centers).

The cupcakes (225) and the wedding cake come next, followed by marathon appetizer preparations. Of course, I'm only doing things that can be frozen ahead and sucessfully thawed and served. Hopefully my feet and legs will hold out long enough to get it all done in time!

Oh, and then there's the shower in two weeks! I'm making quiche, a huge fresh fruit bowl, and a mocha torte. I refused to attempt to host it at home, so we are taking over Your Vine or Mine? in downtown Painesville. I just don't have the facility for ~40 people. So I will cook and bring the food and everyone can have coffee, soda, or Vine-provided sangria. I think it will be a rather fun little event.

I will have a surprise announcement in April! Stay tuned!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Bad Stuff Happens in Three's?

I've been doing my "cooking for mourning families" thing for the last three weeks. It started mid February when my Uncle Art passed away. He was my Dad's youngest brother and the last surviving sibling of the group of 8. I made enough pasta, sauce, and meatballs to feed an army, as his family consists of 6 daughters, their spouses, their kids and spouses, and their grandkids...more than 40 in total.

Two days after that funeral, I took my Mom to the calling hours of one of her flower club friends. The woman passed at 101.

A few days later, I was making food for the neighbors, who were handling the family luncheon following the funeral of their niece, Betheny Mehall, who had been tragically killed in a shooting in Harpersfield.

This past weekend was marathon cooking. One casserole for a friend whose mother had passed away; the other for old family friends who had lost one parent in a house explosion in Eastlake a couple of years ago, and whose surviving parent passed just before the weekend.

That's five in three weeks! I was always told that bad things happen in three's, so this run of unhappy events seems to be a bit extreme. I'm hoping the run is over!