Virg-the-Meat-Chef

Now that Cuzzins Cheryl and Virg have moved away from the Peninsula, we don’t see them as often as we’d like – maybe three or four times a year if we’re lucky.  It’s not that Lacey is so far away from Oysterville…  It’s just the way it is.

But when they do come in our direction, no matter when it is, it feels like Christmas – doubly so when they arrived yesterday with Cheryl’s brother, Cuzzin Ralph, all the way from Virginia. Plus, they came laden with gifts.  They weren’t Christmas gifts in the usual sense, except maybe for Ralph’s fruitcake which, in spite of all the usual fruitcake jokes, we all love and appreciate.  No, their ‘gifts’ were the makings of several meals!

Steak for Five

“Well,” Virg said, “it wouldn’t be right to descend on you for a few days without bringing some food.”  And what food it was!  OMG!  Last night, New York steaks – five of them – plus baking potatoes, salad fixings, pumpkin pie and whipped cream.  Plus appropriate beverages for the imbibers among us.

Cheryl-the-Salad-Chef

But wait!  (As they say on those tacky hard-sell television commercials.)  There’s more!  Not only did they bring all the fixin’s for our dinner last night, they did all the preparation.  Nyel and I were treated like royalty; we didn’t lift a finger!  I repeat… OMG!

Salad a la Cheryl

And that’s not all!  For tonight after our usual Friday night gathering, they brought the remains of their Christmas dinner so we can make turkey sandwiches.  They even brought the bread and probably the mayo and other necessary ingredients!  We had already planned to have one of the soups (African Peanut) from friend Maggie’s Soup Night book… so soup and sandwiches for dinner tonight!  Let the holiday trumpets sound!

And lest you think the Cuzzins are only about food and drink… in between the feasting there are plans for a hike at Leadbetter,  a book-buying foray to Adelaide’s, a scope-it-out visit to the Oysterville Store and who-know-what-all.  Plus, the non-stop talking and laughing…  I just love ‘Christmas With The Cuzzins’ no matter when it arrives!  At this time of year, it’s even more special!