We host a couple of events at the townhome after we accept the offer to purchase and before we close on the house.
Our first event is our annual ravioli making day on Saturday, October 30th. Family and friends gather to make approximately 20 dozen meat and 26 dozen cheese ravioli.
A few days earlier Gina and William make home made ricotta with oversight from Mom and editorial comments from me. This is a first for us, and it turns out very well. Very simple - milk, cream, salt, vinegar and lots and lots of stirring as it slowly comes up to slow boil. Then drain and harvest the ricotta curds.
Our first event is our annual ravioli making day on Saturday, October 30th. Family and friends gather to make approximately 20 dozen meat and 26 dozen cheese ravioli.
A few days earlier Gina and William make home made ricotta with oversight from Mom and editorial comments from me. This is a first for us, and it turns out very well. Very simple - milk, cream, salt, vinegar and lots and lots of stirring as it slowly comes up to slow boil. Then drain and harvest the ricotta curds.
William uses the ricotta to prepare the cheese filling and also prepares the meat filling before the event begins. This year we have a smaller team, only eight all together, but we still make 550+ delicious ravioli in only a few hours. The process and roles have been refined over the years. William mixes the dough, Lee and Kevin roll, Gina and Alyssa fill pockets over the forms, Mom pops the raw ravioli’s out of the forms, Lois boils them for 90 seconds and I slightly freeze then bag them two dozen at a time into packages. The packages are placed in the freezer and will become major a major component of Thanksgiving and other meals in the next few months.
As we work there is lively banter, teasing and story-telling. After we’ve cleaned up we sit down to a family-style meal, accompanied by beer and home made wine. A perfect day!
The second event is a dinner party a week later with members of our amateur wine-making club. Eight of us gather for what I have billed as the “Last Supper @ Lakewood.” We have had many parties with these good friends over the years at our townhome and this will be the last. Our decision to eliminate most of our possessions and become nomads is a primary topic of discussion throughout the night. Everyone is supportive, and many times someone asks a question to check if we’ve considered this or that. Sometimes it’s just a question on how we are handling routine things which can disrupted (such as mail). It’s clear that our friends have been thinking about us and our future lifestyle. How wonderful to have people watching out for us and wishing us the best.
The second event is a dinner party a week later with members of our amateur wine-making club. Eight of us gather for what I have billed as the “Last Supper @ Lakewood.” We have had many parties with these good friends over the years at our townhome and this will be the last. Our decision to eliminate most of our possessions and become nomads is a primary topic of discussion throughout the night. Everyone is supportive, and many times someone asks a question to check if we’ve considered this or that. Sometimes it’s just a question on how we are handling routine things which can disrupted (such as mail). It’s clear that our friends have been thinking about us and our future lifestyle. How wonderful to have people watching out for us and wishing us the best.
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