Winter Pre Holiday Food Sharing Jesse and Amy's

It is fun for me every year, to share food with my family of creation, to create milestone events, and to build on our past menus.   I arrived around the 11 AM agreed upon gathering time in St Cloud, and Jess gave me the tour to the digs as they are evolving in his basement.   

Sharing some morning coffee he donned this new hoodie apparel, with a guy on the left facing side holding a staff.   Jesse, asked. "What do you see this is?"  Well,  first I though Dumbledor?  Then Gandalf as of course we had read and shared the Lord of the Rings, and Then Harry Potter over the years, and he prodded me  "Look at the color dad!" Then ah, it hit me, The Red Sea and Moses of course!"  Just love his penchant for design and art as well. 

Sue and Nate soon arrived to share in the conversation.  Here are Sue and Amy in the kitchen getting some of the food ready.  I really appreciate the sharing and low key part of this.   Sue made a green salad with fruit and nuts, Amy a peanut based soup from African tradition, Nate, chicken delight, a stew tradition in the family with Chinese 5 spice, and I brought a Trader Joe's variety of cheeses, olives and cracker snacks.   We graduated from coffee and tea, to a succession of beers.  I had visited the Four  Ferkins, a beer speciality store in St Louis Park, owned by an Australian man from Queensland, and decided to see how the crew felt about having some varietal beers, to match the menu. 

Jesse and Amy's home is so full of light and an open space. 

 The relaxed atmosphere here with Bellas on the top of the couch here.

 Sue, Amy and Nate working on the food in the kitchen.

 The first beer is the one on the right is a Grut Bier, a non hops based beer that pre dates the German obsession, Reinheitsgebot with controlling what is in a beer.  Light and flower like to my palate, Then a Belgian Farmhouse, sunny Saison beer recommended by the 4 Ferkins guy.   Bright and cheery!
We had another lighter beer, likely a Belgian and then finished with a darker sweet beer Nate brought that is brewed in New Orleans.

Here is Amy and Bellas at their tree. Sadly not in focus.  O well,  It was a very mellow and low key day.    I great start to my Easy Does it Holiday Adventure to California.