3/1/2010 Fish Fry!!!

First thing I did this morning was call home to wish my Dad a happy 77th birthday! I’m counting the days until I see him and my Mom again.

Feeling much better today I ran to the store to get a forgotten ingredient for the dish I’m taking to the fish fry/turkey dinner.

We just had the prettiest day for this. The rain had moved out and the sun was warm and it was a day for big appetites. There was soooo much food. You figure when you have over 100 people over for dinner and everyone brings a dish to share or a dessert, well there is going to be LOTS of food!

For some reason I don’t have a picture of the food table and I can’t imagine why not. However, I did snap one of the dessert tables and this was before everyone had arrived, there was NO space between dishes I can assure you.

This is the fourth year this fish fry/turkey dinner has been done. It started out with eighty for dinner and has grown to the one hundred and thirty invited this year. Each year more friends are made and the invite list grows.

Four turkeys are roasted, plenty enough fish is fried and as I mentioned earlier, all the invited guests bring a dish to share. All kinds of salads, potatoes made every way imaginable, veggies, casseroles, rolls and bread, desserts of all kinds, you name it, it was there.

Tables and chairs are brought in from all over the park so that there isn’t anyone trying to balance a plate and drink on their lap. Everyone brings their own table service and whatever they are drinking.

Frank “Mugsy” Maguire played his piano and sang while everyone was arriving and visiting before the “Chows on” call was sounded.

Just minutes after 4 p.m. Maisie called out “Chows on” and the lines swiftly formed down each side of the table. There is so much to choose from that everyone takes a tablespoon of the this and a tablespoon of that so that as much as possible of this good food can be sampled. Of course you get halfway through the three tables of dishes and bowls and crockpots and your plate is full and there is no room for anything else. Reluctantly you make your way to the table because you just know there isn’t going to be any of those delicious looking cheesy potatoes left for a second go through.

Bob talking with friends…..

Dale, one of our hosts, talking with Don and Billee.

This is Earl. Earl is my own personal pain in the A _ _. He gives me a hard time every chance he gets! He relishes in making smart remarks to me but never fear, I give it as good as I get it! Doesn’t he even just look ornery?

Pat, LaDonna and Darlene, just the nicest ladies you’d ever want to meet. (You may remember Darlene from when we were in Alaska this past summer.)

The “no-name band” played for us after dinner.

When music is playing our friend Bonnie can’t stand still! The fingers snap, the foot keeps the beat, the hips sway, full motion, yep, that’s our Bonnie.

I don’t know how this game of patty cake started but they sure having a good time with it.

We gathered our dishes, our serving dish, our cooler and hit the road. I had Ladies Pool to play tonight.

By the way, the dish we took was a dessert, one I had never made before. It had pineapple and cheese and a few other things thrown in for good measure and all baked together. I truly thought those two things wouldn’t go together but I’m happy to say the the dish was all but licked clean.

So this was our first fish fry/turkey roast and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m already thinking about what I’ll take next year.

To the dinner organizers,.,..THANK YOU, it was great!