Buckeye Bash 2014 - Success and Fun!!

                

The Buckeye Bash 2014 came to an end on Saturday afternoon, after two days of fun with friends.  We weren't a large group, but we still had a blast!  Mickdee made the trek from Michigan, Sassyoldlady came from Toledo, and coming from the Columbus area were Saveur, Bellepepper and Midwestchef.  Mother Ann (that's me!) hosted the event in Rootstown, Ohio.  All of our spouses attended as well and I believe they had as much fun as we did.  Earlier in the day Don from Spain had posted on the Buzz that he was gathering up the funds and preparing the paperwork to bail us out of jail if needed - apparently we have quite a reputation for being a wild bunch!  I did appreciate his willingness to help out from across the big lake, but thankfully we did not need to call on him.


We started the festivities off on Friday evening with a meet-up at a local winery - Barrel Run Crossing Winery & Vineyard.  Saveur and Sassyoldlady could not join us for this part of the fun and they were greatly missed.  We spent some time chatting and renewing our friendships - all of us knew each other from prior round-ups except for myself and midwestchef.  We had never met until this Bash.  Jon and I arrived at the winery first to set up the fruit, chocolates (kisses and Buckeyes, this was the Buckeye Bash after all!!), cheese and crackers I had put together for our munchies.  I set my AllRecipes orange bag out to help everyone find our table.  Next to arrive was midwestchef and Mr. midwestchef.  I felt like we were old friends - we just naturally took off talking and felt very comfortable around one another as we waited the other's arrival.


The winery has a small menu with sandwiches and pizzas and we eventually got around to ordering our dinner.  The sun set and still we sat around our table under the pavilion chatting about anything and everything.  Every so often conversation would move to discussions about AR and food.  The men gathered at one end and had their own conversation.  Partway through the evening, Jon leaned over to me and said, "I don't know what you ladies have planned for breakfast but us guys are meeting up at Mike's Place for ours."   Us ladies opted to skip breakfast, but the men met up and enjoyed a huge breakfast. 


Around noon on Saturday we all met up at Mi Rancho Mexican Restaurant.  Jon and I are involved in the ownership and this is the restaurant our dear friends (the parents of our "adopted" grandchildren) run.  We had the party room for our gathering and I had the servers bring in a couple pitchers of margaritas and bowls of chips with salsa, authentic Mexican guacamole, and queso dip.  We spent an hour or so chatting and greeting Saveur and Sassyoldlady (and their other halves) before placing our orders.  As we were finishing our meals Federico, his wife, and children arrived at the restaurant and I was proud to introduce them to the gang.   Next on the agenda, for those who were not too full, was some homemade ice cream from the shop in the corner of the restaurant.  Dreamsicle and Double Chocolate Peanut Butter seemed to be the favorite choices. 


There were gifts for everyone as well.  Bellepepper presented each of us with a bottle of balsamic glaze.  I can't wait to try it out; in fact I might try it on some grilled shrimp tonight! Mickdee made some delicious candied pecans; it's going to be tough to make sure I get my fair share - Jon really likes them!  Midwestchef had been shopping in Amish country and presented us each with a jar of blackberry jam - yummy!!  Sassyoldlady brought bread dipping sets with cute little dipping dishes and the seasonings to add to the oil - funny, I had just been to my sister's and was jealous of her dipping dishes - now I don't have to go out and look for my own!  Saveur presented me with a lovely hostess gift she picked up at an antique shop - 2 little pitchers; one that says "vinegar" and the other says "oil" with chickens/roosters on them.  She's never seen my kitchen but I have chickens and roosters as part of my décor!  Also two shakers which we determined are possibly for cinnamon and sugar as the holes are too large for salt and pepper.  Lastly, I made raspberry peach sangria wine jelly for everyone. 


Sadly the fiesta had to come to an end as everyone had long drives back home.  It was a wonderful time and it makes me that much happier that I discovered AllRecipes.  With that discovery I have not only become a better cook, but have made some wonderful friends.  If you have never been to a round-up, you really need to get yourself to one; or host one yourself!  They are a blast and the folks you meet will quickly become true friends.  A round-up can be something as simple as a meet-up at a restaurant for an hour or so, or be a multi-day event.  The first one I attended was two years ago at Bellepepper's lovely home.   I had no idea what to expect that day and I was very pleasantly surprised.  I arrived as a stranger and left having several new friends.  This year I made another new friend in midwestchef.  The spouses and significant others of the AR gang have also become friends and I know Jon looks forward to these round-ups as much as I do.


We are thinking our next Bash will be a visit to Cleveland and the West Side Market - a smorgasbord of culinary delight!  Who knows, we may not even wait a year for the next one!

Family, Fun, and Food!

Jon and I just got back from our trip out West.  This was a different vacation - not only did we take our two labs, but my parents also went and took their two labs.  And - we went to South Dakota to visit Stephen, as well as my sister, Deb, and her husband, Brian.  What a trip it was!  My parents left about a week before us so they could attend the grand opening of a museum in the town my dad grew up in - Pickstown, SD.  The following day was a school reunion for him so they also attended that.  Tom Brokaw was the keynote speaker for the museum opening as he also grew up in this same town, with my dad.  They had a great time and my dad enjoyed seeing all of his classmates and old friends.  From there they went to Stephen's house for a couple days and then on to my sister's where we all eventually ended up together.


Jon and I got to Stephen's house on a Friday afternoon.  We spent the afternoon/evening getting the grand tour of his home and town. Annie and Suzy got to meet their "cousin" Blanton (a Rhodesian Ridgeback who just turned a year old).  Annie loved him. I now know why Stephen loves living where he does.  He works for a juvenile detention facility and lives inside Custer State Park.  Steve's backyard is literally thousands of acres and he has buffalo, bighorn sheep, turkeys, mountain lions, you name it - roaming through his "yard".  We didn't see a mountain lion, but we saw plenty of everything else.  For dinner Steve took us into town and we ate at a great little place called Black Hills Burger and Bun.  Quite possibly the best burgers ever!  The servers were all friendly and it was obvious Steve is a regular - they all knew him by name. 
                               


Once at my sister's house there was quite a houseful.  Luckily Deb's house is huge and could hold all of us and all of the dogs.  Steve packed his dog up and also stayed there.  It was one big happy party for a week!  In the mornings we would go kayaking/fishing.   We found a few wineries to visit and did some other sight-seeing.


Deb made a few awesome meals.  The best was pork medallions with a raspberry sauce, twice-baked potatoes, salad, and green beans.  A couple bottles of wine and this meal was as good as anything from a restaurant.  We also ate out a few times.  Steve, Deb & Brian have a favorite Italian restaurant in Rapid City they love.  Botticelli's was fabulous!  The food was great, service super, and it was quite obvious they are regulars - the servers and owner knew them all by name.  After that meal we headed across the street to the Main Street Square and grabbed a table to watch the kids play in the fountains.  As it got dark the lights came on in the fountains and it was beautiful to watch.  Also - once our dinner settled in our stomachs we found our way to the homemade ice cream shop. That was a perfect treat to a perfect evening!


Sunday afternoon Deb had a cook-out and we got to see a few of her friends we had met before.  It was fun to just visit, eat, and of course enjoy Fish House Punch!  No family gathering is complete without it.  We first had Fish House Punch years ago when we helped to put on a large AKC dog show each year.  After the show there would be a cocktail hour, then dinner, for all the judges and club members.  Fish House Punch was the traditional beverage for the cocktail hour. 


The time flew by way too quickly and before we knew it we were heading back toward home.  As we pulled out of Deb's driveway my tears could not stop flowing.  It had been a wonderful week and I loved every minute of spending time with my sister, brother-in-law and especially Steve.  Having my parents there also was a special bonus.  As our truck rolled down I-90 toward home I just wanted to grab that steering wheel and turn around and go back.


We made a few stops along the way home to stretch our legs.  One of those stops was at a cheese place in Wisconsin.  After all, who can pass through Wisconsin and not buy some cheese?  Not us! 


When we finally arrived home, our dogs were happy to see their own yard.  First stop for them was a splash in the creek!