Sibling Christmas

Faths and former Faths gathered at the Yoders' the day after Christmas for our annual sibling gathering.  Instead of our usual frantsuskiy salad and pogaca menu, we had fancy meats and cheeses inspired by the Mulladys visit to the Moerlein Lager House. 

 

Gherkins, both sweet and dill.  Crackers. Candied bacon. Pomegranates.  Homemade apple kraut.  Beer bread (in basket).  Assorted charcuterie.  Assorted cheeses.  Baked brie.  Assorted mustards.  Pickled beets (barely in picture).  Peppers and carrots.

Upper left was a fontina; upper right was something with a balsamic rind;
lower left was a bleu cheese; lower right was a vintage gouda.

Romano Black Pepper Salami.  Pinot Noir Salami (was sadly fairly flavorless).
Calabrese Salami, that gradually got spicier and spicier.

Maple-/Cider-/Chipotle-Glazed Bacon

Cute Nephew, looking oddly lumpy.


We ate, we drank cider, the non-Fath boys played Settlers of Catan, we refilled the bowl of dill gherkins numerous times because a certain niece kept eating them, we Skyped with Mom and Dad while opening presents, we appeased children, etc., etc., etc.

Turkish Meal with the Interns

Now I am going to start uploading pictures from my phone.

 

 

Remember these guys? 

 

2012 Interns, finally at our house during their last week of internship.  We had a Turkish feast, a "drinks tasting," made cranberry-popcorn chains, and decorated our Christmas tree.

 

 

 

Jess, Janae, DENISE!, Jared, Ryan, Megan, and Zach

 

 

Our menu was:

 

Turkish Tea (duh)

Manti (little meat dumpling things in garlic yogurt, drizzled with paprika-cumin oil)

Mercimekli Kofte (lentil....patties)

Kisir (Turkish version of tabouli, eaten out of little lettuce cups)

Haydari (my version this time: strained yogurt with dill, garlic, and toasted pine nuts)

Patlican Salatasi (my version this time: fried eggplant cubes, red peppers, garlic, parsley in a tomato-ey sauce)

 

 

Goodness, I can't even remember.  This was too long ago.  There may have been some sort of spinach-feta borek.  I would have made them (Megan loved them) unless something prevented it.  There also may have been hummus and/or baba ganoush.