This is Lake Wenatchee in a good mood early Saturday morning. Perfect for a canoe glide! But, don't let the calm fool you...when we arrived Wednesday morning for five days of camping the weather was windy, cold, and unpredictable. We set up rain canopies over picnic tables in both camps, and put tarps over some of the tents. We were expecting rain and cold temperatures. (Those first few days I wore seven layers to stay warm, including a double set of pants - jeans and fleece.)
My sister Bonnie, her husband Frank, and daughter Mel joined George and I and all our kids for an annual family reunion at Lake Wenatchee. Annie's parents (Tim and Kathy) joined us on Saturday. So, we had two large adjoining camps in the woods at the south end of the lake.
The first two days it was cold and windy, so all of us huddled around the campfire to stay warm. I really enjoyed this as it allowed for a lot of conversation, plenty of food and hot drinks.The wind blew something fierce Wednesday and Thursday but the remainder of the week was gorgeous - shirt-sleeve weather. We went for a hike, relaxed, and everyone took turns canoeing.
Annie and Ruhiyyih followed us in their canoe.
This is Frank, my sister's husband, keeping watch, like an ole bucckaneer. I didn't take many photos, as I was busy the entire time cooking and tending camp. This is something I enjoy doing, and I had an opportunity to experiment with some new recipes. One meal was a tomato-meat-onion sauce over gnocchi (potato) dumplings. Another was 'Bao', a Vietnamese steamed bun filled with meat and onion which was added to hot vegetable soup. We cooked steak, burgers and brauts over the fire and on the grill, and I served up some rice blend stir-frys and salads. And always a few treats - chocolate chip cookies, banana bread and cornbread.
I cooked so many different things (emptying out my freezer of all my culinary left-overs), that I cannot remember all the different meals I served while my sister and her family were here. I served Cauliflower-Leek Soup when they first arrived; Pizza with shredded phyllo mixed in with cheese and vegetables; a strawberry crepe; and brushetta and feta grilled on crusty bread.
This was a lemon creme pie that was just slightly sweet. 
Apple pie with a crusty topping of phyllo rather than crust.However, the most memorable moment on the trip was when everyone sat down with my 'Polenta and Eggs Breakfast'. I fried left-over sliced brautwurst with garlic and onions, steamed some asparagus, and fried up the polenta with tomatoes and orange peppers. Then I cracked some eggs over the top to poach them until they were cooked. When the eggs were done, I piled it onto paper plates, which George passed around to our family. As everyone took their first bite they all looked puzzled, paused, looked at the food and spit it out.
Ruhiyyih looked up and said, "MOM, there is SOAP in this food!"
She put the meal down, came over and put her arms around me, laughing and consoling me at the same time.
I couldn't figure it out until I realized that I had two plastic bottles filled with what I thought was olive oil. One was labled with O for oil. The other was left-over Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid from last fall and wasn't labeled. When it poured slowly from the bottle, I just thought it was due to the cold weather; when it bubbled, I figured moisture in the onions.What a disaster! I had to send them over to Rue's cook station for breakfast. He put together a meat-egg breakfast in a flash! I had to clean up my camp, the pots and pans, anything that had a soap residue.
Thanks to Kathy for these last two photos...More here, in Kathy's gallery. Annie, at Earthen Vessel, has her video's and slides up.... and Ruhiyyih will post when she recovers from jet-lag.
