Fighting off the drowsiness associated with good food and beer on a hot summer Sunday afternoon, I wanted to write a quick post about how awesome the concept of a Sunday Potluck is. I am offering a lion’s share of the credit to my girlfriend and her roommate for inspiring and pushing along the idea of getting our friends together for a Sunday Potluck.

I’ve written a good amount, on various occasions about the sense of place that I’ve been craving since I lived in Boston in certain apartments where friends would come by, casually and just sit down and eat, talk, drink and yak it up for a bit on any given night of the week. It’s something I feel like I took for granted while I had it and there were entire years when I didn’t have people who’d come by to visit or socialize.

I moved to Boulder a little over a month and a half ago and have been doing lots of different things to get settled in an feel in place in this new city. My girlfriend has been incredibly generous with her time and friends in introducing me to scored of new people almost every week and allowing me to grow my own social structure here. But even having people who I can call at the drop of a hat to get a beer or a bite to eat doesn’t quite equal “home.”

My new house mate, who’s a really cool dude and laid back, was totally fine with me having some folks over for a get together. So, I got up earlier than usual today, went and got ingredients for my idea of what Sangria should taste like, some chicken for grilling and the fixins to mash up some homemade hummus (my first time, used canned beans, don’t judge!). I prepared the Sangria and put it in the fridge to chill, mixed up the ingredients for hummus and slowly people started to show up with plates of uncooked food, ready to start putting heat to raw goodies.

Here was tonight’s menu: Caprese salad, my homemade hummus, these avocado fries, buffalo mozzarella and summer vegetable wraps, chicken and vegetable kebabs, grilled wild turkey chicken and pasta salad. For dessert we had this summer fruit tart and key lime bars.

This is what a “sense of place” is really all about. It can be elusive, it doesn’t just happen and it requires the right people, but when you feel it and recognize it for what it is, it’s easy to be grateful and appreciative for how special it really is.

Here’s to many more potlucks and spontaneous get togethers.

Since moving back to my hometown my sister and I have been cooking dinner together a bit. She still lives at home and my mom never buys fresh food (or food at all really). So, when I go grocery shopping I’ll pick-up for two and she’ll split the bill with me. She’s a fitness freak and measures out her food and counts calories every day. So, now I’m buying lots of high quality ingredients that she’s not used to having around so she’s learning new recipes and trying new things.

Her newest flavor interest is tofu (although it has a distinct lack of flavor on its own). She always attested that it made her gag and that the texture was too gross. So, I marinated some and cooked a vegetable stir fry with it. I made sure to fry the tofu well done so that it wasn’t so mushy. She loved it. Now instead of buying expensive meat all the time, which we both still love, we’re going to eat more soy and tofu products. They’re healthy and MUCH cheaper. A pound of tofu at Trader Joe’s costs about 1.50. You’d need to find a real sale to have chicken or beef at that price!

My cousin who I share an apartment with likes me and my sister’s cooking too and I think he’s trying to learn. He surprised me when he said he tried to go vegetarian. I think it’ll be an interesting journey helping him learn to cook and discover what he likes for recipes.

Now all I need to work on is getting my mother to eat better. That could prove A LOT harder.

So, I got a letter yesterday stating that my voting address has been changed and that I am now registered to vote in at my new address. Sweet! I am so happy that I get to vote!

I am going to bring this piece of paper just in case anything shady happens and some angry Republican starts babbling about ACORN.

Also, The Sole Proprietor gave Caitlin and I the best seafood meal that either of us have had in recent memory. Wow! Dijon horseradish Mako is just delicious. I thought to myself, “I am eating something that could just as easily eat me.” Maple scallops? Forget about it! Not cheap, but absolutely worth it. Especially when you consider that this seafood is so good and we’re in Worcester!