Tuesdays With Dorrie

By marrying Ann, I have inherited her friends. They are good friends, good people and I feel as if my life expanded ten-fold with their addition.

Two of those friends are Doris and Steven. They are such good friends that when we remodeled our house, we got to live with them for over a month. They have a large, spacious, and incredibly gorgeous house so we could have lived there without them even knowing, but that's not how Doris and Steven work. They embrace you -- full arms, full heart, and most importantly, full-bellied. Well, we at least had full bellies!

Doris retired last year from teaching. She hasn't skipped a beat since her last day of work. She traveled to Italy, knitted more sweaters than I've ever owned in my life, worked on a myriad of art projects, and mastered the science of making no-knead bread. Steven, who retired some time ago, is the steady pulse in Doris' busy life. He golfs every morning, so early that there is often frost still on the course, he walks his gi-normous German shepherd, Ben, and assists Doris in her many, many household projects.

He, too, helps with the no-knead bread.

Upon her retirement, Doris and Steven have opened their house every Tuesday night for dinner. Anyone who has lived in their house or are friends with someone who have lived in their house are invited. This includes not only Doris and Steven's two grown children --Ian and Phoebe and their spouses -- but all of their extended family and friends.

We're included. Even Rubin is included and while we all meet in the kitchen to talk politics and food, the dogs chase each other around their swimming pool in the backyard.

But always, at the center of the gathering is this incredible food. Each Tuesday is a different theme. One week it's Japanese, the next Indian. With Doris' background, Italian night is always a big hit. Last week was Mexican, but instead of tortillas we ate bread...lots and lots of bread...and pineapple spears for dessert. No matter the theme, the Italian flair is always present be it in the cheeses or the "caponata" (pictured below) that we spread on our bread.

The food is always wonderful, but the gathering of eclectic characters is even more wonderful.

Tonight we may not be able to attend. Our lives are busy today and well into the evening, so we'll throw together something light and easy. It'll be enjoyable as Ann and I debrief our days and plan ahead for the upcoming summer. Rubin will enjoy the mellow environment and go for a game of fetch right before bed.

But down the street, Doris and Steven and their many friends and extended family will share yet another meal. It's good to know such people exist in the world. It's really wonderful to know they exist in my life.