We had our first dinner party in the house! And it went very well! Not sure if it actually qualifies as a dinner party-- Stephanie's parents (dad and step-mom) were in town for a trade show, and they came out to the house so we'd have dinner. Is a dinner for 4 a dinner party? I think it should do-- a small dinner party, which is a pre-amble to a larger function or affair. The original thought was we would go out somewhere. However, about 3 hours before we were to meet them, Stephanie and I had a daring thought-- We could cook and have dinner at the house. After all, we have a kitchen! So we jumped out to the local store, grabbed some food, and made a delicious dinner. (Ok, when I say we, I actually mean Stephanie) Her parents hadn't seen the house since it was under construction, and they liked what they saw. (the good thing is that everybody who has seen the house has liked the changes, and seems amazed at how far we've come. Which is much better than the alternative (Oh, it was so much better the old way! How could you destroy this Victorian kitchen with your granite!) The weird thing is that because we know how much there is left to do, it's hard to for us to not be disheartened. (Ok, here when I say us, I mean me.) I often feel a little like Tim Robbins in The Shawshank Redemption: I know it's possible to dig my way out using a tiny geological hammer under the cover of night, but I don't know if I personally am capable of doing it. (Although having a Marilyn Monroe poster can't be a bad thing.) But enough about my foibles and insecurities--back to the dinner! It was delicious- Stephanie is a very good cook! We had an asian beef dish with fish sauce (While Stephanie was out at the market, she ran into a neighbor/friend (well, they live about a 1/4 mile away in a really nice section of town (Park Hill)) Stephanie asked her if she knew where she could get fish sauce, as the local Top Tomato doesn't carry it.) Our friend said, "I know where you can get fish sauce-- My house!" Fish sauce I guess is the 21st century cup of sugar. Thank you Beth for your generosity! Also on the menu was rice, a cucumber salad, a cabbage/bok choy dish, and dessert was amazing watermelon and fairly good blueberries. While small, it was a big hit and success, which is a good thing, because we are having a lot more people over on Sunday as a kind of open house/house warming celebration for the first semi-completed phase of the Yonked house. Our invitation photo was the Yonkers Gothic from a couple of weeks ago. (Hey we can't let a good idea get away from us!) I think something like 37 people are scheduled to stop by, and probably more. If we somehow neglected to invite you, and you are not a complete stranger, please give us an email, and we'll tell you when to stop by. (By the way, the menu will be a little different-- a little more inspired by our current environs. No fish sauce required, but if you know where we can get some pico de gallo...