Food and Farewells

It should be no big surprise that the last of our time in Charlottesville is revolving a lot around food. I had to use up a gift certificate for the Charlottesville Cooking School (thanks Steve & Angie!) before we left, so I decided to invite Troy to join me for an introduction to knife skills!

We had fun learning proper techniques and tips for slicing and dicing. We actually learned that in terms of technique, we are doing okay. The key thing that surprised both of us was how often knives need to be sharpened and how sadly dull our knives have gotten. Troy used a steel to maintain his edge several times while chopping that night. We didn't use the whetstone, but the instructor recommended using it every 3 months (if you are an avid cook) to maintain sharp knives.

I was happy to know that my Wüsthof knife is recommended by professional chefs. And that good knives hold up. Our instructor has had the same German knife (not a Wüsthof) since she went to culinary school in the late eighties!

Here's Troy practicing. We made a delicious chopped salad and bruschetta.


The last of our time here has also involved a lot of visiting with friends. We are going to miss our wonderful community of Charlottesville peeps!

Peter and Jaimee had us over for dinner last week to say goodbye to them and spend some quality time with their little boy, Ian. He's such an adorable and bright child! I am so smitten by him that I gave him some of the olives off my pizza (yes, he likes olives) and Troy fed him ice cream off of his plate.

Of course, Ian enjoys Troy's crazy antics (as do most kids). We'll really miss this little cutie (and his parents too)! But Ian assured us "I'm a big Skyper." So we'll certainly stay in touch.

We also got to visit with Scott and Sarah--who are expecting their first child this week! Here's us goofing around and pointing excitedly at Sarah's very pregnant belly.

We got together this past weekend with two other couples to attend a beer dinner at the 12th Street Taphouse. It was French food paired with Belgian-inspired beers from the Montreal brewery, Unibroue.

It was great to spend time with Steve & Aurie and Alex & Vilde!

The lighting only allowed me to photograph the first (scallops in a citrus sauce with herbs, shallots, and arugula) of the five courses well, but I assure you, everything was delicious!