Dylan's 2nd B-day Dinner

Darin was feeling better, so we had our rain-check for Dylan's b-day dinner on Monday night. Darin & Melissa left Alden with his grandparents and came over around 7pm, after Connor's bedtime. It was like old times with no kids - a very fun thing that the four of us do every now and then. Our kids are awesome, but it is so nice to forget about them for a while and have time to be with good friends just the way it used to be before our lives expanded.

Because of the rain check, the ribs that Darin & Melissa made for the occasion (our friend Tad's killer recipe) were aged for three days before grilling. On Saturday they had been boiled, then rubbed, then marinated, then slow-cooked for the entire day. Then our plans got put on hold, and the ribs got wrapped in foil and left to marinate until Monday (in the fridge). I think the accidental aging was the secret that made them INCREDIBLE. Every bite was like pure heaven, there is no other way to convey it. Melissa made Jen's mac n' cheese and brought a special bottle of red wine, and Dylan and I made a spinach dip appetizer, and a salad (CSA greens, proscuitto, apples, pistachios, aged Romano). We didn't have an attention span to take pictures before or while we were eating because the food was all so good. This is all we've got:


After dinner, we moved inside for some relaxation, and we eventually managed to make room for dessert: vanilla ice cream, with orange sauce (that I made using our CSA oranges). We wrapped things up around midnight - a little late for a weeknight, but well worth it!