Ohio Party

This fresh lemon meringue pie was the first stunner to arrive and it was quickly followed by a dozen other handmade and homemade dishes, starting with the ham, lovingly and repeatedly basted by Uncle Beau using his simple recipe of honey, pineapple and cloves (a recipe that no one else in the family has been able to duplicate, so we are assuming the secret is in the frequency of basting or maybe talking to the ham.) Then there was:

• Cousin Steph's homemade macaroni and cheese


• Cousin Kassie's homemade braided bread. She was going to make fresh mozzarella, too, but Aunt Doris was unexpectedly out of rennet. (Can you believe not having rennet in the pantry at all times?)


• Cousin Katie's salad


• Mom's bean salad
  

Then around the corner we had fresh strawberries with a poundcake Cousin Kassie "threw together," Situ and Jeannie's really gooey chocolate cake, the previously mentioned lemon meringue by Katie and (not pictured) Aunt Doris' six-layer red velvet cake. It's the kind of food you want to eat and then rub into your face and hair because it's so wonderful.

We loaded up huge heavy crockery style plates and then basked in the setting sun like a pride of lions on the Serengeti.

Some portraits of kin taken by my dad. Below is my aunt and uncle.

My middle second cousin. Don't let that whimsical face fool you. His mom had the same expression at his age - right before she peed on the doll house.