Friendships and Food - First Friday

There is something special about getting together with friends and having supper. Thanksgiving, Easter, and other holidays usually involve planning meals, figuring out where the guests will sit, how they will be entertained, or whatever.   True friendships have been decided and divided over meals.  Mostly though, a good meal draws people together.

We are a rather large group so if someone has a smaller house,

 they typically choose a summer month so we can eat outside. 

We don't have a big house, but our month was January so we

just piled people into our living room with borrowed chairs and tables.

Once a month, for the last several years, a group of us get together on the"First Friday" of every month.   The brainchild of one of the "FFers", it came about because we all have sons who have grown up together and the parents all really like each other. In fact, over the years, we have come to rely on each other and always know we have each other's backs.

This month's host (me) made pasta Bolognese.  The other members provided

two amazing green salads, an antipasta platter, fruit platter, grilled vegetables,

marinated mushrooms, fresh bread, and an assortment of cookies.

Host for the month decides on a main dish that they will provide. Everything else is potluck and the other First Friday gang members decide on something to compliment the food theme.  Sometimes people are out of town and we miss them, but can always catch up the following month.  No one has dropped out of the group after all this time and as we go on, we realize the importance of seeing each other. It has been proven that smiles among friends go a long way towards healing in so many ways.

Dive in!

We worry and discuss issues, share secrets, drink and eat yummy stuff, laugh A LOT, sometimes cry, and more importantly, use the event of breaking bread together as the reason we all support and love each other. These people have become so important in our lives and it would not have happened without the commitment and organization of all of the First Friday participants.

Look at all of the beautiful salads and fruit.  A perfect compliment to

a pasta main dish.

One thing we all share is an interest in health.  Friends help friends be healthy.  Physically and emotionally.  The food offerings have become leaner over time and it is fun to plan a monthly meal with a group.  Not everyone is a chef but that doesn't deter people from trying, or, from finding something already made that fits the bill.

Try this and Enjoy!

- Kim Fielding