This past Friday, I finally got to meet a friend I’ve known online for five years: Mrs. G of Derfwad Manor. She is on her I am a Derfwad Summer Tour 2012 and as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I hosted a gathering here at Jenworld.
Mrs. G. rolled into Jenworld and we hugged once, then twice, and then a third time. That might seem like a lot, but Mrs. G and I are both huggers and we had been looking forward to meeting each other for a long time.
Those of you who know Mrs. G. know that she is a big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, big, biiiiiiiiig fan of a certain actor known for his portrayal of a swashbuckling pirate. Consequently, various people have been giving Mrs. G. gifts of Johnny throughout her trip, including this:
Every time — and I do mean every. single. time. — I came around the corner, I flinched. Having a life-size 2D Jack Sparrow in the kitchen was almost as real as having an actual man and he startled me every time.
As for Kitty Gigantica, I can totally understand why Mr. G didn’t want that thing hanging in their marital bedroom.
Mrs. G and I spent some time hanging out that afternoon, then we were joined by Suburban Correspondent, who drove two hours for the evening’s festivities. Other Derfs showed up too. There was Carol, whom I had not met before, and then there were Patience and Not Beehive, who live just over the hill from Jenworld and whom I had not seen in far too long. And finally there were two other ladies whose names I’m not going to mention because I forgot to ask permission if I could. So, eight of us in total, and when we got together, we talked and laughed and acted as if we’d all known each other our entire lives. Derfs are kindred spirits, you see.
Mrs. G’s last name is Italian, so in her honor, I planned an Italian-themed dinner, but since we live here in a town where the eating is good, I used as many Virginia ingredients as possible:
- Starters: baguettes with herbed olive oil, two Virginia cheeses (Monastery Gouda and Everona Piedmont), olives, zucchini bread made by one attendee (“I brought a healthy vegetable,” she said.), and caramelized bacon made by Patience. That particular item was uh-freaking-mazing and we called it various names that referenced it being as good as or better than a certain private act performed between two consenting adults. (I’ll try to get the recipe from Patience.)
- Dinner: Meatballs (beef from Wolf Creek Farm) in tomato sauce (herbs from my garden) served over angel hair pasta, a healthy green salad
- Dessert: Carol made divine mini lemon cheesecakes (recipe below) and brownies with macadamia nuts and white chocolate chunks, Mrs. G brought Trader Joe’s lemon cookies, Suburban Correspondent brought gelato, and Not Beehive brought chocolates.
- Drinks: Virginia wines and beer, of course.
Mrs. G took a photo of us with Johnny:
We tried not to paw Johnny. Too much.
It was a delightful evening and I had so much fun! I was sad when it ended and everyone went home.
And in other wonderful news, the heat wave that brought temps of 100+ to Virginia broke last night and it’s a much more reasonable mid-80s here today. That I can live with.
And how was your weekend?
Carol’s lemon cheesecake yummies:
Crust:
- 1 package from a box of HoneyMaid of graham crackers (crushed)
- About 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1/8 cup each white and brown sugar
Mix this all together and press into bottoms of cupcake liners.
Cheesecake:
- 2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup of white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract(or lemon or whatever you prefer)
- Mix all until light and fluffy.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place about 2 tbs. cream cheese mixture into prepared cupcake liners and bake for about 15 minutes. Cool.
When cool, place some lemon curd (available in the jelly section of most stores) and some blackberries on top.
Eat and enjoy.
`
I’m envious but happy you all had such a grand time! (You’re a hugger, eh?)
Sounds like so much fun! I would be more jealous if I weren’t going to be meeting Mrs. G, Johnny, Kitty Gigantica and Gary on Friday.
Jen, thank you so much for hosting a wonderful dinner party. I loved meeting Mrs. G, all of the other Derfs, and inhaling the delicious food. Johnny’s conversation was a bit flat, I must say.
Johnny is the strong, silent type, is all.
Mr Sunshine worked all weekend and Sorority Girl was gone on an “in-town staycation” with a group of her college friends, at a timeshare resort.
I did a bunch of crossword puzzles, read a book, scrubbed a bathroom, sat in the sun, baked a beer bread and a sugar-free brownie sundae pie,watched the first 3 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, watched two Red Sox-Yankees games, talked to my Mom on the phone, did laundry and snuggled with the kitty.
Pretty productive weekend!
I wish I could have been at that Derf gathering. I actually researched the plane, train or automobile options and couldn’t make it work.
My weekend also started on Friday, with a float down the river in our inflatable kayak. I got out before the really big rapids (at the spot where we had left the return vehicle) but now I wish I’d planned better, because it was so fun watching SuperDad and the 12yo zoom past Devil’s Toenail!
It’s been incredibly hot here, so the rest of the time we’ve just tried to keep the house cool. It’s supposed to hit 99 degrees today. Did I mention we don’t have A/C?
Of course, you KNOW I would have loved to have been with you all on Friday night! The river trip was my consolation prize.
I would love to meet you one day iRL. I know we would have much fun
Jen was an awesome host, especially as she allowed me to attend while still hacking away with this cough/cold my 12-year-old gave me. She also gave me a walking tour of the University of Virginia campus the next morning, replete with all sorts of insider details. Thank you so much, Jen!
Special thanks to Jen opening her home and heart to all us derfs! And let me just mention that everything she says about that bacon is true. Some of us are single and this single really appreciated that bacon. *ahem* Thanks Patience!
I’ll have to try that recipe. It sounds amazing!
I do so wish I could have come early for that…next time.
We had t-ball Friday night, t-ball Saturday morning, a party at our place Saturday night, brunch at my mom’s Sunday morning (for my birthday of course), a bunch of time in the garden Sunday afternoon, and dinner at a local joint (who give you a free burger for your birthday) Sunday night. It was jam packed but also laid back. We also had a nice break in the weather. Seriously – t-ball required jeans and sweatshirts/jackets both days. Crazy!
Thanks for the wonderful evening Jen! It was so great to meet “Mrs. G” and the Virginia Derfs.
To make the bacon: dump a 1 lb box of brown sugar into a bowl and add 1/4 cup of water. Dredge a pound of good quality, thick-sliced bacon into the sugar, and place in parchment lined, rimmed baking pan. Bake at 400 for 8-13 minutes per side. Allow to cool and cut into little pieces.
Wow – that sounds like an amazing gathering!!
My weekend started with a bike ride to see the fireworks at the fair and ended with Shakespeare in the park with picnic and friends. In between was the usual drudgery.
How fun!!! And with Johnny Depp no doubt that had to add a bit of . . . flavor to the evening
That bacon sounds amazing…Mrs. G. told us all about it at the boston derfs gathering!