Since Christmas last year my Rosemary and I have not seen our whole family (two daughters, Ale and Hilary, two granddaughters Lauren and Rebecca and our son-in-law Bruce) in one place at one time. Today is going to be special because we will have a family dinner in our Kits home today.

There will be some strict precautions. They will dine at the dining room table and we will do so in our living room. Food will be served on our kitchen island so that we will not be near the family. For conversation we will all be correctly equipped with our barbijos (Argentine Spanish for face masks).

The menu is barbecued flank steak (a Ny Times recipe), mashed potatoes ( I add chopped raw onion, per Rosemary’s mother’s recipe with an addition of lots of butter, cream and real Italian Reggiano from Bossa). Dessert will be Rosemary’s fruit salad of Manila mango and papaya with squeezed limes.

Central to the dinner (only in summer) is my special iced tea which has evolved through the years from my father’s original recipe.

Iced tea recipe

Iced tea with Lauren

I cannot finish this blog (a first one in long weeks with my enervated reluctance to write anything as this pandemic and illogic of American news has affected me) without citing the spatula. Whenever I cook I remember my mother, who in her frugality, considered the spatula the most useful kitchen utensil. 

I would like to add my favourite which is the modern potato peeler. Imagine life before that tool?  

A third fave in our kitchen is the microwave. I first put the peeled potatoes in a large bowl of water and set my unit to high for 15 minutes. This makes making mashed potatoes and easy task. Another use for the microwave is heating tortillas (both corn and wheat) and reheating my tea when it has become cold.

Another moment I look forward to is that Lauren, who was 18 on June 27^th wants her birthday portrait. Imagine me finally taking a portrait after all these months!