A Night With Aunt Nancy

So Aunt Nancy is coming to dinner. She is 83yrs old and in her day, a fantastic cook. We decide to give her a nice night away from her house on the bay where she has been held captive all summer...she is not able to get around anymore and at the beck and call of her family including many grandchildren, outlaws and inlaws and her 5 grown children.......we start with a nice drink or beer on the front porch as the sun is setting in Ocean City, NJ - not a bad place to be on a thursday in August! Nicole, her daughter-in-law has supplied the DELICIOUS bruschetta made from jersey tomatoes and basil - ummmmm.........we discuss current events, who is working where this summer on the boardwalk or on the beach....at the ice cream place or at the surf shop and even one grandchild who is stocking shelves at the local CVS....we get the kids situated on the back deck and my sister, sheila.....my sister-in-law Teresa and I proceed to serve the dinner.........Sheila has marinated TWO flank steaks in soy sauce, honey, oil and ginger overnight and has grilled them to perfection ......Teresa has made a magnificent tomato, cucumber, blue cheese salad and I supplied the homemade pesto made from the fruits of my husband, Harry's garden - plus we purchased some delish dried tomato fresh crusty bread from our favorite morning spot down on 1st street in ocean city.........It was a gorgeous summer meal enjoyed in the air conditioning where aunt nancy could her hear all our chatter......I think she enjoyed herself. After dinner we brought out the fresh peach and blueberry cobbler that I concocted from a Cooking Light recipe earlier that day along with some old pictures of my mom and my aunt nancy in the early days - the 1950s and later - it was nice to hear the commentary of what was happening in each picture - you only get that with the older generation - ask them questions now because they won't always be with you and believe me, you will miss them..........It was a nice night.