Home Owner's Association Meet & Greet BBQ

On Sunday, 26 September, after several years of no activity within the subdivision home owner's association, we had our first organized get together.  This event was an informal and socializing only meet & greet BBQ for neighbors to introduce themselves and have the opportunity to talk prior to our first formal meeting this coming Wednesday PM.


The subdivision does own 2.5 acres of common property.  But, since the open grassy area is located at the entrance to the subdivision the best place to hold the BBQ was at the cul-du-sac circle.  The BBQ and seating area was then set-up at the end of several of the properties that are shaped like pie slices with very little road frontage beyond their driveways and a slip of grass bordering each side.


Excellent location, as it gave neighborhood children the freedom to ride their bicycles and play in a large, open and paved area with adult supervision.


The event was convenient and relaxed with everyone pitching in to bring tables, their own chairs, meat they wanted to grill, a dish to share and BYOB.


Here in Northern Virginia, it rained until late morning and I was certain that the outdoor BBQ would be cancelled.  But, the sun did grace us with some rays in the afternoon and at last the weather has become tolerable with less humidity and the temperatures usually not exceeding 90 during the day.


It wasn't until an hour and a half prior to the scheduled start time that I spoke to the planner and discovered that in spite of the rain that had recently stopped that the plans were to hold the BBQ.


Time to spring into preparatory action and I must say, what a time saver and wonderful tool the Internet can be, as I could not find my "Joy of Cooking" recipe book to reference the recipe for cole slaw that I wanted to use.  Plus, I had seen a variation of a recipe for southern home brewed sweet tea that included a pinch of baking soda of all things to remove the sometimes bitterness that can develop with brewed tea.


The "Joy of Cooking" cole slaw recipe is available by using the hyperlink to the left.


A coworker was the person that introduced me to this basic recipe.  I ended up hunting her down for the recipe after one of our pot luck parties.  She ended up sharing that it was a trusted, old basic recipe of cabbage and carrots that she had thrown in the variation of adding some chopped red pepper for a bit of flavor, as well as a bright accent color and roughly 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce added to the dressing recipe. 


Why did I love it so much?  She accidentally added too much vinegar, as she was distracted while preparing and discovered that it was an improvement.


My variation additional variations are to use raw apple cider vinegar, as well as adding a teaspoon of ground horse radish and a half a teaspoon of dried dill weed.


Now sweet tea is a staple in a southern kitchen and dining establishments and has finally spread to other regions courtesy of fast food chains such as McDonald's and soft drink beverage distributors.  If you want an excellent and easy recipe to use at home, here is one below that gets rave reviews.

Ingredients:

• 1 pinch baking soda
• 2 cups boiling water
• 6 tea bags (decaffeinated tea may be substituted)
• 3/4 cup white sugar (or substitute sweetener)
• 6 cups cold water

Prep.:

• Sprinkle a pinch of baking soda into a 64 ounce, heat-proof, pitcher. Pour in boiling water and add tea bags. Cover, and allow to steep for 15 minutes.
• (or) boil water in a pot on the stove and add tea bags and allow to steep, if you are not sure if the pitcher or drink vessel is heat proof.
• Remove tea bags and discard; stir in sugar until dissolved. Pour in cold water and refrigerate until cold.
• (or) fill tall glasses with crushed ice and insert an ice tea spoon into the glass to dissipate any residual heat and serve immediately.