Bonding with My Brother

One of the greatest things about this 5 month sabbatical is, no surprise, all of the time off. And coincidentally, my days off now coincide with my brother’s normal days off of Tuesday and Wednesday. As a result, I have been taking this time to hang out with my brother Cody. We have spent the past few months hanging out, going to the movies (The Hangover and Inglorious Bastards…both amazing and worth checking out, assuming you like guy movies and Tarentino films, respectfully), enjoying a few beers and dim sum on random Tuesday mornings. I even had the chance to watch my brother and dad play in their summer softball league (they came in third place in the championships, which considering the amount of alcohol consumed during the playoffs by the team players and the lack of motivation to win, since it meant having to play again, was no small feat).

But the highlight of my time with Cody so far has been dinner with him and his guy friends. Every week, my brother makes a gourmet dinner for his close guy friends… Scott M. brings wine to perfectly compliment the meal and Scott C typically brings dessert. I consider these meals, and in reality all meals cooked by Cody, as sacred so I was super stoked to be invited for last week’s affair.

I showed up wearing my largest pair of pants (I didn’t want fashion to get in the way of good food) and was ready to hang out with the boys. And while I am not sure if it was the presence of a girl or the desire to get drunk, but it all of sudden seemed like a good idea to play chandeliers before dinner. Thankfully this was not my first rodeo, so I was able to maintain some composure after the game and actually enjoy the three courses Cody cooked…I wish I could say the same about some of Cody’s friends. (I might be older, more mature and a girl, but I can still play a drinking game or two.)

Dinner consisted of a cold gazpacho soup with cucumbers, grilled halibut over a white bean salad topped with a jalapeno sauce and basil and prosciutto stuffed chicken breast served with zucchini and a parmesan cheese cream sauce. Everything was to die for! Not to be out done, Scott C had brought over Mint Chip Its Its for dessert (for those not familiar with Its Its, they are an ice cream sandwich comprised of cookie, ice cream then cookie, dipped in chocolate to hold it all together…I would sell my first child for one on a hot evening).

After dinner and too many glasses of wine, I had to once again call my dad for a sober ride home (I had to call him the previous night after hanging out with the girls in SF…you know, living at home does have some perks). He picked me up around 11 and I spent the car ride home eating my Its Its like it was my last meal on earth, reeking of alcohol, and constantly repeating just how amazing Cody’s dinner was, especially the parmesan cream sauce. I hope I didn’t ruin my chances at getting invited again.