reformation feast, second annual

joe and i, having cooked our way through the four seasons of last year, have come full-circle and begun a new year of church-wide feasts. last year, our inaugural feast was in honor of the Reformation, and we had a whopping 60 guests.

this year, we had 106. after i got over the shock, the only logical explanation i could come up with for this is that the word had gotten out the fact that it was free.

i don't, however, have any logical explanation for why joe and i think this is fun stuff...cooking for a hundred people and all that. i really can't say that it's a sane endeavor. but, it tickles us, blesses others, and honors the Lord to feast in His name and enjoy His bounty. and that's all the "why" we need to tie the apron strings and get cooking.

the Reformation was really all Martin Luther's fault, so in honor of the stinker, we decided on German fare. those who asked to help were invitied to bring a German or autumn-ish dessert, and i was overjoyed at the spread! some concerned soul suggested we had too much dessert. never! said we, and after the grazings ended, hardly a morsel was left. this was also the case with the salad, the bread, the potatoes, the brussels and figs, the bratwurst, the sauerkraut and the soup. the only reason why we didn't run out of sauerbraten was because we bought 6 briskets instead of four (and the rest was quickly finished off at the sunday potluck).

le menu:

grandma bunny's sauerbraten (she was german, she should know)
smoked bratwurst (from corralitos meat market)
local apple fennel sauerkraut
local jalepeno sauerkraut
roasted rosemary red potatoes
roasted brussels sprouts with figs
gingered pumpkin soup with cinnamon croutons
kale salad with apple and pomegranate
calvados apple sauce
german rye bread
maple-glazed lady apples
apple pies

we cooked all week, smelling all this loveliness, so that by the time the dinner bell rang, the only thing i was particularly hungry for was the bratwurst. but it was no matter. folks were happy and tummies, Lord-willing, were full.

the centerpieces (flowers AND pumpkins) were courtesy of kathy swanson, whose garden is divine. she let me come do the picking. the candles were courtesy of the bunneys (thank you!).

even after all these chairs, there were, unfortunately, some folks eating bratwurst on foot.

amy, my awsome lady sous chef (and joe is my man-chef)

one has to label, label, label, as well as plan, plan, plan. or else - chaos!

my MIL, who kindly provided the ambiatic lighting, the lemons, and a dish-washing hand. thank you! FIL saved us with an emergency coffee run (Cat coffee, of course).

i really have no idea who brought what dessert, but how gorgeous!

dear friends who drove from loomis to be there - love you guys!

the line wraps around the table

getting seated

please disregard whatever is going on with my hair here. but notice the helping hands in this picture, who made the evening possible. joe emceed the affair beautifully, and we were delighted to sing martin luther's original version of A Mighty Fortress with our friends the Cummings. we jumped right in to four part harmony nearly without a hitch. it was a treat to sing again.

AH - see here, a peek at the meat!

my heart and soul here with me. i would not dream of doing this without him. he's such a joy. and his sweater is much more appropriate for the autumnal event than my screaming purple shirt. i don't know what i was thinking.

and, finally, a HUGE thank you to all the ladies who lent such a willing hand to dish detail! that was such a blessing, and i cannot thank you enough. i know it was not an easy task.