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Acton/Georgetown, Friday, June 22, 2007 21 Dave writes about his Father's Day picnic adventure Dave Kentner is writing today. Early in June the eagerly anticipated invitation fell through the cracks of the deck when Lori dropped it off-- immediately panic set in and Lori verbally relayed the information, which is now entombed below our deck. Gerry and I were once again invited to Lori's annual Father's Day Picnic. We, of course, accepted instantly because no matter what was on our schedule for Friday, June 15 we were going to attend! This event has become the highlight of our annual picnic season. Finally after many nights of wondering what would happen, where would we gather, what would be served, we arrived at Lori's house, at 6 p.m. sharp, along with Lori's husband, Olivier and our very good friends John Carter and Nancy McIntyre. I was delighted that Lori had already left with the truck (always a good sign), and since it was relatively calm in the house and Parsnip the cat was not in a state of anxiety, I knew that Alex and Michael had gone with her. There on the counter lay three envelopes. Envelope number 3 was labeled "Emergeny Only" and is used to guide the frustrated adventurers that fail to solve the clues in envelopes number one and two. You see, Lori cannot simply invite us to a picnic to enjoy food and company, we must first suffer through the frustration of trying to decode the secret message, which is the location of the event (which changes every year). The temptation was to rip open envelope number 3 and get to the party, but Grandma Gerry insisted we follow the rules. I think she enjoys watching us squirm. Envelope number one was a poetic introduction to the evening, which began with the following: It's our twelfth annual picnic I had thought it was eleven But then we recalled the first Lori Gysel & Gerry Kentner (and Dave too) `Twas the year before Michael dropped in from heaven Trembling fingers now ripped open envelope number 2. Only to find a series of pirate-oriented questions. These would lead us to the final conclusion that we were off to Mattina's Cuccina for dinner. As we bounded out of the car and up the front steps Paul Mattina greeted us NOT with a table, but another envelope. This one contained a REAL pirate's map, complete with tea staining, rum stains and burnt edges-- I'm sure damaged as the pirate ship was engulfed with flames! Half an hour later, 40 frustrating kilo- meters all over the Georgetown area, several wrong turns and much stomach rumbling, we finally pulled up to the Old Forge Parkette in Terra Cotta. There we found Lori putting the finishing touches on our dinner table: linens, candles, china, silver, glassware, along with her boys (one on a swing spinning wildly and the other waist deep in the Credit River, foraging for supper). The taste buds were getting excited as we now were ready to enjoy our treat. We all settled down for a pre-dinner drink-- in some cases three. Lori got over to check her pot that was simmering on the camp stove and told us that we were going to repeat step number 1, due to a minor technical difficulty. After much conversation and laughter, the big moment was here. Lori announced "please be seated at the table"-- and there was a stampede from the river as the boys joined us. Then we sat down to enjoy: Summer Gazpacho With fresh lime and avocado Crusty Baguettes and Butter Bacon Wrapped Filet Garlic Mashed Potatoes Carmelized Mushrooms and Onions Crawford's Butterscotch Pie or Cherry Pie Tea and Coffee Contentedly sitting back with candlelight from the table and a cup of tea in hand, we watched the babbling river and I thought how wonderful it is to be able to enjoy the beauty of a southern Ontario evening with your friends and family. A note to Lori: my social calendar is clear for Friday, June 13, 2008-- in case you were wondering! Have fun and keep cooking! (Lori and Gerry can be reached at whatscookin@independentfreepress.com) Sundried Tomato Salmon Serves 8 Ingredients · 1 centre cut side of salmon (approx 3 lbs) · 1 cup diced sundried tomatoes (drain oil off first) · 2-4 cloves garlic, minced · 1/4 cup packed fresh basil, minced · 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley · 1/4 cup olive oil (or the oil off the tomatoes) Method 1. Rinse salmon and pat dry with paper towels. 2. Arrange tomatoes, garlic, basil and parsley over the salmon. Drizzle with olive oil. Let marinate to absorb the flavours for one hour. 3. Heat barbecue grill to med-high and spray a piece of foil with non-stick spray. 4. Place salmon on the foil. Place foil on the grill. Close the lid on the barbecue. Turn heat down to med-low. 5. Cook without flipping salmon for approximately 10 minutes per inch of thickness (measured at the thickest part). This will mostly likely be about 12-15 minutes of cooking time. 6 Serve with a wedge of lemon. Note: the reason we have used the centre cut of the salmon is to even out the thickness of the fish for cooking. If the side of salmon is left whole, the two thin ends will be finished cooking long before the thicker middle part. If you don't want to cut the ends off, then fold them over onto the main part of the fish and secure them with a couple of toothpicks. 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