Don & Kenzie's Housewarming Party!

This is Don and Kenzie. They just bought their first house, so this past Saturday, they had a housewarming party.

Don is an amazing cook, and his specialties are aged cashew cheeses, sourdough breads, and various fermented foods. I knew to save my appetite for what I expected to be an impressive appetizer spread, and I was right! We were greeted by a table packed with breads, cheeses, pickles, and various salads.

There were two kinds of cashew cheese — an herbed log of white cheese and some smoky cashew cheddar.

Plus, sourdough slices, purple hull pea dip, and pickles made from squash, cucumber, onion, peach, and purple cabbage.

Don used his sourdough to make tiny slider buns for these BBQ mushroom sliders.

And he used some sourdough in this fantastic panzanella salad.

There was also a yummy smoked eggplant dip, a buckwheat soba salad, and a fresh tomato-basil pasta salad.

I made a big ole plate! But I saved some room for dessert. Kristie, the owner of Imagine Vegan Cafe, brought one of her famous Oreo cakes. There's a layer of chocolate cake, a layer of buttercream, more chocolate cake, more buttercream, and a thick ganache. It's so very sweet, and I probably cut too large a slice. But I enjoyed every bite.

I was super-excited to finally meet Don and Kenzie's neighbor, Tim. He's a cute kid who lives across the street and spends much of his time hanging with Kenzie. I've heard lots of Tim stories, and he certainly lived up to his gregarious reputation. At one point, he put his hand on the shoulder of our British friend Simon and said, "Man, speak a little British for me." Simon informed Tim that Brits speak English, and Tim looked so disappointed. So, in his best British accent, Simon said, "Would you like a cup of tea?" And Tim's face lit up! Ha! He was so impressed. Later, he let me take a few selfies with him. 

I was also stoked to finally meet Lulu. I'd only seen pics of her on Instagram. That underbite!

Here are Simon and Jennifer with Paul on the porch.

And here's Paul and I (and my giant cup of Ghost River from their keg).

Congrats on the new house, Don & Kenzie! And thanks for feeding us bread and cheese.