Summer dinner on the patio....

Last night Brenda entertained her co workers on the patio with drinks and a summer salad.  The party was a celebration of birthdays and work gossip as well as a  chance to relax and enjoy the summer evening which turned out ok. Not too hot, a light breeze made the evening comfortable.

The salad recipe is on the blog previously with the goat cheese croutons. I just added a healthy dose of grilled chicken to make it more filling.  We had a lot of snacks in addition, including fried green olives and assorted cheeses.

For refreshments Brenda had obtained a recipe from the bar maid in Iowa when we visited Matt and Lori. Of course the recipe was for one drink and I wanted at least 18 servings to make sure the conversation was well oiled.

Strawberry Lemonade Sangria for a crowd

2 Bottles of a good drinkable Pinot Grigio
1 Bottle of Strawberry flavored Vodka
2 cups simple syrup
2 cans of Sprite
Lemons and strawberries for garnish and fruit in the sangria

We  used Lemon Flavored ice cubes (yes, you could buy them at the store)  to cool it all down but had the liquor in the fridge and freezer before mixing  to ensure maximum cooling effects.

A good time was had by all and no one needed a ride home as we offered plenty of other fluids to keep the ladies cool and refreshed.

Eating Omaha....Barchen

We needed to get together with Jill to deliver some gifts for her birthday so we made plans to hit happy hour locally and choose Barchen,  a German Style Beer Garden in the Benson area.

Mostly beer but sadly, mostly out of beer. Nick tried to order several beers and at least 12 were not available so he settled for what was available. Not much of a beer drinker myself, I sampled a Moscow Mule which was refreshing on this summer evening. The temps were cooler and the shade provided by the large umbrellas provided a lot of relief.

We started with pretzels and mustards with a cheese sauce on the side. Very tasty and went great with beer as well as the Mule.

Jill chose the sausage platter for dinner. A large board came to the table with 8 house made sausages on a bed of sauerkraut.  A sampling of just about everything but it came at a price, $38 for 8 sausages. A side of coleslaw rounded out the fare. Just the right amount of acid to sweet. Most of the sausages were delicious. There were a few I did not care for but the platter disappeared after a bit. More than enough for the 4 of us to eat and that with a few beers and my drink totaled about $105 plus a tip. Pricier than I thought but a nice evening in a great setting with friendly service none the less.