The Friday Friends: April 2020

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Friday Friend Recipe #256 - Stone Family Punch

Making my way thru my Friday Friend Cookbook, one recipe at a time.

What is the Friday Friend cookbook? I once had about 50 of my closest friends and family (from all over the county) on an e-mail forum which I called the Friday Friends . At first, most of them didn't know each other, (they knew me) but over the past 20 years, we've answered and shared silly--and serious---questions, exchanged Secret Santa Christmas gifts, had a dieting contest in which we paid a $1 a week and that money went to a scholarship fund for a Friday Friends son's memorial scholarship, and we went on a great vacation for my 52 birthday. (plus so much more....)

AND, we contributed recipes for a cookbook.

I was looking at the cookbook the other night and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."
The Handyman--who thinks he knows me better than I know myself (this happened to be a question on the Friday Friend forum once---does your spouse/partner know you better than you know yourself?)--said, "you'll never, EVER do that."
WELL---maybe I'll show him! Maybe I will.

Which brings me to this... recipe #256

My Family Punch

I used to make this when the kids where little--and then later graduated to a slushy with alcohol in it. 😁

And so did the Stone boys.

But they liked this one back in the day!

Once upon a time my 5x5 group had a picnic on the Playa.

Oh--wait--5x5?

It began as a church 'small group' about 10-12 years ago. We were assigned, randomly, a group of other church couples and we were to get together once a month for a year and then the groups would be switched up, so that everyone one in the church got to know one another well.

One year came and went and---well, we really liked each other and we weren't going to give each other up!

To be fair, we were willing to go to another group, but we were also going to continue meeting once a month were our original 5x5. (originally it was a 6x6, but one couple moved away)

Then things got out of hand and our other church friends/family began to tease us about being cliquish and not willing to mix and mingle etc.

One time we went on a wine walk together (we're Methodists, of course we drink once in a while), and boy did we catch grief, when others from our church saw us together as a group. All the other church small groups had gone by the wayside by this time.

Small social groups have never had much success since then. Big church fellowships, yes, but small "social" groups? Nah--they just like to give us a bad time.

We once thought seriously about auctioning off a spot in our 5x5 to other church members as a fundraiser.

All joking aside---

Friends thrown together,. who might not ever have gotten together---all in the name of Jesus!

And now, we can't break up, because we know too much about each other.

What happens in the 5x5, stays in the 5x5.

Seriously.

And the Playa?

Playa definition is - the flat-floored bottom of an undrained desert basin that becomes at times a shallow lake.

And this is where we had our picnic!

(we do actually have very beautiful places in Nevada to have a picnic---but this is truly an original! Who wouldn't want to picnic on the playa at least once in their life?)

We took bikes to ride under the full moon and we celebrated a birthday party for Trudy and Rick!

Rich and Letty took their trailer out and planned to spend the night--it also gave some shade before the sun went down.

It was so much fun!

There is really no story to tell---because remember: What happens at the 5x5 stays at the 5x5.

And we had great food all done on the BBQ. Okay, okay--I know it's a Grill.

We had salmon and shrimp cocktails and corn on the cob and Shelly's world famous cheesy garlic bread (that's the name of it. The bread. Shelly is not in the 5x5. Sad, but true. We should have had that auction and then she could have bid on a spot. 😄) and baked potatoes and salad.

Mmmmmm---good!