An Absolutely Delightful al Fresco Lunch

I drove out to Glide today to have lunch with a friend.  The original plan was to meet up at the Illahee Restaurant & Bakery, however, my friend was the beneficiary of her out-of-town neighbor's CSA box for the week from Big Lick Farm, so she decided to recruit my help in eating up the bounty of local produce.  Lucky me!!!  Here's what she prepared:

Cream of Broccoli and Bok Choy Soup

(made with homemade chicken stock!)
Country French Bread
(that she had baked this morning)

Taco Salad 

(made with beef she had ground herself, lettuce from her garden

and topped with all the usual condiments plus her own creme fraiche)

Fresh Fruit Cup of Raspberries, Blueberries,

Grapes, and Strawberries

and for dessert

Cake (NOT from a box!)

topped with a Rhubarb and Raspberry Compote

and a dollop of whipped cream

We ate out on the deck at a table she had set with linen and china and silver she collected in Germany.  The food was superb and we never run out of things to talk about. I got to "help" even more by taking home a huge bag of snow peas, broccoli and a jar of the rhubarb/raspberry sauce.

Thank you, my dear friend.  Next time, my house.