Girls' night

The saying goes, “Old friends are best,” but I would argue that college friends definitely bring “best” up a notch.

There’s something about people you spent four years of your life with that makes them like family, only better, because they’re not.

About three to four times a year, several of us from Luther get together for an evening of Mabes pizza (a Decorah institution), beverages and lots of belly laughs. We rotate staying at each other’s houses and spend the evening talking about nothing and everything – catching up on each other and our families, sharing what we’ve heard about other friends, and retelling the stories that are still funny – if only to us.

Fifteen hours after leaving my friends last night, my cheeks still ache from smiling, and I catch myself giggling about the various points of discussion, in particular Julie’s theory that Percocet is superior to wine, and really should be more accessible, what with the potential calorie savings and all.

I called Lisa this morning to thank her for hosting us, and she said, “Isn’t it great that one evening is such a gift, and we carry it with us for such a long time afterward?”

Luther friends … a gift indeed. Here’s to you, Lisa, Julie, Lu, Staci, Carrie and Laureen. You’re pretty!

Strawberry Jam
Lu's family owns a strawberry farm in southeast Minnesota. Lu frequently brings us treats from the farm, and this time she brought us each a jar of her lovely jam. The best thing about Lu (other than the strawberry treats) is the light she brings into our lives, just by being her. She’s as refreshing and warm as a summer day spent picking flats of strawberries in her dad’s field.

4 cups strawberries
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fruit pectin

Blend the strawberries in the blender. Mix with sugar. (Usually its 1:1 fruit and sugar, but you can try with a bit less if you like.)

Pour in the lemon juice and fruit pectin. Boil mixture then simmer for 5 - 10 minutes. Stir frequently. When finished take off the foamy top layer of the mixture.

Pour the hot strawberry jam in hot sterilized jars. Make sure to fill it up to the top. Clean the jars with a damp towel. Close tightly. After 10 minutes turn around and place jars on the lid. Let cool down, turn around again and store.

Sangria
I’m including this recipe to make the Luther crew laugh, and I hope I succeeded. Late into the evening at one of our gatherings, we ran out of Lisa’s favored beverage, so I mixed up a concoction I dubbed “Sangria.” Sadly, it was a dash of just about everything in reach, flavored with a Hi-C fruit punch juice box. Lisa, ever faithful, drank it – and paid dearly for it the next morning. This recipe is actually pretty good, and won’t have the deadly after-effects if you go easy on it.

1/2 cup brandy
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
1/3 cup orange juice 1 bottle dry red wine
1/2 cup triple sec
1 lemon, sliced into rounds
1 orange, sliced into rounds
1 lime, sliced into rounds
1/4 cup white sugar (optional)
2 cups carbonated water (optional)

In a large pitcher or bowl, mix together the brandy, lemon juice, lemonade concentrate, orange juice, red wine, triple sec, and sugar. Float slices of lemon, orange and lime, and maraschino cherries in the mixture. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. For a fizzy sangria, add club soda just before serving.

Pansit
Laureen was the first friend I made at Luther, and since she lives in Seattle, I don’t see her nearly often enough. When we were students, I would go home with Laureen to her parents’ house in Mason City, and her mom would make pansit (pronounced how it’s spelled), which is a Filipino noodle dish with a depth of flavors that is simply indescribable. It takes a bit of work, but it’s worth it, and it always makes me smile to think that Laureen’s mom always made sure to make it when I visited her, because she knew I liked it so much.

12 ounces pansit canton noodles
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
4 cups chicken broth (from boiled breast)
1/2 pound pork, sliced in small pieces
1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
4 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1/2 cup Chinese sausages, sliced
2 cups snow peas
2 cups cabbage, sliced into strips
1 cup celery, sliced
1 carrot, diced
1/4 cup scallions, diced
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a big pan or wok, sauté in oil the garlic and onions. Then add sliced pork until cooked. Add 2 cups of chicken broth and add the shredded chicken, sliced Chinese sausages, shrimps, snow peas, cabbage, celery and diced carrot. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until cooked. Add the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth and the pansit canton noodles. Let simmer until noodles are soft. Add the scallions, sesame oil then salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.