Cousins' Night 2007

What do you get when you mix 15 cousins, copious amounts of alcohol, laughter and some kick-ass gnocchi? Cousins' Night 2007! Two years ago the aunts and uncles decided that instead of spending money on gifts for all of us for Christmas, they would rather pay for us to have a night out. This year we went to Rustico Cooking School where we made a meal of Risotto with Red Wine, Rosemary, & Goat Cheese, Chicken Morsels in Wild Mushroom-Cream Sauce, Chive-Scented Ricotta Gnocchi in Aromatic Herb Butter, Slow-Roasted Savoy Cabbage with Bacon & Garlic, and Tiramisu. And let me tell you--it was delicious! I know...me, cooking...crazy right? We all did a little bit of everything, we were able to switch stations whenever we wanted to, and then at the end we sat down and had a tasty meal full of great conversation and laughter (oh, and wine of course). I highly recommend taking a class at this place with some friends or a significant other--you'll have a blast.

After dinner we all headed to Faces and Names where we continued our drink fest until it was time to say goodbye and hop in the super-awesome black Hummer Michael arranged for us to take home (with a stop at Ray's Pizza on the way home and the deli where Terry picked up another 6 pack of Stella). Can't wait to see what this year's Christmas gift is!