Traditions: Cookout with the 2nd Floor

Last year, in the first week of the school term, the second floor came up to our balcony for a round-the-campfire-like cookout. Last night we hosted them again (a little more than 20 people), so I'd say it's now officially a tradition.

It is also now a tradition that I handle the dessert, so before everyone arrived, I put together a peach cobbler (I made a mango cobbler earlier in the year, when peaches were out of season, but it was time to give them the real deal)...

Blanching the peaches...

...so that the skin falls right off

Sliced and mixed with sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice

Flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, butter (and then heavy cream)...

...became the crust dough

The whole package before baking

Time to rest

The second floor guys brought everything else (charcoal, grills, grillables, drinks, etc). Once the fires got rolling, we loaded up the skewers and huddled around the fire...

They even roasted a whole pig(!) in Cantonese style...

Delicious, but very hard, hot work

It might not be easy to make out, but I'm helping to carve the pig

Once everyone had their fill of meat, I pulled the cobbler out of the oven and it was completely consumed within minutes (along with about a gallon of vanilla ice cream)...

Like last year, as the evening came to a close, the whole group transformed into Merry Maids, cleaning everything in sight (grills, dishes, silverware, tables, floors, countertops, etc). Such wonderful guests!