Beef Wellington - A Dinner To Remember

On Wednesday evening, we were invited over for dinner at Norma's. There were three ladies who had come in to visit and the word on the street was that each year they come and prepare a dinner that is exceptional. We were to arrive at 6:00PM for dinner, so I was sure to be there at 5:45PM. I wasn't about to be late to a special dinner. As I walked over to the tables, which were all decorated, I noticed we all had assigned seats. I found my spot and noticed a bag on my seat. It was a toiletry bag for traveling and was a very nice one at that. It had a few different compartments and when you unzipped the flap there is a hook inside so you can hang it for easy access. It was very generous of them to bring us all gifts on top of a special dinner.

Also at the table, we each had a little pouch of chocolates. Now, I have had some "ok" chocolate before and some high quality chocolate. I don't know what what brand this was, but the chocolate was very smooth and I just about ate it all before dinner. As you can see, so far, everything has been pretty much incredible and it doesn't stop here.

For dinner, we were served beef wellington. I have never had beef wellington before so I didn't know exactly what it was. When it came out, I noticed that the beef was wrapped in what I believe was a puff pastry. I also believe the cut was fillet mignon. We also had fresh asparagus and potatoes if I remember correctly. I am a little hazy on the potatoes because it was all like a dream and sometimes it is hard to remember all the details. In any case, everything was cooked perfectly. The asparagus wasn't "stringy" at all as some asparagus can be. I kept hearing many of the teachers saying, "I have paid for lesser quality steaks than this" to emphasize how good the meal was and that it was a gift to us all. I was sitting next to Janna, one of the teachers here and she only ate half of hers. She took what was left and split it with her husband, Brennan and me. After I finished eating that, I spotted Ashley's plate from another table over and asked if she was done. I just noticed her talking as if she was done and got a little scared that it might go uneaten. I wasn't about to let any of the fillet go back to the kitchen just because someone was full. I mean, I don't know the next time I am going to see that kind of dinner again! About five minutes later, Amanda who was sitting at yet another table asked if I wanted the rest of hers. Yes I did. Initially I was a little upset that I wasn't at her table. For our Christmas dinner, and also for Valentines dinner, I was sitting with Amanda, her husband Brice and their daughter Nayah. Since those dinners were over the top, I was eating up their leftovers since it was so good. This night, I mentioned to her that I wish I was at their table since they aren't big eaters. Well, I did get some of theirs too. After all of that, it was time for dessert which was raspberry souffle. The raspberry sauce was made from fresh raspberries. It was incredible.

Now, I am not saying that we don't normally get good food. We do, and we do every day. Norma prepares incredible lunches for us each school day. The lunches here are delicious and filling. She treats us very well, and also makes extravagant meals for us on special occasions. It was just very nice to have a special dinner out of the blue. I cannot imagine how much planning went into this dinner as each item had to be hand picked and flown in. It takes time and a great deal of effort to go to the store and buy everything, take it home, spend hours preparing, and then clean up after your guests, but they were the guests who were visiting us. So, it's like having guests over, but instead of cooking for them, they show up to cook for you. And not only just friends from your own town, but friends flying in from another country, who have taken several flights and carted coolers full of high quality beef, vegetables, and fruit in order to make a meal for you. It was an act of generosity that I won't forget.