A Lasagna for Obama

While I was watching the final presidential debate, I suddenly felt inspired to do something. I am part of a group of people who grew up as the tail end of Generation X- not quite the slackers of the group before us, but certainly still feeling the pull of apathy about government. Something has changed in the last few months. People all over the country are engaged, desiring to pitch in and do something. So it was that I decided to throw a dinner party to raise money for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

The party started off with a prosciutto and melon appetizer. This is a perfect example of a dish in which quality of ingredients means everything. I mean, everything- there are only two pieces to the dish! I was really happy with the cantaloupe I found; lucky guess, really- I don't know much about picking them out. I grabbed one that had a nice light yellow color throughout and smelt slightly of a musky perfume. The prosciutto was quite good, though I think I'm ruined for life after eating the heavenly home cured prosciutto at Downey's a few months ago. Some tastes never leave the soul of your belly.

The main event was a killer grass fed beef lasagna (for Obama). The beef was from J&J, one of my favorite local beef companies. Really excellent stuff. If you've never had grass fed beef before, you're in for a real treat. A smaller spinach lasagna, a Vice Presidential lasagna for Biden (he has a Popeyeish quality, don't ya think? I mean, you know the guy eats his spinich.), was also served. It was pretty damn tasty, especially for a first attempt. Mixed green salad, featuring peppers from my garden, was served on the side.

Tasty, fresh baked, apple pie (thanks Cass) and a homemade ice cream were served for dessert.

Overall, $265 was raised for the campaign. While quite a bit less than my friend Karen (who clearly has a future in fundraising should she choose to depart from a world of creative awesomeness), I was pretty stocked we beat my goal by $15. Also, the food was totally fantastic, and my friends and I had a kick ass time. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.! (Yeah, that's right, I'm taking that chant back from the crazy wingnut militia types. U.S.A.!)