Simple. Elegant. Divine.

It lingered long past the visit. The warm feeling felt, stayed with me till the next day at brunch or lunch, not sure which. Stress was knocked out of the park. I would have to wait for more of the delicious meal tomorrow. But at least I had experienced fine dining perfection, again, at this welcoming place of love and caring. And there was no restaurant in sight.

It was just a barbecue our son had said. It did not matter to us, never does. A little girl was becoming two tomorrow. We were seeing her today on that special birthday. It is the people, not the accoutrements that surround them, that matter to me. Wanting to spend time with us mattered to them. How lucky we were. Illness had spread to our families so we kept our distance to be sure. (Easter had been postponed.) We were just the grandparents. Other family would arrive at another time.  But we were here today with  simple clean food that took center stage on this celebratory day. Simple acts, maybe, but not to us.

The special all beef hotdog, on a toasted brioche bun, was delicious. Then the side dishes arrived. It was perfection. Even grandpa, known as silly pops to the girls, was happily engaged. Their attention was on sliced watermelon and the game silly pops had begun with them. A moment in time caught on video.

Sliced red onion, a simple green salad, alongside the simply adorned potato salad with a homemade dressing of lemon juice, mayo, spices were the hits of the party, with cucumbers diced for me by my 3-year-old granddaughter. Simple gestures performed by everyone let us relax and watch. Oh my. Even the large mug of black tea was perfectly delicious today. It did not seem that way at my domicile. What was missing, I wondered?

Her magic touch makes the difference And I had no part to play in this delightful spread. My ever present daughter-in-law made sure everything was perfect. Always is. Her attention to detail is everywhere, especially in the kitchen. (We are both in love with carefully grown and harvested Italian OO flour. Respecting the gluten makes all the difference in the world, it seems)

As the entree was being grilled, the buns were being toasted. Another delightful act of love and yummy. The green salad of romaine, orange bell pepper and tomato with fig balsamic dressing, new to my dressing repertoire, came next, in droplet form, food heaven for me as I ate red onion slices, leaving some for others. Remember, always share. (Red onions increase blood flow to the brain!)

We packed to leave knowing that fussiness is downplayed here. It was always about the people. I learn each and every time. If you are paying attention, learning always happens, slowly and with joy. Simple and plain at home becomes elegant and divine here. How does that happen? I must take copious notes.

Keep the steps clear and concise. At home I do it all. Here, I do very little, if anything at all. We are treated like royalty. There's a skill and nuance that only happens here where my son, 'daughter' and two little girls live. Looking forward to the magical salads tomorrow. Can hardly wait. Am I silly? Probably so. A new day; a new meal made by magical fingers sprinkled with love.