Week Twenty-Four: Ella and Ryan

After eleven straight days of work leading up to a show with my band at the Crocodile, Saturday was my first day off. I was ready to relax. Both Erica and I weren't in the mood to party super hard. Luckily, my friend Ella and her husband Ryan were on the exact same page. And they came over on Week 24 for some good old comfort food and a laid back chat.



I've known Ella since 2004, when I moved back to Seattle from Colorado into one of the first notorious shithole houses. The house was in the Green Lake area and we called it The 8-1-9 (which were the address #'s). Her childhood friend Nerissa was living there as well, so Ella was a mainstay at the nightly parties.

Ella has a reputation for her diction. She enters a room, makes her presence known, and then dominates the conversation. In a very endearing and engaging way, I might add. She is loud, colorful, and super fun. We butted heads on occasion back in the day, because I am very similar. And when we were in the same room, and there was only one spotlight, we would compete for it.

As I matured and began to grow up a bit, I realized what a solid, loving friend Ella has been. At times we would annoy the crap out of each other, but in the end, we are totally buds. So it's fun to see her now that we are older, less crazy, and both settled down with quieter, even keel spouses. It's actually pretty funny what a similar pairing Ella and Ryan is to Erica and I.

As I mentioned, both couples had pretty wild Friday nights. So Ryan's suggestion for dinner was perfect. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Easy to make, cheap to purchase materials for, and settles in the stomach well. I went to the store and picked up a large loaf of sour dough bread, butter, garlic aioli, grated Swiss cheese, grated sharp cheddar, tomato bisque soup, a fruit salad and a bottle of red wine.



The way I make grilled cheese sandwiches is incredibly simple: I hit the inside of the bread slices with a layer of aioli (or mayo), I stack on two types of cheese, put the slices together, and coat the outside with butter. Then just pop it on a skillet and cook it until it's nice and toasty.



The tomato bisque soup was awesome to dip the sandwiches in, and the fruit salad complimented the greasiness of the meal in a refreshing way. Ella and Ryan brought us a bottle of white and a six pack of Newcastle as well. And we finished the meal with a scoop of raspberry sorbet and a scoop of coconut gelato.

The conversation was light and spacey at first, as we rambled through the typical steps of couples interviews. We caught up on what was new with work, the living situation, old friends and new goals. It was slow, laid back and perfect for the mood of the group.

Before we knew it, four hours had passed and we were all getting sleepy. To gear up for Father's Day, we decided to call it a night and get some rest. We were so tired, Erica and I left the mess we made to settle and deal with later.



It was a really pleasant evening and we hope to catch Ella and Ryan on a night we are both ready to go full force. I will have no choice but to go full force in Week 25, as the infamous go-hard party man Sky Sander comes to 52DD, fresh off his Wedding in Puerto Rico with his lovely new wife Jennifer. This will be one for the ages...