For the second time in a week, I ate this afternoon at Lidia’s Kansas City, the Italian restaurant at which Tawn and I held our wedding reception.  Safe to assume I like the place.  The first visit was with colleagues.  This second visit was a lunch with family members, about 16 of us.

Ava, previously the youngest great-grandchild in the family (pictured on the left with my mother) has been supplanted by Tommy, my cousin Alex’s son.  He’s pictured on the right with his mother and our grandmother.  It will be interesting to see how Emily and Ava react to no longer being the center of attention.  So far, so well…

White bean and summer greens soup.  Flavorful broth and quite the kick from some chili flakes.

Fried polenta squares with a dusting of Parmesan cheese.  Tasty but not oily.

A roasted beet and peach salad my mother had.  What an interesting combination.

A side of barley risotto.

My entree – a rare beef panini (which wasn’t really a panini in the traditional sense) with fried onions and roasted bell peppers.  Potato salad on the side.  Pretty tasty.

Homemade pasta trio.  I didn’t try these but everyone who had them really liked them.

Family members started arriving from out of town yesterday and will trickle in throughout the day today.  The big family reunion events are Saturday and Sunday.  I’ll try and get some pictures.