D is for Dinner

Yesterday I had friends over for dinner. Lunch. An expansive midday meal. Call it what you will.

I will call it a blessing.

It was just 5 of us: two of the couples who make up my family-of-friends, and me. I would happily have had the whole extended group over, but logistically I realize my apartment isn’t equipped for such things. Not suitably sizable for more couples or the young’uns. Not sufficiently kid-friendly, for sure. (Heck, even I nearly killed myself on my stairs not so long ago.)

I suppose the menu was overly ambitious. We didn’t end up having homemade bread simply because I got distracted in the making of it and misread teaspoons as tablespoons, and PS: 3x more salt than called for does not make for the most delicious bread ever. And I added the sea salt to one dessert at the wrong point which didn’t make it a disaster by any means, but did lose just a little something in the translation.

It was so good just to spend time with them. And – for once – to host them, because they are both so tremendously gracious to include me in their family events. And to have me over —  “just because” — more times over the years than I can even count.

I hope it was even close to as good for them as it was for me.  I only can hope so, because our God is so very Good.

The menu, for the interested foodies …

Munchies

• Yellow & blue corn chips with hummus
• Cut veggie platter with ranch dressing (yay Stop&Shop)
• Last minute deletion due to the aforementioned #kitchenfail: homemade whole wheat bread with seasoned dipping oil

Dinner

• Salad: Arugula, Spinach & Spring Mix, red peppers, a hint of carrots, and sliced baby tomatoes; Good Seasons original dressing on the side
• Rudy’s BBQ Brisket, served with Sissy Sause (plenty spicy for most). It’s shocking how much fat one cuts away to get down to the meat when it’s all done. It’s shocking how delicious and tender it is as well (and I can say that because all I really did was heat according to directions and carve it up.)
• Baked potatoes, and all the fixings to make them “loaded”
• Oven roasted green beans with almonds

Dessert

• Fresh fruit salad
• Browned-butter rice krispie squares (small hiccup in preparation due to inattention to the order of adding ingredients notwithstanding)
• Strawberry shortcakes

I sent everyone home with as much as I could, and I still have a refrigerator full, particularly of the befores & afters. Anyone interested in at least coming by for leftover munchies and desserts should just give me a call.