Last night, we had friends over for dinner to catch up. It has been a busy summer for us all and we were looking forward to a nice evening together. Yes, we could have gone out, but there was something nice about no rush, no distractions, not driving, sitting around the island for drinks and snacks, then around the table for good conversation.
Before dinner snacks were fresh blueberries, chilled cherries, crackers served with Brie and Trader Joe’s Pub Cheese. Our friends know wine and brought a really good red from their travels. For dinner, simple and fresh, especially this time year, is easiest and most most ‘farm to table’ as in fresh picked corn, steamed, asparagus roasted on the grill with a little olive oil drizzled over and a little salt and pepper. I made a good salad with a bag of mixed greens, and finely chopped purple onion, cucumber, mini-mixed color tomatoes, purple cabbage and an orange pepper. Feta cheese was cut in small cubes and in a separate bowl-not everyone is a fan-and I did the same with the dressing, a homemade olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard and a little turmeric, which was in the jar (with a spoon to drizzle on) I made during the afternoon. Michigan toast was baked for a few minutes just before dinner was served. The Hubby grilled the steaks (filet mignon, also from Trader Joe’s).
We had so much fun, we forgot to take photos. Nice seventies music played in the background and my friend helped clean up and before they left, the dishwasher was loaded and turned on.
Oh, dessert. To keep things easy, I picked up a Key Lime Pie from the local grocery store. Yes, I could have made Ina Garten’s frozen Key Lime Pie,(I’ve done that before, it’s a great recipe) but the point was to keep dinner simple and easy. Depending on the part of the country you are in, the easily available dessert will change. An option in Michigan is a Sanders Cake, like their Chocolate Cake or a Bill Knapp’s Chocolate Cake is usually available from most Walmart bakeries.
Spending lots of time in the kitchen wasn’t in the plan for the afternoon, the Hubby decided to clean out a closet and needed a hand. Also, I didn’t want our friends feel that we had ‘slaved’ in the kitchen. I wanted them to feel that they were welcomed but not feel that they had ‘put us out’ in our preparations. The focus was totally on the things that matter, enjoying your friends, catching up and spending time together with good food. We could have easily grilled chicken or burgers, we just felt like a good steak. Don’t over complicate things. Remember, the food is always secondary to those around the table. It’s a Great Day 🌼
