Rarely do we have friends over during the week – first of all, my departure time at work is usually iffy in the summer plus there’s the “what to fix for dinner?” question followed by the obvious fact that only good friends get to see our house on Wednesday when the housekeeper came last Friday. So tonight was a special night – we invited friends who we plied with enough alcohol that hopefully they didn’t see the dog hairs on the carpet or notice the bathroom wasn’t at 5-star clean level – and we had a “down home dinner” just perfect for a summer evening.
Unfortunately it was a little warm for eating on the deck even with a ceiling fan – we sat out there for a bit swinging in the swing and enjoying the fountain in the pool but the comfort of air conditioning soon pulled us inside where we finished pre-dinner drinks and then were on to the main course – peaches and cream corn on the cob fresh from the Farmer’s Market yesterday along with sliced tomatoes, grilled bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin from Harter House and then the piece de resistance – home grown beans (freshly picked from our garden) cooked with bacon, viadalia onions and buttery-flavored potatoes courtesy of our neighbor – yum, yum! I’m thrilled that the huge pot of beans that Burl cooked yielded left-overs for us to enjoy for the next few days.
We enjoyed dinner, a couple of bottles of white Menage a Trois wine (blend of Chardonnay, Muscato and Chenin Blanc) which was quite delectable but most of all some great conversation. A perfect evening – good food, excellent wine but most of all, great friends which is what life’s all about. Here’s to more enjoyment for the 4 of us – we may not solve all the problems of the world but we sure give it one hell of a try and have a great time doing it!
Hmm, now that I know you serve gourmet food to your guests, I’m going to start expecting a bigger spread. Kidding! Actually, the dinners a couple of weekends ago were pretty great. Glad you took some time to relax during the week.
By: Tammy on July 19, 2007
at 8:36 pm
I had my secret weapon for putting together a great meal – Burl! He went to the Farmer’s Market and bought the corn and tomatoes and he grew and picked the green beans. Going to Harter House and buying the meat, spinkling on Penzey’s spices and cooking on the grill took very little talent! Be sure to get some peaches and cream corn from Grimes Farm for us next week in Des Moines!
By: keckeley on July 19, 2007
at 9:30 pm
I can’t make any promises on the corn as Steve will be working and Ralph and I have some important shopping to do. However, if it’s convenient, I’ll get some for all of us.
By: Tammy on July 22, 2007
at 8:03 pm
It’s usually sold from the back of a pickup truck in a parking lot so if you and your sister are out you’ll probably see a sign for it.
By: keckeley on July 22, 2007
at 9:28 pm