As hoped, last night’s dinner with Teague’s folks was a success.  Granted, the beef took twice as long to cook as expected (maybe the calibration on my oven is off?), but the company was divine.  Pat and Deacon look great and were thrilled that I added Miss DeVore to the guest list.  I thought it would be fun to have someone there they had not yet met and they all got along famously.  Pat and Deacon are both more than well rounded on current events and Diane, who works as an editor at CNN, was more than happy to engage them in conversation on the state of the media.

My day yesterday was not stellar.  I usually like to keep things light here, but I took a stand on something I believed in yesterday and lost an acquaintance because of it.  It stung. But there were guests arriving and I needed to move forward.  My sweet Crystal swung by early to help and it was wonderful having her in the kitchen with me before her inlaws came for dinner.  Having best friends working with you side by side in the kitchen is a very healing thing.  We tied the beef, we chopped and roasted potatoes. It helped my mood immeasurably.  We also had time for a glass of chardonnay before everyone else got there.

Crystal and I were so busy cooking and visiting that I forgot to photograph the food. But here are some nice photos of the table. The roses came from my front yard – aren’t they lovely? Although I ironed the tablecloth, the wrinkles persisted. I need a new tablecloth. One that won’t wrinkle. I’ll find one and get back to you on that.

Deacon brought us a gorgeous bottle of Chateau Tour du Mayne 2005 Haut-Medoc.  It looked too beautiful to open so we are saving it for a special occasion.  As the beef was taking its sweet time to cook, I decided we should go ahead, sit down and enjoy our salad.  That done, the beef made its appearance and was gobbled up happily along with the green beans with almonds, roasted potatoes and dinner rolls. All our guests  ooohhhed and ahhhhed over the cheesecake with coffee.  It was a lovely evening.

On an entirely different note, I would like to say congratulations to President Obama on winning the Nobel Peace Prize. We salute you, our dear president and support you in your efforts.

Getting off my tiny soapbox now and  wishing you all a wonderful Friday. Our weekend is filled with lots of parties, so I will be bringing my camera and letting you all take a peek.

xoxo, Patti