Surprise Dinner with Friends…

As many of you already know, we’re “snow birds”…and we love our two separate lives! Our Midwest life allows us to spend quality time with our family and friends, and to enjoy the changing seasons. But when Winter sets in…our tropical life allows us to dodge the frigid Iowa winters and spend time in a beautiful slice of paradise with another set of friends!

But being gone from the North for so many months means we really miss those places and people we love so much, including our friends Cindy and Marty. So please allow me to re-share this post (originally written in 2014) with all of you. It was one of the BEST surprises I’ve ever been able to pull off!

Our friends Marty and Cindy asked us to go out to dinner with them, and we gladly accepted.  But after giving it some thought, I realized we had LOTS of interesting ingredients right here at home…and I wanted to cook dinner HERE…for them!  So my surprise plan began to materialize.

I told our friends to drive over to our house to pick us up, and we would decide where to go for dinner when they arrived.  Then I took the surprise one step further.  When they arrived, I grabbed my purse, and Peepaw and I headed out to the driveway and opened the car door.  I asked them where they wanted to go for dinner…and, as usually happens when couples make plans, there was much discussion and little agreement on a destination.  (You’ve ALL been there and done that!)   I finally said “I absolutely want to go somewhere quiet where we can visit, and I want a good meal.”  We all looked at each other and then I said, “I have an idea.  Come inside!”

The looks on their faces were PRICELESS.

We invited them in, and when the shocked looks faded from their faces we began our evening with an antipasti platter and wine on the screened in porch.

Tuscan bread, Herb Butter, Vermont Cabot Sharp Cheddar Cheese,  Kalamata Olives,  Almonds and LaQuercia Coppa Americana Cured Meat…Sliced Paper Thin

Ahh…The Weekend…and RELAXATION…

A Beautiful Night…in MANY Ways…

Then we moved to the dining room, where the next course was a spinach salad.  To the spinach I added sliced apples, pears, walnuts and some dried cranberries I had soaked in orange juice. I made a dressing of balsamic vinegar, honey, spicy brown mustard and orange juice.

 

 

The steaks were perfectly cooked, thanks to Grill Master Peepaw.  And as you can see, we only grilled two steaks and cut them in half to share, since we had so many other dishes to sample.

 

We topped our baked potatoes with a sour cream and fresh herb mixture, and a dollop of butter, Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper…and it was time to dig in!

And “What’s for dessert?” you ask…

A leftover brownie!  (I “fancied it up” by topping with whipped cream and slivered basil, and a added a drizzle of chocolate sauce for decoration.)

Our guests commented that the chocolate dessert  paired well with the Cabernet we were drinking.

So all in all I think our “night out” was a great success. And I’m never happier than when turning a “Night OUT” into a  “Night IN”…and cooking for people I love.