Good Medicine

Whew! Sorry to have vented but I'm trying to keep it real and sometimes real isn't very cute. Now that I got that off my chest, Let's talk about something much more fun and positive.
Tonight we got to do something that Jason and I LOVE to do: have people over for dinner. It's funny. We aren't exceptional cooks, we don't have fabulous treasures from all over the world to show off, and things aren't always impeccably clean; but none the less - We love having people over for a good meal and good conversation! I even found a trick here to make the house smell extra good. You just put a sliced lemon, rosemary, and some vanilla in a saucepan on the stove and simmer. It smelled divine! I, of course, didn't actually follow the directions. I just remembered the ingredients and measured nothing. It worked well, which means I will do it again. I hate measuring!

Tonight Jason's temporary boss and co-worker came to dinner. It was a great excuse for me to take the ugly table pads off and actually set the table!

Yes, those are cloth napkins. I don't use paper napkins ever. Not even with PB&J. But that's a story for another day!

I made mostly old favorites with a few added experiments. Because, honestly, what is a dinner party without the looming fear that something will taste terrible?

Jason grilled his famous burgers. He has now taught both of the girls to make them and they are so good. I am just glad to have a grill and be rescued from another dried out main dish that I attempted in the oven. Meat and I have never had a good relationship and I have happily relinquished its preparation to the family grill master! I did cut the fresh buns and dip them in a little olive oil for Jason to grill before he assembled his burgers. Sometimes I think it is the little things, like toasted hamburger buns, that make a meal good.

I did make his favorite: Spinach Salad. My girls were just thrilled to have bacon. Somehow I never realized how much they liked it until we came to a place where it is hard to get and expensive. 

I made my Christmas Spritzy Tea. I know it isn't Christmas, but it is usually such a hit that I decided to make it just Spritzy Tea and serve it in September!

It's really quite simple to make. Mix equal parts Pierre and Sweet Tea (Georgia Style with 1 1/4 cups of sugar). Add fresh lime slices and fresh mint. 

I was so glad everyone loved it. I always hold my breath when I serve something that I don't like. I know I should be ashamed of myself, openly admitting that I don't like sweet tea. It is a common misconception that all southerners like the stuff.

We also roasted some sweet potatoes (imported from the USA) with olive oil and rosemary. I prefer to use coconut oil because it makes them just a little sweet. I feel pretty good about being able to find olive oil, I am just not ready to attempt to locate coconut oil. 

So my big experiment was with our corn on the cob. I don't know what even made me think of it, but I wondered if it would be good to make a 'sauce' to drizzle over the corn after I cooked it instead of everyone trying to figure out how to butter it and look somewhat proper. So I figured I'd give it a shot. I bought double cream butter, added two minced large cloves of garlic, salt, and pepper. I melted it and drizzled it over the corn. And lucky for me - Yummy!

We finished the night with a Devil's Food Cake. 

It was so nice. I really do enjoy having people in my home. Even if none of my pictures are hung and are scattered around the rooms where they will eventually hang!

This was definitely just what I needed to nudge me out of my funk!