The Morning After

I must start with a picture. Look at that, will you. I live alone. Where is the moldy piece of cheese, the one egg, the bottle of beer (those are actually on the fridge door and out of the picture's frame), and the wilting take-out Chinese box? Oy vey!

What made my refrigerator regurgitate so much in offerings? A trip to the market. I really only wanted eggs and butter. I came back with a little more (you should see my pantry, also out of the picture's frame). And a dinner party. With only three people (including me) but oh so many wonderful and delightful leftovers.

Let's rewind a bit before I get ahead of myself.

The plan was thought and decided upon back during the Biden-Palin debate. Yes, back in October we looked at each other and said "let's get together and cook." It only took 6 months. Hey, I needed to get all of my ideas and eggs in order to create a friend-worthy dessert. Okay, maybe I just procrastinate. But Rachel and I chatted about it when we ran into each other at a concert at work. And I realized, okay, we really need to do this now instead of always just saying we have to do it. Afterall, I'm in danger of just appearing to be a flake. (I am. A little flitting flake.) So I emailed David thus securing the date.

My responsibility? Dessert. And it was set (sort of, but more on that later). I had left over frosting from my banana coconut cupcakes. I swore the frosting too sweet (or maybe full of too much rum). David denied both. Said impossible. Implored me to deliver a cupcake topped with the frosting. Unfortunately, the cupcakes were all gone by the time I tried to salvage one for him. That little hiccup dictated dessert. I had frosting. I needed to make the cupcake David never tasted. A cake was made instead. And frosted. And displayed. And later eaten. And maybe the frosting wasn't as sweet as I remember. Maybe it was just what was needed at the end of the evening after the wonderfully savory bits that tickled my palate.

What were those savory bits? Cherry tomatoes to snack on while David chopped and prepped and I brushed dirt off of mushrooms. Those tomatoes washed down with some Pellegrino mixed with a tart cranberry juice (rest in peace Juicy Juice). A salad of greens with shredded cabbage, chopped avocado, a sliced red pepper, and later topped with a bit of Goddess dressing (truly divine; sacrilegious be damned!). Another salad with feta cheese mixed in with some olive oil and chopped cucumbers and more tomatoes. Finished with a frittata of mushrooms, sauteed onions, garlic, and rosemary. My stomach turning happy little flips in remembrance. Oh, and I must not forget the bottle of organic pale ale.

I'm groggy now just thinking about it. How wonderful it was to wake up and remember the amazing evening cooking together, watching videos, listening to music, talking about astrological charts, and sophisticated crunchy populations.