Six-Hour Lunch

I cannot believe how perfectly this afternoon went.... our friends got here at 2:00, and didn't leave till eight o'clock. As the last two were leaving and we glanced at the clock, we all just couldn't believe it. What a great group we are, I swear.... the conversation just never quit, and the longer we all talked, the more interesting it got.

Everything from spirituality to the ego, from childhood experiences to post-mortem discussions (one of our friends is a retired doctor). I couldn't even begin to list every topic we talked about because it would take the rest of the night to type, and I'm slowing beginning to fade here. I've just about finished cleaning up.... the dishwasher is running for the second time, and when that's done, then I'm done for the night. The kitchen/dining room is closed until tomorrow.

This afternoon's menu was eclectic, to say the least, but there wasn't an "Irish" food on the table. No one thought of Irish soda bread, but I've already made a note about that for next year. We all contributed "green" foods to the table, which was dressed up in green and ivory. Lots of shamrocks everywhere, and I even used foil shamrock-shaped doilies as coasters underneath the water goblets.

Our friends J & S brought homemade steamed dumplings.... absolutely delicious, and topped with green onions. R & C brought green rice (made with green peppers and cilantro), as well as a homemade pesto with rice crackers for dipping. B brought a spinach and goat cheese dish from an Indian restaurant where she lives--- that was very good, and it came with spiced white rice. I made tiny pinwheel-shaped rolls stuffed with pesto and parmesean, and the Greek spanikopita, which baked up perfectly.

For desserts, we had the pistachio gelato, key lime tarts, and lime squares. I also had clover-shaped dishes filled with Dove mike chocolate candies, which were wrapped in bright green foil, and a plate of sliced kiwi-fruit. And the coffee and green tea, of course.

Delicious food.... and we took our time because I served each course separately, beginning with the steamed dumplings and ending with the spanikopita. Lots of extra dishes and silverware, but it's the only way to have a nice leisurely meal.

Everyone left with favor-bags, filled with green tea, chocolate-covered pretzels sprinkled with tiny green shamrocks, and an interesting trivia book on St. Patrick's Ireland. The beaded shamrock necklaces were a nice surprise for everyone, too..... a little unexpected thing that made everyone smile.

After our friends went home, my husband looked at me and said "Now how are we going to top this?" ....... Well, we'll just have to try, because we're planning to have our friends over again on Easter Sunday.