DP IV report

Silly acronyms are funny, ok maybe just to me.

The dinner party was great. It was really fun having a group of people who really didn't know each other much and getting together for a meal and talk.

The food report: must remember in future the serving information in this one cookbook is totally off!! I doubled the casserole because the author said it only served 4 people. Big mistake, I had to put leftovers in the freezer. It was also not as yummy as the first time I remember making it. The sweet fruity flavor just seemed too one dimensional. Oh well. The leeks and mushroom saute was divine even though we had two non mushroom eaters. The rest of us gobbled them up happily. The roasted daikon and rutabaga were yummy as well. The homemade vanilla ice cream [with palm sugar] and strawberries were springlike even though the weather turned really chilly. The tomato spinach soup was warming and dependable, one of my favorite dinner party recipes. The artichoke dip didn't come out as well as I remember it. Was it me? I have made it for parties before and it's been great. Those who imbibed alcohol had the alto adige pinot grigio '04 which I take no credit for -- I just buy what the nice man at bright wines suggests..

People report: two of the women unknown to me, had been to India and we had some interesting discussions about that. One woman was looking for a home for an old canoe! We have just the lake for it, I find that pretty exciting. There was a lot of dog talk, slow/local food talk. We got to show the house to people who have never seen it. We shared very bad pictures of the cottage. My dear wife did most of the cleaning so that I could think about the food. It works well, and then we have an extra clean house to enjoy later. We were so well organized that at 6:30 pm we realized we were ready and had an hour free before the first guest showed up.

It was just a really pleasant, relaxed, fun time. I am so glad we started doing this. I love the feeling of slow connections which I never get at a bigger party. We are already looking forward to the next one in June. Perhaps a barbecue? I feel like I just want to encourage everyone to give this a try, it doesn't have to be fancy, but throw open your home and invite some friends in the share it. Very rewarding certainly for the hosts and I hope for our guests as well.