chocolate is a no brainer...

Well, I've decided to have a dinner party. I know, I am usually the anal, "my house has to be perfect before I can entertain people" type of person, but I've finally come to the realization that it just ain't gonna happen anytime during this lifetime, so I might as well just be hospitable with what I have. I'm having 12 of my favorite girlfriends over on Saturday night. It should be a good time. I fully intend to cook a fantastic dinner too. Here is what is on the menu so far.

SECRET DINNER INGREDIENT: Slow roasted tomatoes. I got this great recipe from Fine Cooking. You roast the tomatoes for about 4 hours and then you can do all sorts of things with them.

1st Course: Crostinis- options include a goat cheese/roasted tomato/pesto/pine nut dip, or whole roasted tomatoes topped with portabella mushroomsand feta. mmmmm.

2nd Course: Spinach Basil Salad tossed with, (you guessed it) roasted tomatoes, bacon, candied walnuts and lemon rosemary vinegrette made with roasted tomato oil. Yum.

3rd Course: Homemade ravioli filled with a parmigiana/butternut squash filling, topped with sauce made with (what else?) roasted tomatoes and fresh basil.

4th Course: Dessert. Except, here is where I run into a dilemma. I can't decide!!! I do know this, it must be chocolate. Chocolate is a no-brainer for a girls night. But I have so many options how can I choose? So, I've decided to try out one of Nelly's cool blogpolls to let the readers decide.

(Photo by Su-lin)

homemade soups and backyard swings

I love fall. Its the season of soup making. I read an article recently in Southern Living magazine about having a soup swapping party. The idea is to invite a few friends over and have each one bring a big pot of homemade soup. Then everyone gets to try the different soups, take home recipes, and leftovers from a variety of soups. That way you aren't eating the same soup for two weeks. Since my house is not yet fit to have parties, I decided I would just make soup for myself instead. Yesterday I made a big pot of one of my favorite soups: Two Bean Chicken Chili. Very Tasty. Here is the recipe:

black beans
pinto beans
corn
chicken
salsa
tomato sauce
chicken broth
garlic
chili powder
zucchini

Topped with: sour cream, cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips. YUM. :)

Sunday afternoons are great for cooking things like soup. Because while they are simmering, you have time to do other things. I went outside to one of my new favorite things. We have a backyard tree swing that a friend made for us. We have many old trees in the yard, including more than one Live Oak. This swing is made from a 2x10 board and two pieces of heavy duty rope and it hangs from a very high branch on the biggest oak tree. Its so high that the length of the ropes are really long, which means when you swing you can cover about half of the yard in one go. I felt like Amelie yesterday, just swinging long sweeps across the yard, looking up at the filtered light coming down through the trees, enjoying the simplicity of it all. The dogs sat on the ground nearby and their eyes rhythmically followed me - back and forth, back and forth.

There is so much I take for granted in life - like pots of soup and backyard swings. I want to be a more thankful person - more grateful, and more gracious. Even in the midst of all the things in my life that I am unsatisfied with, I am constantly reminded of this: God is good. He is all goodness.

(photo is of me on the swing at night)