I just realized that I love entertaining guests at home. Duchess and Samantha wanted to meet up today for a marathon chika session, but since Duchess and I are in, ahem, dire straits, I suggested that we hang out at my house instead of going out for dinner. I had around 4 hours to prepare for the dinner-slash-chika session so I scrounged around the house for food. This is what I came up with:
I cooked a surprisingly good whole wheat pasta smothered with Kielbasa & sundried tomato sauce and Tollhouse Specials (chocolate chip mounds held together chewy by chocolate cookie dough) -- all from scratch. Samantha couldn't believe how good the food was and she kept on making me confess the cookies came from a tin or, at the very least, made with one of those boxed pre-mixed products. I myself was pleasantly surprised with how the food turned out. We had a candlelamp-lit dinner under the stars and thumbnail moon, amid mommy's organic basil, tomato and lime plants, the courtyard redolent with the languid scent of citronella. After the very satisfying dinner, we headed to the verandah where we settled on the banig and pillows under a silver-speckled black-velvet sky, talking and eating once more, this time, chips and sour cream dip. Not only did my friends enjoy their brief stay here, I also got to appreciate my home and domestic talents more.