I got to connect with a lot of friends this week, some of whom I haven't seen in a while. Some were long phone visits, some were visiting while working out at the gym, and some were over shared meals. For the past few years, Beth and Martha Ray and I have had a birthday celebration for their birthdays, since they are only a week apart in January. They came to my house for dinner on Thursday, and we got to catch up and celebrate.
I had to be more organized on the meal, since I had a meeting at the 4-H center all afternoon, planning the 40th birthday celebration of the center.
I made a short rib ragu in the crockpot the day before, letting it cook for over 8 hours, so I just had to heat up the sauce, cook the pasta and put together the salad. I made bread that morning that sits all day before finishing off in your covered casserole in the oven before serving. It tastes great, looks professional and is so easy.
I cheated and bought dessert. We had mini-bundt cakes to eat then, and they took a slightly larger one home to have later.
Saturday night, Clay and I went to a dinner party at our friends house,
and it was catered by Klever Cuisine (my son's catering business).
We had an excellent meal
and a wonderful visit with friends.
To round out the week was our monthly girls dinner at Margaret's. After many failed attempts at a selfie,
Margaret saved the day with a good shot.
It has been a busy week, but a nice one connecting with others. What would we do without friends?!