What a dinner!

We went to Clearly's going away dinner last night - held at our friend B's lovely home. The dinner was attended by a terrific bunch of people who love Clearly very much. It was a very special time and it was so sweet to be included. I cannot tell you who was there, but let me tell you it was almost surreal!

We started the evening with wine tasting. It was all absolutely wonderful! My favorite? Lets just say that I'm a cheap date. I loved the $10 Pinot Grigio. There were 3 different cheeses to clear the palate. The one we had never had was called Manchego. Can you say delicious? OMG! My next trip to Costco will include tires and that cheese.

B brought out a delicious antipasto during the red wines. It was on a huge white plate and it was absolutely gorgeous. It was almost too pretty to eat. One of the guests took a picture and will be emailing it to Mr. so he can use it as a screen saver. There were artichoke hearts, asparagus, salami, prosciutto, hot and sweet peppers, and more.

As we sat around sipping and munching the jokes started flying. We laughed and laughed. If I could tell you who was there, your mouth would drop open and you'd say, "You sat around with ___ and told jokes? That is sooo cool!" Mr. and I are still in awe that we were included with this very special bunch of people... It was totally surreal! I actually pinched myself a couple of times to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

We had dinner in B's stunning dining room. (Her whole house is just gorgeous, but it's comfortable. You can sit on her couch and you don't feel like you need to perch. You can relax.) She served lasagna, peas, garlic buttered rolls, and a gorgeous salad complete with her mom's creamy vinegar dressing. It was delicious! (Okay, so I skipped the peas... I hate peas. Besides, Mr. ate enough peas for the both of us.)

For dessert, B served the most decadent brownies I have ever seen - they were topped with chocolate chips and drizzled caramel. She also had a strawberry raspberry blueberry pineapple fruit mixture to put on shortcake and top with whipped cream. Can you say YUMMY?

I helped clear the dishes with B. She told me I didn't have to help. My response to her, "I certainly don't mind and I know how much I appreciate it when people do it for me." She grinned. She couldn't argue with that. We chatted some more as we rinsed and stacked and it was nice to spend a little time with her.

After dinner we sat outside on B's patio for more laughs and conversation. It was a gorgeous night. Clearly had a great time and so did we.