Quick Dinner Party Help

A girlfriend sent me a text this morning asking what she could cook for a last minute dinner party that was impressive but really easy. My recommendation (sent over several texts):

Pork Tenderloin
Rub with rubbed sage, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper
Combine Balsamic Vinegar with Honey (and some optional olive oil)
Marinate if there's time
If not, use an oven proof skillet
Sear tenderloin on all sides
Place in 350 oven for about 25 minutes
Let rest about 5-10 minutes
Slice and serve

Serve with rice pilaf and steamed veggie of choice - oh look! There's dinner. :)

My Girl

I'm pretty lucky when it comes to friends. I have funny, smart people that are a text or fb message away and great friends who can talk to me on the phone for hours. But in this day and age of global careers and opportunities, not all of my people are close enough to go for coffee dates.

One of my best friends lives a longish plane ride away from me. She comes home much less frequently than I'd like but things like life, money, jobs and family tend to get in the way of weekend jaunts, casual mini vacations and the like. So, when she came home for a week-long stay due to a family emergency, I was concerned for her family member but grateful that she was able to spend time with me and my family. Our visits, however infrequent and brief are always filled with the kind of conversation I don't have with any of my other friends. They're full of laughter, horoscopes (?) and usually things I'd forgotten all about but which come flooding back to my consciousness while she's here.

Example: "Hey, did you ever finish the cookbook you were almost done last time I was here?" (Um, no - but in my defense, my hard drive crashed and it is still there "waiting.")

Example #2: "Hey, remember you were going to start a book club - whatever came of that?"
(Um, nothing - I still think I COULD start a book club - I just haven't actually done that yet.)

The thing that strikes me each time she gets back on a plane for her new tropical home is how much I miss having her here when she leaves. While she's visiting, all of these things seem possible and likely. All of the wine we drink is slightly more delicious and appreciated. She sees qualities in me I tend to forget exist without her gentle reminders and I love how she thinks I'm so much more "everything" than I suspect I actually am.

Years ago, when we lived together, she was still that same staunch supporter of everything I am/was - but in a constant dose I believed her more of a dreamer than an "inspirer." It was like a constant ego stroke. I made the best chocolate chip cookies (not even close), the best chicken and dumplings (which ironically, she couldn't eat because she was a vegetarian back then), the best exaggerator (which I sort of still am) and a million other things.

She got on a plane this morning and will most likely be gone for a long time. I shall do my best to remember how great she thinks I am while she's gone. I suspect she'll still be a better supporter of me than I ever can be.

The Errant Blogger?

Here we are with a new year - and a new blog post. Once a year sounds about right doesn't it? (sigh)

Blogging is clearly not my strong suit. I've begun making reading them more of a priority, except that even then I tend to stray or neglect even the ones I like...

I've been reading more books. Perhaps I'll actually blog about some of them. When I was pregnant some time ago a cousin told me to read all I could while on bedrest because that would probably be the last I read for quite some time. When she said it, I dutifully nodded - but thought - pfffft - as if I won't read with the same voracity as I do now - and then my kids turned two and I began reading again... (sigh again)

Regardless, I have to tip my hat to all the serious bloggers out there who entertain me and others. There's a lot more to it than it seems...