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Naples Foodie married with 2 kids. This blog is where I share all kinds of tantalizing cuisine found throughout Naples as well as recipes and other food related content. I hope you enjoy.

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Friday, January 30, 2009

Good Friends + Food & Wine = Great Time


Last night I met up with about 9 girlfriends for a "Girl's Only" dinner hosted by a fabulous interior designer. We all worked together at my last company. It was interesting how our lives have evolved since starting at the company and now each of us have moved on. Some of the girls had been there so long that their children were 5 and 6 when they started and now are all grown up; some already driving and some getting ready to drive; except my kids; I was one of the younger ones there (I am enjoying this time before my kids start to drive yikes). We had the best time talking about raising kids, marriage, money and best of all sex.

It was like our own Sex and The City night. We gathered round a huge square table that could easily seat 30 people on all 4 benches surrounding it and laughed til our heart was content. We had appetizers and wine...some ladies had beer and got caught up in the moment that it was 2 hours later we thought we should start on the main course.

I made the Columbia Restaurant's 1905 salad; recipe can be found here. I have never attempted this before because as you know I don't cook let alone attempt recipes that call for a teaspoon of this and that. My hubby was going to make it but he forgot and was gone all day yesterday accompanying Zman on a field trip to St. Augustine (poor guys it cold and rainy all day).

After I finished making the dressing (in between sufficing Love requesting her numerous snacks and hounding me about when lunch and dinner would be ready) (seriously folks; it was tough enough being off during the Christmas week. The kids drove me crazy expecting to eat 3 times a day plus snacks...I'm not cracked up for this stuff) it tasted very...um garlicky?

So I texted hubby during his trip while he was fending off the rain:

Me-My dressing tastes horrible

Hubby-Oh sorry baby the recipe can be found online

Me-I know that is what I followed.

Hubby-I only use 2 garlic cloves

Me-Now you tell me I used 4 which is what the recipe calls for

Hubby-LOL

I didn't think it was funny. First off I have no idea what a clove is. Is it the little thing within the bulb (is that what it's called a bulb)? So I think I may have used 5...who knows.

I was very indecisive about going; it was raining really bad and it was cold and it was quite a drive getting there. Hubby was going to be home later due to the distance the trip was from our home and I didn't want to get to a dinner party late so I pawned Love off on my neighbors. Love was thrilled as she loves playing with her almost 2 year old daughter.

I got in the car, salad/dressing and all and then couldn't remember what the address was. I turned on the GPS and was frantically trying to get a hold of one of the girls to get her address.

Nobody was texting me back quick enough and by this time it was 5:30 I was supposed to be there by 5:30 so I dragged myself back inside lugging the salad and said I would stay home. But then I thought about missing the last dinner and wanted to have fun with these girls so I trecked back out to the car lugging the salad again and got the text from one of the girls with the address. Plugged it in the GPS and Austin Powers guided me directly to her front door and then told me I was a "groovy driver baby". Love that!

I was so glad I went. I truly had a blast. I hope we continue on this monthly ritual so we can stay connected and laugh our asses off. I am funny normally but after a couple of glasses of wine there is no holding back. The hostess was hysterical when she found out her daughter had a brazian wax...that is just one of the topics we spoke about.
I was told my salad tasted great; good thing these girls liked garlic!


*once I receive pics from the other girls, ( all I had was my camera phone) I will post them! And Yes I am crazy like that...taking pics of the food vs my friends but to my defense I took a couple but the Google Camera takes forever to take the picture and by the time it did they had changed positions.


13 comments:

Lindsey said...

Awww how fun!!! What a blessing to have such great girlfriends!!

The garlic clove story cracked me up because I tried to make this recipe that called for minced garlic and I bought cloves of garlic, oops!

missy said...

oh how i love girls only get togethers!!!!
and the garlic thing...i am not a fan so i would not be able to tell ya anything about garlic either!!
aren't you glad you went?!!??!?!

Angela said...

i love girls night out although getting less often now b/c most of my gal pals have new babies or young toddlers now.

Shorty said...

I'm glad you ended up going after all! And yes...cloves of garlic are the little parts that the bulb can be broken up into, the individual little pieces. Sometimes cloves aren't exactly uniform in size so when in doubt you can use the smaller cloves until you get the flavor how you like it.

THE Stephanie said...

Sound like loads of fun! I wish we lived closer!! :)

Megan said...

Errrr. Your youtube video is blocking half of your post!! Although I clicked on the video and it was pretty amusing! ;) Glad you went and had a good time!

Anonymous said...

LOL I once used a full thing of garlic thinking that it was a clove...we ended up ordering take out...haha

gina said...

That sounds so fun -the Austin Powers thing makes me laugh. I've done that before- where everything starts going wrong, usually has to do with clothes or hair, not just a recipe and maps, though that happens too. I've given up a time or two, but I'm always so glad when I go. Wish I had a group of gals here to do that with. I'll have to find some-

Jennifer said...

sounds like a blast!

Anonymous social worker said...

hi, how are you, it's been long since I've visited you,
it must fun to have close friends like that.
enjoy your kids cuz then they'll turn into teens and rebel. like me

Staci said...

your makin me hungry!! How fun I like girl only plans!!

Lump said...

oooh I love girls nights like that!! the salad sounds YUMMY!

Live.Love.Eat said...

That's very cool you have a group of women like that who are accessible. I don't have a circle of friends here, just a woman here and a woman there kind of thing. You're so funny - I didn't know you don't really cook or didn't know what a clove was. I should give you my emergency cooking hotline :)