Last evening we were invited to our neighbors home for a dinner party. The inspiration for this evening was the movie Julie/Julia! My friend decided that dinner would be planned around the main entree Boeuf Bourguignon! The more she divulged details of the menu the more my mouth watered. I was going to starve myself all day so that I could thoroughly enjoy such a magnificent meal.

My husband and I did not know the other invited guests, with the exception of one couple who we had briefly met, over a glass of wine, when we were out to dinner with our neighbors after seeing the movie Julie/Julia. Upon receiving the invite we were looking forward to an interesting evening getting to know new people. It is always a special experience to meet new people hear their stories about their families, talk about where they came from and what they are doing now. I have surmised something rather interesting from these encounters which is when you meet friends of your friends you usually find that they have a lot in common with you.

There were five couples invited to the dinner and as it turned out my husband happened to be acquainted with one of the men by way of the golf course. Not to digress but it seems that often we are fortunate to meet someone who knows someone we do and the world becomes smaller and smaller. During a trip to Ireland we were sitting at the bar of a local Irish pub in Dublin. We happen to be seated next to a woman and her daughter who after some brief conversation disclosed that they were from England. As we introduced ourselves and continued conversing we asked where in England they were from by which they responded "oh just a very small village outside of Birmingham in the north of England". I then mentioned that we had very good friends who also lived outside of Birmingham in a small village called Bewdley. He was the butcher and she was the green grocer. To our surprise our seat mates exclaimed you mean Burt and Alma Badger? And indeed it was them! The rest of our conversation naturally took a more familiar turn which lasted for several hours and through several drinks!

Now I must get back today and to the lovely dinner party we attended. As the guests arrived we were greeted by our hosts with a glass of robust red wine and introduced to each other. Without previous provocation each female guest was wearing a strand of pearls around her neck in honor of Julia! As we entered the house the smells of garlic and herbs was absolutely intoxicating. As a special touch, which I am sure our hosts ordered just for us, the sun was beginning to set creating a beautiful sky adding to the ambiance of the wonderful aromas. The last few days had been rather warm but fortunately a soothing sea breeze complimented the evening. As what usually occurs at these dinner parties the men gathered in the back yard discussing sports - probably the US Open and we female folk sat around the kitchen island drinking wine and sharing stories about cooking and family. It was the beginning of a lovely evening.

Our hostess passed around our first course which consisted of scrumptious toasted Bruschetta served on square plates painted with fun caricatures. The tomatoes were so fresh and tasty that I could have eaten at least 4 but thought best to save some room for the main course.

After we had finished the appetizer we were led to the dinning room table, set for ten, which was adorned with candles, wine glasses and bright yellow sunflowers. As we were seated it was time to toast the host and hostess and thank them for inviting us to this enchanting evening. The next course served was a lovely salad with fresh artichokes set in an edible Parmesan shell. After the salad it was time for the main course - the Boeuf Bourguignon! You could almost hear the drum roll as the entree was being served. Roasted beets, potatoes and white asparagus accompanied this exquisite meal. We savored the moment tasting wonderful flavors by candlelight, drank full bodied Cabernet's and enjoyed hours of stimulating conversation, including a few very good jokes.

Although each of us were quite full we did save room for the dessert. I don't usually partake in desserts since I am not much of a sweet lover but this dessert was definitely a special treat! The hostess served an Orange Bavarian Cream accented with spoon shaped butter cookies. The Bavarian cream was extremely light, non filling and with each bite melted in your mouth which was the perfect touch after such a heavy meal.

As we were now quite sated we relocated the party to the back yard and sat around a large patio table under the starlight sky. There we enjoyed more wine, more good conversation and a few cigars.

It was a delightful evening and we were so fortunate to meet so many wonderful new people.