Weekday Entertaining - Ice Cream & Baseball

 A few times a month we have friends over for dinner.  It's usually a different mix of people each time, but the one consistent factor is that dinner is relaxed.  It's all about friendship, good food, and laughter.  There are usually kids climbing off chairs to run and play, we're inevitably late serving dinner, and more often than not Monty is waiting with baited breath for a two year old's scrap of food to hit the floor.  It never really matters when you're amongst friends though, does it?

I love that because I stay home, I can offer a meal to a friend who has had a long day at work.  Or a pregnant friend who is exhausted.  Or friends who have been struggling financially.  Or friends who we haven't had time to hangout with.  Or just a friend who needs to know how much I appreciate them.  And really, sharing a meal with friends is something you can do even if you're working.

Dinner doesn't have to be fancy.  Everything for this menu was put together in advance and didn't take long to throw together.

• Salad with chopped green apple, dried cranberries, cashews and homemade poppy seed dressing (red onion, cider vinegar, sugar, honey, & olive oil blended in a blender, then add poppy seeds)
• Tomato, onion, and cucumber salad with vinagrette (Amy made this with fresh veggies from the garden!) 
• Summer fruit salad that Amanda made
• Orzo pasta salad (orzo pasta rinsed in cold water tossed with toasted pine nuts, chopped dried cherries, basil chiffinade, feta cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper)
• grilled turkey burger sliders with a spicy mayo (mayo, lemon juice, paprika, powdered garlic, & cayenne), guacamole (purchased pre-made at Costco!), cheddar, and bacon  

When dinner is followed by m&ms ice cream & baseball in the backyard.  Does it really matter what the menu was?