Delicious food!!! Baked brie with cranberry sauce and walnuts AND Brown-sugared bacon-wrapped pineapple. I’m smiling at the wine glasses. From left to right: Arlete with a medium amount of ice, Phyllis with mostly ice, and Merrilyn with NO ice. And that’s how we roll.Dessert – Chocolate caramel macadamia nut tart – incredibly wonderful.For those who have been asking (thank you, faithful blog readers!), here’s the green fringe vest:Thank you Merrilyn for hosting this always-fun get-together!

The second bloom of a Christmas cactus:Always great food. Today, potstickers and veggie bars, margaritas (yum!) and wine.For dessert a tropical bread with pineapple, coconut and macadamias.Great friends and conversation – the perfect way to start the new year!

The first thing I did when I arrived was to tell Phyl she was going to kill me for choosing Thursday at Merrilyn’s instead of going for an x-ray of my left hip. This gathering was just too important to me, I’ll go tomorrow morning. She rolled her eyes and gave me the finger wag! Delicious appetizers: Apple Gruyere Tarts, Sausage Crescent Rolls, Chicken Wings!Merrilyn’s Banana Bread for dessert:Always so fun much fun! Dave and Phyl loaned me a cane – what a difference it has made in my ability to get around.

Always a fun get-together with delicious treats. Tiny Reuben sandwiches, Endive with goat cheese/orange/walnuts/sweet balsamic reduction, and Jalapeno jelly over whipped cream cheese. Dessert! Brownies with Moose Tracks ice cream. Oh my!

These get-togethers are always fun. In two hours, we can never quite cover every important topic. Another round of good food. I made a tomato tart to practice for the next Throwdown. Merrilyn made a terrific frittata and Phyl made a carrot cake for dessert.

A beautiful afternoon with good friends and good food.Bacon-wrapped pineapple and cherry cream cheese spread for crackers or fruit:For dessert: peach cobbler a la mode:

Always fun and always delicious!

Merrilyn has a beautifully landscaped yard. This Philadelphus was in full bloom:

Always great food!
and dessert!

Thank you Merrilyn for hosting our get-together every time.

Phyl and I love our get-togethers at Merrilyns’. The food is always so great. Phyl made Shrimp Toasts:

Merrilyn made Norwegian lefsa:

I needed to practice my Throwdown dish for the next RLEHS Sunday Social, so I made Blood Orange and White Chocolate Cream Cups:

Everything was yummy. Thanks Merrilyn for having us over.

Except it’s Wednesday. We changed the date because I work in Placerville tomorrow and the time because of Project Ride Smart. Thank you, good friends.
As always, great food, wine, conversation, and best of all, time with friends.