My recipe for a perfect evening . . .

Friends showing up around 4ish in the afternoon with their bag of what they committed to bring (from a prior series of texts or calls).

By 5ish a half-dozen of us are sous-cheffing away at our respective tasks (cleaning up as best we can while we drink too much wine and laugh almost until we cry)

By 7ish we’re sitting down to an absolutely scrumptious six-eight course meal with ample time to savor every bite while deep-diving into a topic that naturally bubbles-up.

By 9ish we’re wobbling into the kitchen to help return the kitchen into the same condition as we found it upon arrival.

By 11ish - snoring -

Rinse. Repeat.