Good Food, Good Friends

{I have no idea why this posts in all caps when it does not look that way in editing.  Strange but I don't have time to keep messing with it.  Enjoy. }

I made a meal yesterday for two musically talented friends who came to town to play a gig.  I offered to make them food as I'm all into this entertaining without cleaning utopia.  I did actually do a bit of cleaning but I just don't get stressed out about it.  I mostly tidied up a week's worth of daily clutter and swept our one hardwood floor that shows all the dust bunnies, dog prints, and crumbs.

I have several go-to meals I pull out of my hat that are easy to put together and still make a good impression.  Homemade pizzas are a big winner~especially if you ask the kids to help scoop the sauce and decorate the pies.  A Mexican burrito or tostado bar is another.  This is the one I did today as I came across this great recipe for a Mexican-inspired quinoa dish from Damn Delicious.  I woke up early yesterday morning and made the quinoa dish so it would be ready and I'd only have to reheat it.

(Sarah Prineas, Maribeth Boelts, and Jill Esbaum)

I spent my day at the public library for a book festival.  We had an amazing time.  There were book characters, yoga story time, music, drama, and three Iowa authors.  This was the first festival and I think a few things we could do differently but in general it was a good time for all.  Groovy Girl had the opportunity to "be" Olivia and she LOVED it.  She hugged lots of small people, posed for photos, danced and generally played it up.  It was hot and sweaty in the costume yet at the end of the day she didn't want to take off the huge costume.

After the book festival it was easy for me to wash some greens, saute a pound of grass-fed beef with homemade taco seasonings, reheat the quinoa dish, and fill little bowls with sour cream, cilantro, cheese, and avocado.  Right before they arrived I heated corn tortillas on our griddle just enough to make them crunchy.  And the best part was cracking open a container of feta cheese to sprinkle over the top.  Mmm.  It was good, not too heavy, and we were able to eat within about 45 minutes so my friends could travel the 8 minutes to set up their equipment.  The most important thing was the lovely conversation around the table between my two children, my two young guests, and myself.  There was storytelling and laughing.  Entertainment bliss.