Dinner a go-go

Here's how it worked tonight in the dead of winter when six friends who live in close proximity decided to hold a progressive dinner card party:


First stop was hors d'oeuvres, which included humus topped with pine nuts, pictured above, along with sliced sausage, grapes, cheese and a wonderful warm crab and artichoke dip. I dig artichokes. Some of you might have already heard about my artichoke dream. It was a great way to get the party started.


At each stop along the way we played a hand or two of this fun, complicated card game known as hand and foot. And then it was off to the next house.


The second course featured a salad, bruchetta and a different twist on Italian wedding soup, which changed up the ingredients by adding white beans. Delicious.

The main dish at the next house was a baked Rachel sandwich with a most-excellent apple sauerkraut on pumpernickel. Superb.

Then we moved to the final destination for desert starring a lemon and white chocolate cheesecake by Hollyday Cheesecakes. If you live in Pennsylvania's Mon Valley and haven't discovered her deserts it's your loss. It was served with an iced decaffeinated chamomile tea blended with a bottle of V8 V-Fusion Mango Smoothie.

And then everyone - except for me because the last house belongs to me - slid their way home in a dangerous ice storm.


"I think this would work better in the summer," one of the guests remarked.