Ready and Waiting...

My fridge is groaning under the weight of its load! It's stacked to the brim with all good things to eat and drink! I'm waiting on a good friend of mine to arrive. She is visiting me for the next three days. We've a lot of catching up to do! Champagne, white wine, beer and juices are chilling. Red wine is stored where it should be stored...and I've enough food to feed two armies! So I think we're in for a culinary weekend! Tonight, I'm cooking thick, juicy rump steak with oven-roasted Roma tomatoes and field mushrooms, both of which are presently marinating gently in garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and fresh herbs from my garden. I will serve those with grilled Haloumi cheese as an accompaniment to the steak. Also I'm going to serve 'smashed potatoes'...par-boiled, then smashed lightly, sprinkled with olive oil, crushed garlic, a splash or two of fresh lemon juice, fresh rosemary leaves, crisp pancetta and finished off in the oven. A tossed salad will be a side dish. I've a chocolate Bavarian cheesecake to have as dessert with ice-cream. Debbie, my friend, has a very sweet tooth. I've also got a couple of punnets of strawberries which I'm thinking I will marinate in orange juice, sugar and brandy for tomorrow evening's dessert...with whipped cream, of course! I'm going to make a chicken and mushroom pasta for Saturday evening. On Sunday while watching the Broncos whip the Storm's butt, I'll be making pizza. Sounds all right, doesn't it? Plus I have so many other goodies to pick on as when our taste buds take control! (Or get out of control!)

So...there's going to be a lot of eating, drinking, talking and laughter throughout the next couple of days or so!