Scotch, Tea and Tiaras

Hard at work in the kitchen...

This seems to be the season of food at friend's houses.  The fall held the weekend at my cousin's, last weekend I had brunch at Kim's...and this past Sunday was pizza in town and then a combined effort at whisky-laced apple cake (we sort of veered off recipe).

The day started off with something new for me...a trip on New Jersey Transit. Mint tea in hand, I was off for a day of girl time with Sara and Heather.

One of the many things I loved about the day, was that it was completely unplanned and relaxed.  We decided to go into town for pizza instead of making lunch at the house, which was the original "plan." If we had followed that plan, though, I wouldn't have been introduced to french fry, chicken and hot sauce pizza or Greek salad pizza...what a tragedy that would have been!

 Delicious Insanity

Healthy, right???

I had brought two little cookbooks obtained while in Inverness a few years ago so we started to make "Apple Plate Cake" when we returned to the house. However, it quickly turned into our own boozy concoction of apples, whisky and cinnamon...mixed with a lot of laughter and a wee bit of gossip.

Cake before it went into the oven

While we waited for the cake to bake...we drank tea, whisky, wore crowns and watched Doctor Who at the Proms...you know, the usual. I also repeatedly disappointed Sara with all the movies I haven't seen.  No, I've never seen "The Godfather" or "ET."

My new snuggle buddy, Roxy

Sara donned the traditional Antlers for weekend gatherings

 And Heather introduced the ceremonial copper fish...

Cake!

Beautiful Roxy

It was a great day of relaxing and no schedules...which set the tone for the rest of my long weekend.

I very consciously watched TV for practically 2 days straight...instead of just zombie-ing out in front of the tube.  I think that, sometimes, there are great gifts to be had from TV.  Certain lines are spoken and felt deep.  They ring true with what I'm thinking or going through at the moment.  And that's a wonderful gift. It was also a great gift to not have any pressing business besides opening the door for my grocery delivery.

Should I admit that I've spent most of the weekend in my pjs, watching Bones, Community and Torchwood...while occasionally drinking red wine and eating peanut butter straight out of the jar? Why not? I also felt bizarre delight from placing my empty dinner plates on the floor and then curling up in my big orange chair to get back to the show.  I would have found this lazy and weird at one time...but this weekend I found it freeing.

It also kept me from posting this blog "on time." But I suppose it's all part of a long weekend. I took the words "days off" very seriously. 

XO