SLUMBER PARTY!!!

I moved. My old place was awesome, but it was time to go and now I am sleeping on my parents couch. Great. But before I left the old apartment I had an impromptu slumber party!!! Carrie and Erik came over to take a look at this itty bitty kitten I found, who thankfully has been adopted, and we figured what the heck, we just ate dinner, why not take a nap and wake up and have breakfast together. Cousin Sally also joined us for an al fresco meal. I am really going to miss that backyard.
For dinner I made Erik's favorite, farro salad. This time I made it with lots of yummy garden herbs, fresh parsley, basil and even some tarragon. This was my first tarragon application and I am seriously hooked. I also added some sauteed fresh leeks and garlic, raisins, tomatoes and raw pine nuts.
I also made a corn salad, with fresh boiled corn, cucumbers, fresh tomatoes, italian frying peppers, parsley, lime juice, a little rice wine vinegar and olive oil. This I served with some grilled shrimp, (no photo). which was marinated in salt, pepper, olive oil, lime, paprika, fresh garlic, cumin and cayenne pepper.
As a side I roasted beets and tossed them warm with tarragon, olive oil, salt and pepper. Beets and tarragon, thats a powerfully delicious flavor combination that I am happy I discovered.
Erik and Carrie rode all the way to Queens from Harlem on the train with a uncooked Apple Pie. Carrie was upset because she spilled the pie juice all over herself and some other unlucky passengers. If they licked that juice up and they would feel lucky though. This pie is Aunt Sue's secret award winning apple pie recipe. I will somehow get a hold of that recipe if I have to fly to Salt Lake, find Aunt Sue and take her hostage. Watch out Aunt Sue, this apple pie is too good for your own good. The crust was perfect, flakey and almost savory. The apples were spiced perfectly and it was just the perfect amount of juice (after Carrie dumped it!). We ate the entire pie like a bunch of gluttons! And it was one of those gigantic pie plates. Extra Large.
The next morning my wonderful guests whipped us up a batch of pumpkin pancakes. They were so good. They even added some chocolate chips to a few which tasted more like dessert to me than breakfast and they were like, "what's the problem with that?" Erik and Carrie add chocolate chips to everything, apparently. What a great slumber party it was. Pigging out and sleeping; thats a flavor combination.