One of my favorite dinners includes: zucchini grilled with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic paired with salmon that has also been grilled and is crusty golden brown on both sides. In my perfect dinner world, there is a salad that includes: spinach, mixed greens and butter lettuce, sliced tomato, edamame, snap peas, a bit of fresh mushroom, goat cheese crumbles, small chunks of pear, maybe a tiny bit of crisp bacon pieces, some grated parmesan and a lite balsamic vinaigrette.

Dessert, always the most important part of the meal, would be some kind of dark chocolate decadence covered in a rich chocolate frosting, or perhaps a thick hot fudge. This would all be accompanied by hot coffee and enjoyed with pleasant conversation and friends. It would be a relaxing evening when no one is a hurry to get anywhere.

One of my other favorite dinners happens occasionally and is always appreciated. After I’ve been planning and preparing meals, which I enjoy very much, admittedly, once-in-a-while, I get tired of planning. So, I love to go out to eat. I can order what I want and I don’t have to cook it or think about what I have available. This is also a time to enjoy the company of one or more special people and consume vast amounts of coffee.

The best communion happens around the table, whether it is in or out and I place great value on all of those times. On a hike, recently, with a dear friend, we enjoyed the delicate ambrosia of trail mix, Cheese Its and Pull n Peel! The photos are from that day.