Dinner in the Garden with Friends

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Our pals Chops and Leslie came over for an outdoor barbecued dinner last week on Tuesday. The weather was perfect for it, and we had a very nice visit with these long-time friends.

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My herb garden did very well this summer, as did some of the flowers I put in pots, the key word being “some” as we had quite a few duds this year!

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The ceramic hedgehog is new to our garden, purchased at Urban Barn on Queen Street West. (I got him right after seeing his sibling over at Kim and Chris’ during this dinner at their place.)

We got our chair pads at the beginning of the summer from Home Depot. We spend a lot of time out there so to keep the ones on the big chairs looking fresh and free of sunscreen and, ahem, cat hair, I covered them with vintage cotton sheets when it was just us. Those were easy to throw in the wash and left the pads looking good for company. (See this post to see what I mean).

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The crocheted coasters are the ones I made last year (shown here). They’ve been used a lot and have held up well. I attached a plastic disk to the bottom of them that have made them perfect for icy wet drinks served outdoors.

The tablecloth is a recent new-to-us find from the thrift-store. (I have a post coming up showing you all that I found there.)

Chops brought along a nice cold bottle of white wine, Wolf Blass Yellow Label. Additional drinks included this rum punch.

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Dinner was Nick’s grilled shrimp with homemade peanut sauce to start, followed by my recipe for ribs (we don’t have them often but try to make them at least once a year during barbecue season). Side dishes were bbq baked potatoes, served with sour cream, and a big tossed salad. All was thoroughly enjoyed.

Chops is my-partner-in-crime when it comes to enjoying a good hot sauce, so I shared some of the artisan sauce I picked up at the Aboriginal Pavilion earlier this summer, seen here. It’s very good sauce, in deed.

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Leslie is an excellent baker and brought a peach and blueberry pie. It was a surprise and I’d also made some dessert — some fresh peaches seasoned with cardamom, cinnamon, a dash of sea salt and pure maple syrup — so we had a bit of each. Clearly, Ontario Peaches are in season and they’re beautiful this year.

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↑ The tray under the pie is the one found during this thrift-store trip. ↑

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As you can see, Eddie the cat loves company, and these two are especially good friends. Nick and I are with him on that point!

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They arrived in the afternoon and we talked and laughed until well after sundown (Sorry neighbours).

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Thanks for checking out my blog.
xo loulou

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