On Sunday night I had my dad, his wife and two of their friends over for dinner to thank them for their help with my bathroom remodel.
I forgot to download a “Before” photo. Here are a few “Afters”:
Yes, the curtain and walls (and soap!) are pink. I consider myself lucky that I don’t share my bathroom with anyone so I could make it as girly as I like.
The hexagon-tile floor replaced stick-down Linoleum squares that were at one time white. Stick-down Linoleum? So not-so 1904.
For dinner I made Creamy Chicken Lasagna. I’ve made it before and it’s one of my favorites. Like any lasagna, there’s quite a bit of prep work, but I really don’t have a problem investing time when the results are dependable and as great tasting as this dish. I tossed together a simple salad and served it with Julie’s Dressing. I also had a garlic-asiago loaf of bread that just needed to be heated in the oven about 15 minutes.
For dessert I made Ganache-Topped Brownie Bites. Again, I had made these before but had a problem with sticking so I wound up with Ganache-Tops instead. Knowing that I made sure I used plenty of shortening to grease the pans this time around, but I still had trouble getting the brownies out of the pans intact. Maybe I should have cooked them longer, but I kind of like them mushy and I was afraid they would get dried out. If I do ever make these again, I will use paper baking cups. The bites below are about the only ones that came out in one piece. Still, they tasted yummy.
Overall the dinner was a success. I don’t think anyone went home hungry and we managed to polish off two big bottles of wine—definitely more fun than writing a big check to an electrician or plumber!