So last night was my turn to host my fabulous book club girls.

Hostess me – is one very happy person.

It was one of those evenings when I wish I could record all the conversations and save it in a time capsule for those rainy days.

My Italian friends have a way of making any evening feel like the best evening ever! So I decided to add a little Italian flare to the menu.

It is officially summer in Cape Town , I wanted to make something the girls could enjoy without feeling guilty when they wake up the next morning … you know – food wise – no mention of the wild conversations and copious glasses of bubbles and vino 🙂

..and very important , I wanted to visit with my friends and not get stuck in the kitchen.

For a lovely starter , a cold gazpacho soup is always a winner – and my blend of fresh tomato, cucumber, black pepper, onion, red vine vinegar and a dash of Chardonnay was a huge hit. Straining the solution through a muslin cloth make for a very smooth silky soup. A little olive tapanade to go a red onion and flax seed crackers had the girls completely satisfied  – and I could relax and be part of all the juicy conversations.

Main course was a big bowl of courgette pasta – drizzled with olive oil and served with a rich , garlicky arrabiata on the side.

My faithful NutriBullet makes sauces a pleasure to prepare – place one cup of sundries tomato, one red onion, 4 dates and three garlic cloves and blend till smooth – you can add water to make the consistency smoother.

Raw pineapple cheese cake, made yesterday – out of the freezer 20min before serving – with fresh lavender to garnish from the garden.

One happy, easy , stress free evening – with all yummy healthy food and even a few minutes at the end for a quick book swap – it is a book club after all !

Carmen xxx