CD That's Me

The first weekend of my summer vacation has passed. I have left my house all of about four times. Once to go on a long run, another time to venture to Williams Sonoma, a third time to go on a leisurely drive along the shore searching for something new and the last to go to pilates. It usually takes me about four or five days to fully unwind, but as soon as I cross that bridge, this socialite becomes a true homebody.

Dinner parties are common at our house during the summer. We love to eat al fresco and to entertain. Truth be told, I would personally rather stay home and cook dinner for my family and friends than go out, especially in the summer. My profession sometimes forces me to be out, to network and to make small talk. And please don’t get me wrong, when I am out, I thoroughly enjoy and fully embrace the scene. But when I have some free time, I easily transform into a barefoot in the kitchen, no make up on my face and sporting a no fuss outfit kind of girl. It does not matter that I have a fresh pedicure, a summer glow and actually spent time crafting my no fuss outfits. Point is, my body and mind are here. And there is just something about the informality of it all, that make it cool.

Dinner parties give you the chance to really talk to people you really want to, to eat great food and drink great wine. Saturday night was a perfect example of this. We invited Andy and Didi and Mark and Nancy over for my Mike’s homemade paella (featured above) and sangria (recipe compliments of Jessie at Sonsie). Andy brought over the most delish Spanish wine (Flor de Pingus 2003) and Nancy brought an assortment of cupcakes from the new bakery. We drank and ate like Basque kings and queens. And then retired to the pool house to enjoy one last glass of vino with our dessert.

The food, the wine and the company was all this homebody needed.