We had a dinner party last weekend and I felt it was such a success. Success is such a relative word, and what I mean is that we all have different ideas of what constitutes success.

I had invited 16 people and only 3 came. I had planned 6 dishes and served only 4. I had hoped to buy water goblets for the table, but the week flew by and it never happened. Still we had a great time!

Felice brought a wonderful bottle of red wine, which added to the convivial atmosphere. J showed everyone around the farm while I cooked. There was laughter and romance (I do love romance).

We had set the table outside in the grass. One of the many successes was that we only had a rustic wooden table big enough for 6 people, so I was able to get closer to the Italian dinner I was going for. See, God knew just the right amount of folks to have at our first dinner party! I served Arugula Salad and Beets with a wonderful Fusilli with Beet Greens. I threw together an antipasto with fresh mozzarella and J grilled a lamb roast.

As the evening wore on we sat in the living room with guitars and sang songs together. There were few songs that any of us knew all the way through (with the exception of Felice who should be on one of those shows where you sing the lyrics to songs in various categories). Still, just being together in the living room after breaking bread was wonderful for me. I could feel the abundance of squash and pumpkins cushioning my spirit with their fullness and the warm personalities of the folks attending left me feeling cozy. I could feel the love and that matters so much to me. Yes, I call that success.

How about you? I would love to hear from all of you about a success you recently had, big or small?