"Bunco!"

OK, let me just start this post by prefacing that it certainly isn't to showcase great pictures. I just realized that I don't think that I've ever done a bunco post! One of the clubs that PIM has is bunco and I so look forward to attending it each month! It's so nice to just sit and chat, eat yummy food and play a game (now and then with the perk of walking away with some money). Plus, I figure with the little $10 buy-in that's just enough to cover my share of the meal anyway - so the entertainment is like a fun bonus! Anyway, last Tuesday was my first time hosting bunco and I decided that I wanted to have a twilight garden party. Autumn is my favorite time of year and I thought it would be fun to enjoy some fruits of the harvest and relish in the newly arrived crispness in the air by eating/playing outside. So! I hung lanterns from the tree in our backyard, draped a blanket over each chair, put standing lanterns on each table, and we mounted an electric light in the tree to shine down once it got really dark - so that we could still see those dice!
For our meal we enjoyed pear sauce that Mark had canned from pears that his father grew (yum!) and either taco soup or zucchini soup in bread bowls. This picture is of the zucchini soup (topped with roasted red bells, fresh herbs, shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano, and toasted pinenuts) - it turned out really yummy! A big thanks to Shauna for the idea of making zucchini soup (I'd never heard of it), and to my father-in-law for his garden zucchinis! We also had a green salad with dried cranberries, crumbled feta, fresh apple, and caramelized pecans (that was the first time that I'd caramelized nuts before!) and either raspberry or cranberry vinaigrette.
For drinks we enjoyed our locally produced Apple Beer - which nostalgically reminds me of the brewed apple soda called Fassbrause that I drank while living in Germany (I guess the company that produces Fassbrause actually conceded to let their formula be produced in America by Apple Beer almost 50 years ago). And for nice, warm drinks we enjoyed cider and cocoa. Maybe it was just that I hadn't eaten all day with things being so crazy busy, but I thought things all tasted really good! I have to be sure to give credit to Mark for swooping in at the last minute before the party started and helping me finish everything off...and then for making the entire peach crisp for our dessert. Thanks, sweetheart.

Anyway, we were able to enjoy our meals by lantern light, and then cozy up in our blankets and play some bunco! Congrats to Jessica for winning the cash pot for both the most games and buncos (seriously, whenever that happens it's either a new player or someone that's pregnant - Jess is the latter)...and to Claire for being the loser (the loser gets their $10 back)!
Thanks for coming ladies, I had a great time! I can't wait to bunco at your house next month, Danielle!