Lotsa Pasta on Black Friday

Marathon Man and Chef MJ threw a dinner party on Friday night in the beautiful loft space where MJ works and yes, I am so jealous - a cook's dream! The open kitchen in the loft has gorgeous granite countertops, more All Clad cookware than you could possibly need, two stoves, a stovetop grill, two subzero fridge, two dishwashers and beautiful exposed brick and hardwood floors.

Anyway, on to the reason we were there...to eat & drink! Since the couple had some wonderful sous-chefs (with both Moms in attendance) we simply relaxed, sipping champagne and noshing on sun-dried tomato bruschetta, bean dip w/crudite and a delicious cheese and cracker spread. All I need is some blue cheese and a hearty red wine and I'm in paradise!

After hors d'oeuvres, we had an intermezzo of sorts courtesy of Momma Marathon Man. Shrimp wrapped in pancetta, marinaded in garlic, white wine, various herbs and spices, then grilled to perfection on the aforementioned stovetop grill. The shrimp were firm enough to stand up to the saltiness of the pancetta and not the least bit rubbery which shrimp can do if they are over-marinaded. I have one word for this simple yet flavorful dish - OHMIGOD!

The pasta courses didn't disappoint either. There was a traditional rigatoni with meatballs, Chef MJ's signature pesto pasta, dairy-free homemade ravioli (hypo-allergenic for one guest), chicken parmigiana, hot and sweet sausage with peppers & onions, a mixed greens salad, and parmesean-garlic crusted toasts. Not too shabby for the day after Thanksgiving, huh?

Everything was fabulous and the company was equally delightful, a combination of family, friends and co-workers, all with a love of food, wine and our gracious hosts.

But wait there's more... after indulging in some more wine (RFW had moved onto Grey Goose dirty martinis at this point) we had dessert.

I brought a chocolate mousse cheesecake courtesy of my 'go-to' gourmet market, The Garden of Eden. Other tasty sweet treats included deliciously decadent cupcakes from Amy's Bread, apple pie, dairy-free chocolate cake, blondies, cream puffs and shortbread. Trying to sample as many sweets as my growing stomach could handle, I found each dessert to be better, richer and sweeter than the last.

After the "adults" had called it a night and settled in for a relaxing food coma, the girls hung around for a bit. I moved onto Frangelico, solely for the medicinal purpose of easing my sore throat of course, and we drank and helped load the dishwashers, sympathizing with the large pots that were going to be greeting Chef MJ in the morning. After a few more hours of drinking, dancing around to Rockstar's iPod, and then second and third helpings of pasta, we finally called it a night around 4am.

Now there's something to be thankful for!