Isn’t it lovely to spend a weekend as a guest in a beautiful house on a lake?  We did just that a weekend or so ago.  Our friends, Stuart and Dean (and their doggies, Milly and Zach), issued the invite with the caveat that “you do absolutely nothing.”  And, you know what, that is exactly what we did.  What they didn’t tell us was that they had the entire weekend planned.  We were wined and dined and driven to their favorite spots and lifted not a hand to help.  I think it was a first for me.
Our introductory meal was lunch in a lovely restaurant in a nearby Relais and Chateau hotel that featured a sushi pizza – which, although it sounds a little wonky, was quite tasty;deep fried sushi rice cake topped with tuna and roe – what could be bad, eh?  Dinner was cooked by both Stuart and Dean – flatbreads on the grill – the dough made by Stuart’s hand – followed by grilled lamb chops that had been marinated in some marvelous Middle Eastern sauce hatched from Dean’s creativity and served with grilled fresh figs.  Still to come was Dean’s made-from-scratch lasagne – he did everything from the pasta dough to the sauce to putting it all together.  The finale was Stuart’s Thai rice pudding with mango sauce.  Dinner was served on the deck overlooking the lake with nary a bug in sight.  So unbelievably peaceful and relaxing.  Breakfast was Dean’s Healthy Oat Bran Pancakes and Raspberries and our send-off lunch was a delicious Thai Curry Scallop dish that they pulled together remembering their cooking class in Thailand. Stuart and Dean, thank you so much for sharing your home and your hospitality.  Do you take reservations?