A new tradition has begun between good friends who love good food. That is good food that we good friends like to cook together, everything from scratch, with ingredients we mostly happen to have in our respective pantries. I can’t think of a better thing to do on a lazy Sunday morning (okay… afternoon, I definitely sleep in on Sunday).

The meal usually takes at least two hours to make, but packed in those two hours are culinary lessons, laughter and a respectable Mimosa or Bloody Mary… or two. This past Sunday the theme was set for biscuits and gravy. I love these gatherings for several reasons but one reason is that I always learn something. This Sunday, while I did learn to make biscuits (buttery, flakey biscuits that acted as a wonderful pillow to homemade sausage gravy) the true lesson was in taking off the culinary safety ‘floaties’ and jumping into the pool when inspiration strikes. For example, we had a combination of ingredients we all collectively brought including a pommelo, honey grapefruit and asparagus spears that we wanted to serve on the side but weren’t sure quite how. That’s when I realized the beauty in culinary experimentation. Chef Mary ended up adding asiago cheese with the above ingredients to create a salad that was surprisingly refreshing, savory, tangy and simply delicious. What’s better is that I had brought a bottle of Sokol Blosser 2011 Estate Rose of Pinot Noir. The rhubarb, watermelon and grapefruit characteristics were a great counterpoint to the heavy biscuits and gravy and even stood up beautifully to the asparagus salad.

This past Sunday was definitely a lesson in more ways than one: take that lazy Sunday morning and turn it into a culinary dream fest to share with friends as a chance to experiment and have a few laughs while you're at it. What else will you be doing these rainy spring Sundays while you’re waiting for the sun to come out? I lift my glass of Estate Rose to you!

A toast to good friends, good food and good wine!