Dinner with Neighbors

Last night we invited our neighbors over for dinner.  They are the same age as our parents, and we just love being around them.  Jon is the type of person that will just come over and help Ian if he sees him working in the yard.  Monika was the first person to stop over to our home after we moved in with a plate of German sweets. 

We sat out on the patio and chatted before dinner.  Jon and Monika are just filled with so much wisdom.  They really encouraged us to take as much vacation time as we could from work to spend time together and have fun adventures.  Seems like a no-brainer, but this is something we could definitely improve upon.  They love life and they take a month vacation to Europe each summer.  I totally see the correlation.

We kept dinner quick and easy because I wanted to spend more time chatting with them than slaving away over the stovetop.  I marinated chicken in a Greek vinaigrette that Ian grilled outside.  Before work yesterday, I made the sauce that we love to top the grilled chicken with -- lemon juice, plain Greek yogurt, feta cheese, and herbs.

We had a green jacket salad (I really need to share that recipe) and this bean dish which Jon raved about.  It was super easy -- just rinse cans of garbanzo beans and cannelini beans, toss them with halved kalamata olives, herbs, red wine vinegar, and olive oil.  I added some diced celery for crunch.

Monika brought dessert -- a sopapilla cherry cheesecake that was out of this world. 

We loved our mid-week dinner with neighbors and can't wait to have them over again soon.