On Our Own

The house party that raged for five straight days and nights is now over. Bob and Jane and Rachel and Noah and Isaac and Leo and Jacob have packed up their suitcases and multiple bags of baby gear, cheese, salami, etc. etc. etc. and have flown away leaving Steve and I all by ourselves in paradise. The silence after all the hoopla is truly overwhelming. Now we are faced with the wonderful reality of having this fabulous house, these incredible vistas all to ourselves for a week--just enough time to recuperate and get ready for the next wave of festivities when Jeelu and Elliott, Josh and Asha arrive.

We've given Marcella the rest of the day off and have decided to eat out of the refrigerator for our lunch and dinner. And what a refrigerator awaits us! An incredible selection of cheese and meats, various pasta sauces, leftover ribollita, grilled vegetables. . . you get the picture. . .not to mention the delicous biscotti, cookies and a beautiful torte filled with pureed prunes that Giovanna, Marcella's assistant, baked for us over the last few days.

Last night's dinner, the final debauch of the Toll visit (It's shocking the number of bottles of wine consumed while they were here!) was incredible as always. The highlight was Marcella's very special ravioli stuffed with percorino and pear and parmesean. All of us were blown away by the combination of flavors. And, to think, I will get to eat this again...