Middle Eastern Feast

We went out for dinner last night to our friends Garet and Carolyn's house for a delicious collaborative middle eastern feast.  Tate and Sara, two of the owners of our fantastic local wine and beer shop Meditrina, were there as well, and brought a delicious mixed grain with lentils and quinoa, shaved cauliflower and loads of other tasty ingredients.  Our part of the feast was the two dips at the top, a homemade hummus with lemon and tahini, and a roasted eggplant dip with garlic, mint and yogurt.  G&C provided the rest. The salad was a beautiful composition of feta, endive, julienned apple, grapes and some other things which I forget.  And the main meat dish was a gorgeous braised lamb shoulder, which I intend to get the recipe for and try myself.  Best lamb I've had in ages.  All of a sudden I am a braising convert.  Maybe it is the cold weather.

We left Emmett at our friends Mike and Cheryl's house while we were out, and when we went back there to pick him up he was sound asleep with them on the couch in front of the Grammys.  He just lay there and snuggled with them until he fell asleep.  And here we were, under the impression that the only way to get him to fall asleep was in a dark, quiet room, alone in his crib.  Amazing what other people can get your children to do, isn't it?