the famous cheese heart

wow, i've lost track of time yet again. we had a party at our house on 9/17 and this brought many culinary delights to the table:
- i used too much mayo in my artichoke dip. lesson learned: never skip measuring the mayo because it will make the measuring cup dirty. that or learn to eyeball measurements better.
- rice chips are good. a friend brought them and they were tasty. and supposedly good for you too!
- let someone else man the grill at your next party (unless you're obsessed). it was nice to sit back and let a guest run the show. secret: don't turn on the gril and eventually a hungry man will do it for you.
- get some sort of party gimmick serving device. the salsa sombrero some good friends brought as a house-warming gift in 2000 STILL gets the most compliments of anyone at the party.

finally, i learned that it's a good idea to invite someone who graduated from culinary school to your event. i did and she brought the now famous cheese heart: a simple blend of cream & blue cheeses coated in parmesan and molded into the shape of a heart (she said it's the only shape she had on hand, but i suspect she was sending a subliminal message to make people love her creation). to top it off, D (the "she") brought barely-toasted rounds of baguette with a touch of basil oil to accompany her masterpiece. it had depth, it had creaminess, and it had flair. it was perfect. i'm waiting for the right moment to purchase my own mold (a little cow perhaps?) and spring the culinarily advanced cheese heart on another party i attend soon!