We had dear friends stop by for an all-too-brief overnight visit.

The fun thing about overnight visits is being able to just sit and talk without having to look at a clock. Not that any of us really drink very much, but nor is there need for a designated driver. It’s just sit back and relax.

I had to work, so Victor got the meal together. Bruschetta for starters with wine, and then tomato salad – with the last of the tomatoes from our garden – and lasagne.

Neither Ann nor Julie are large-portion eaters, so Victor actually scaled back his lasagne to a manageable size. A remarkable feat, considering how we usually do things.

We started off with a simple bruschetta.

Toasted baguettes with roasted red pepper, basil, and shredded cheese started the evening – along with wine, of course.

And then we sat down to a tomato salad.

Simple tomatoes with olive oil hand-carried from Sicily. Basil, salt, and pepper. You don’t need anything else.

And then…  The Lasagne.

The dish was layered with sauce, pasta, cheeses – mozzarella, provolone, asiago, parmesan, romano, and ricotta – pasta, sauce, sausage, more cheese more pasta, more sauce… Stunning in its simplicity, yet screaming with flavor. He does good lasagne.

Trying to keep with the small-portion mind-set, I did dessert crespelles. A crespelle is an Italian version of a crêpe. Made slightly different, yet, definitely the same concept. I decided to do an Italian take on a Crêpe Suzette – using an Arancello liqueur we brought back from Sicily.

I made the crespelle, and then, into a skillet, I added a pat of butter and then a couple shots of the arancello. I cooked it down a bit then added the juice of two oranges, boiled that down, a bit, then about a quarter-cup of heavy cream and some thin strips of orange zest.

I placed each crespelle into the pan, covered it with the sauce and folded then into quarters. Onto the plate with a bit more sauce on top. It came out a bit like an orange creamsicle.

Early morning pumpkin rolls and they were in the car and on their way.

Way too short of a visit – not even 18 hours – but we had a grand time, nonetheless.

And promises to have a longer visit really soon!