Dinner for Jenn and John

From noon on till seven at night, I spent cooking for a dinner for in_water_writ and 1takejohnny since they're in town. I'm very pleased with myself. I made butternut squash soup, apricot and cippolini braised chicken, stuffed portobello mushrooms, and brussel sprouts. I had no idea a butternut squash was so difficult to break down; peeling, chopping, and seeding three decent-sized ones took the better part of an hour. I also had four pots of the chicken braising on the stovetop at once, a juggling act that I am incredibly proud to have pulled off. This is the second time I made that dish, and last time I forgot to add the apricots at the right time, and had to overdo the dish trying to get them to the proper consistency, but this time around things came out tender and lovely. It was a really fantastic evening, with good company and good conversation. I'm so glad to hear that Jenn and John will be moving back into town; I've really missed having her around.