Sometimes, you just need to be around people who just don’t give a damn about where you work or what you do. They have the unique ability to leave the day’s work behind and enjoy the little things in life. This is where my neighbor Daisy comes in (isn’t that just the nicest name for a neighbor?).

For those of you that know me, you know that I love my job!  I get to talk to awesome Chefs everyday, learn people’s stories, travel from time-to-time and eat great food – lots of it.

At the same time, I’ve never worked so hard in my entire life! All successful small business owners understand this. At Into the Soup, we have about seven divisions to our company, but only two full time employees and one outstanding intern. We eat, drink and sleep this company, and we’re getting really good at it. Talking about into the Soup is about 90% of what we do.

But, Daisy doesn’t care. When Daisy comes over, she always has a smile on her face, her hair is done, she wears a super cool (hot) outfit and is calm and relaxed. The one thing that Daisy almost never brings up is work, and I love her for it.

This week, it was my turn to supply the cocktails, so we whipped up pomegranate vodka lemonade, sat out by the pool, and watched the world return to normal after one of those massive Arizona monsoons.

And, we talked. We have a lot in common. Our kids go to the same school and Daisy is from my grandmother’s home town in Washington State. But before this day, we did not really know much about each other. You see, this is the first time in how many years we have had the chance to sit down and not be surrounded by kids, spouses, or events.

We found out that we both have a passion for house plants; that staying home during your vacation is sometimes better than travelling; that she loves shoes while I go for comfort; and the fact that we both miss Washington state in the summer. We talked about everything and nothing at all! 

The time was like a mini-vacation and was one of my favorite times in while.  She invited me down to her house for dinner with a big group of people – I declined.  I wanted to savor this time together, and since my house was empty that night, I sat in my chair and wrote this down.

Wondering where the food part comes in on this one? 

Well, since I only needed to sate my own appetite and the TV was mine, I turned on my infinite playlist of Law & Order and tried to open a can of Chef Boy-R-D ravioli that I had bought for my husband as a joke. Thank God my can opener broke. 

The frig was bare but I came up with a French omelet, a few juicy green grapes and a romaine salad with a light champagne vinaigrette. I switched from vodka lemonade to a lovely glass of Pinto Gris and relaxed.

Thanks, Daisy! Here’s to the next girl’s night in.

Live well, eat well

Heidi