We began our first dinner club with four other couples who enjoyed food as much as us, and who also happened to be dear friends. We enjoyed our season of Dinner Club while it lasted, about 7 years.

The idea we had was to travel the world one meal at a time. I even made little passports for us to stamp for the different countries we “visited.”

We decided to rotate homes, and whoever was hosting got to choose which country we would visit. The host would also make the main dish. All others would sign up to bring an appetizer, side dish or dessert. Each recipe had to be authentic to the country.

We had no idea how much we would learn about other cultures and how much fun we would have doing it.

Our Dinner Club lasted so long that we exhausted all the countries we wanted to visit. We even tried a few countries whose food we didn’t like.

The ones that made the best memories for us were, Japan—We set up on the living room with a folding table, flat set on top of bricks. All of us sat on pillows with Japanese paper lanterns hung from the ceiling to make it cozy. We ate sushi with chopsticks and drank saki and green tea. It was such fun.

Another memorable one was Peru. This was a country many of us had not considered for we knew nothing about their cuisine. We were pleasantly surprised. I remember bringing the dessert—Poached Pears with a caramel sauce. It was fantastic!

Our final year we added another couple and traveled different areas of the USA, instead of the world. My favorite was the low-country of South Carolina.

The new couple vacationed there often and she made the best Shrimp and Grits I’ve had in my life! She was generous to share her recipe, but like most good cooks, it wasn’t written down. I had to figure out amounts and I’m happy to say I nailed it.

Our final dinner together was a good but sad one; one of the couples was moving out of state and it was their turn to host. The theme they chose was Wild West with the main course, Bison Steak. It was so delicious and the perfect way to end our dinner club with a “Happy Trails…to you…until we meet again…” We are all still friends, and we cherish those years we had together around the table.

In marriage not only is it important to be good friends, it’s just as important to have good friends. The kind of friends who not only laugh with you, but will help walk with you through difficulty. The kind of friends who will ask good questions when you’re struggling with your spouse. The ones who will be honest even when they know it will be hard to hear. Friends like these will help your marriage not only survive, but thrive. We thank God for the friends He’s given us, most of them for decades.

Good food, good fun, good friends. The best way to enjoy life.

Anna’s Low-Country Shrimp and Grits

Ingredients for Shrimp and Sausage

• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lb. Andouille sausage, sliced in 2″ pieces
• olive oil for frying
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1/2 green and red bell pepper diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• Thyme, salt and pepper to taste
• Heavy cream

Ingredients for Grits

• Grits, stone ground (not instant)
• Chicken broth
• 4 oz. cream cheese, cut in small cubes
• Heavy cream
• Green onions, chopped for garnish

Directions:

Sauté sausage until heated through and remove from pan; set aside. Sauté shrimp in same pan until halfway cooked and remove from pan.

Sauté onion, bell peppers, garlic together until cooked and onions are translucent. Add seasonings to taste. Add cream to cover and cook down about half. Place in blender or food processor and add cream cheese. Blend to desired thickness.

Place back in pan with shrimp and sausage. Simmer until ready to serve.

Served over cooked grits made by following directions on package substituting chicken broth for the water. Once fully cooked add heavy cream to desired consistency and heat.

Serve with shrimp and sausage over grits and garnish with chopped green onions (green part only)