Dinner Parties

I love dinner parties. I love how everyone feels bound to complement me on my cooking, even if I only made a bean soup. I love decorating my backyard so that there are candles burning in lanterns and the table is set with my best glasses, filled with cocktails and with a sparkling salt rim. Unfortunately my dog Herman tends to ruin the ambience, as anyone who's had the fortune to meet him will know. He's a little barrel-chested dog we got from the RSPCA, and who has a complex about the fact that he isn't human. His favourtite food is pasta, and if you feed him spaghetti bolognaise he will leave the meat and eat the pasta. I'm having a dinner party tomorrow night, for about six people, possibly more. No pasta will be served, much to Herman's dismay. I'm making lemon and chilli marinated olives, baby carrot, snow pea and fetta salad and paprika and orange marinated fish kebabs. And for dessert, a chickpea and apricot cake served with yoghurt and pistachios. I was talking about the menu to my aunt on Christmas Day... she tried to valiently to sound like the cake was a nice idea, it was quite touching. My nan sounded enthusiastic, but then she went to sleep on my bed, wearing a party hat, so I'm taking that with a pinch of salt. I'm hoping that the (pureed) chickpeas will lend the cake a dense, nutty texture, rather than making it taste like... well, chickpeas. If it is a success, I will post the recipe.