Our friend Bob was in town tonight, so we had him and his son and Jay over for an impromptu dinner. I had already started this earthy, mushroom-black bean chili that cooks in the slow cooker, so the dinner was easy to put together. I liked the chili – I used Rancho Gordo Vaquero beans instead of standard black beans.

• Slow-Cooker Black Bean-Mushroom Chili (EatingWell, Winter 2004)
  
• Napa Pantry World’s Best Cornbread
  
• Butter Lettuce with Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette (American Classics, p. 32)
• Pfefferneusse (Williams-Sonoma Cooking at Home)

Wine:
– Lucia 2006 Gary’s Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara Highlands, California). Delicious.
– Kosta Browne 2006 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast, California). Also delicious.