Best friends and birthdays

I don't want to give anything away here...but birthdays for my close friends and I.. well.. they're landmark birthdays for the most part. 

I was honored and thrilled and over-the-moon (almost) about celebrating my best friend's (yeah...39th.. that's right.. that's the ticket) birthday. 

I've got that whole "flash photography" thing going on so I didn't take a lot of pictures. But how I wish there was sound here to go along with THIS photo:

Nancy and I sang our hearts out! We didn't stop at just Happy Birthday To You... we went for Bab's and People Who Need People... and a more out-of-tune duo you've never encountered. We had some volume going on too. 

Denise and I go back (cough, choke) 24 years! Holy Cow! That's right kids! Avert your eyes! That's almost the silver anniversary of friendship!

We celebrated with a fantastic dinner and Cosmopolitans. Mostly we celebrated with deep and meaningful (BWA HA) conversation and SECRETS! That's right. We told secrets. But I digress. 

Those pretty but horrid cupcakes are NOT what brought me to the blog this morning. It was these little gems.

Fresh Garbanzo beans. Amazing! Nancy called me from the market the other day and asked if she should buy them. You would have thought I'd just won the lottery! I was elated. Of course buy them! Now, I'm telling you, go get some of your own! The season is very short for these delightful bites. 

We tossed them with a little olive oil and some smoked sea salt and roasted them in foil on the grill. They're reminiscent of edamame only better. 

I finished them off cold and straight out of the serving bowl  for lunch today. 

Two salty thumbs up for these gems!

And Happy Birthday Denise!