We had a lovely evening. We invited two of Ray's co-workers and their spouses, whom we have known for many years, to dinner. I had sauteed the onions and garlic and the last of the eggplant from the garden. Then I turned the pan off and added the mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes. As they arrived, I was putting the finishing touches on the dessert. I put it in the oven and turned on the sauce and the pasta water. Then we went outside. I was picking the last of the peppers and most of the basil, because it was going to be pretty cold last night. Then we walked around the house and started to walk in the woods. I excused myself. "I think I may have left a burner on." Sure enough, my house was full of smoke and my sauce ws ruined. Maybe the pan too, my favorite giant frying pan. I opened up windows and doors, letting out all the sun-warmed air with the smoke. I scraped the top unburned layer of peppers and mushrooms into a saucepan and dumped in a couple cans of Kroger tomato sauce. Ray built a fire in the stove and we all chuckled. I was very sorry, but it didn't not keep me from having a good time. The sauce had an interesting smoky flavor. Todd brought salad, Linda brought cheese and crackers. We had lots of red wine, a good Chianti from Ecco Domani, for one. The dessert was very good, if you like eggs and butter! And of course, they loved the house. We were finished eating about 8:30 and I got a deck of cards. People were not enthusiastic, but they got into it when we started playing. Todd won. They left about 10; we banked the fire and went to bed. it is below freezing out, but 70 in.