1. Agree to host book club at your apartment because it means you get to hang with your dog AND your friends AND you don’t have to go anywhere.

2. Put date in your calendar, forget about it until day before. Briefly freak out, decide to not worry about it until next day.

3. Frantically Google “book club menu” in between meetings on day of, think of appetizers you’ve enjoyed at recent parties.

4. Grab an extra, late afternoon coffee to fuel the frantic dash to the grocery store.

5. Sneak out of work a few minutes early for said frantic dash. Walk around grocery store with crazy lady eyes; make beeline for cheese.

6. Speed walk home; catch every single do not walk sign. Power-walk dog; start assembling food.

7. Get help from an early arriver and her little helper dog.

8. Pour lots of wine as everyone arrives so they can’t notice whether the food’s good or not.

9. Serve…

Smoked salmon and goat cheese on top of baguette baked at 350 degrees for 5 minutes with some olive oil and salt and pepper on top.

Some brie wrapped in prosciutto, some not because you ran out of prosciutto.

Dates stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto. (Maybe I wouldn’t be single if I also stuffed human dates with goat cheese? Just a thought.)

This bread stuffed with spinach, spicy chicken sausage (not chicken and sausage…) and some cheesy goodness, made by Liz.

A fabulous cake brought by Emily.

10. Drink wine.

11. Discuss book for five minutes.