off the hook

The title of this post is doing double-duty. First off, we were invited to friends' for dinner and so I was "off the hook" as far as my responsibilities for dinner were concerned. Secondly, this said friend made a quite delicious cauliflower and beef stir-fry and served it over rice. It was "off the hook" in the taste department. A simple dish to be sure, but for whatever reason it hit the spot. I won't lie to you. I had thirds. And to help with my gluttoned digestion I topped it off with a dried, salted prune. (I think that's what they are anyway. Some tasty, Chinese, dried-up digestive thing.) And that, as they say, is that.