I recently turned a year older and fortunately, so did many of my friends and family members who also share winter birthdays! To mark these special occasions, we decided to host a birthday dinner and have a toast to all of us. What made the evening fun was I got to celebrate with my dearest childhood friends, some of our moms, and my only sibling – all people who can recall some of the more embarrassing hair and fashion choices! We reminisced about our love for cheese filled Oscar Mayer hot dogs, Duran Duran, flowers hand picked from our neighbors yards, and toboggan rides at the country club golf course! Yes, those were the days!
What does one serve for dinner during such an occasion? Well, it had to be something special that fit many tastes. My sister is gluten free, some of us are watching our carb intakes and many were looking for a few extra vegetables after so many days of enjoying delicious meals following the holidays. I also have a 14 year old who is not wed to any particular diet who sometimes just wants to enjoy something comforting. With this in mind, I decided on the following menu:
· Cheese and charcuterie platter
· Sicilian meatballs in marinara sauce
· Roasted vegetable lasagna
· Grilled chicken with basil dressing
· Shaved Brussels sprouts salad with walnuts and lemon dressing
· Grilled asparagus in mustard vinaigrette
· Italian garlic pull apart bread
· Almond gateau with fresh raspberries and pistachio cream
· Red wine, prosecco, Perrier, and iced tea
Having made many of these items in the past, I had some expectations for how everything would turn out. I like to make my own marinara sauce with garlic and fresh basil using crushed tomatoes. They did not have my favorite brand at the store, so I was forced to compromise and ended up adding too much wine. It overpowered the taste in the sauce and seemed a bit too sweet. Disappointing, but not the end of the world. I would make the brussels sprouts salad again, but probably didn’t need asparagus – it was a lot!
My sister is a cake maker extraordinaire and made the gateau which was incredibly light and delicious. I loved the pistachio cream and light as air cake. It was not filling at all and the perfect ending to the meal. The biggest hit for my son Luke was the pull apart bread which is made with three types of cheese in a sourdough bread boule mixed with garlic, herbs and sauteed red onion.
A good time was had by all, and we made sure to keep the background music strictly on the 80s which is when we were coming of age and watching movies and MTV together.
Thinking up the next gathering soon enough for Super Bowl and figuring out what we will make. Luke is hoping for “real” nachos (not crab like last time mom!), chili and Buffalo wings! I’ll have to make sure I have enough Frank’s red hot sauce for the meal prep!
Turning a year older should always be so joyful. Anytime spent with dear friends or family and I am blessed with so many caring people is a wonderful time for another spin around the sun!
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