Birthday, Girl: the Party

It seemed logical to just go ahead and wait another eleven October days to post pictures from my birthday party. It did take us two whole days just to finish all the dishes, after all! I always take hosting to next level, wear myself out entirely and overfeed everyone. I made a spreadsheet for cooking and brought home groceries from four different stores. But it was worth it. I love having parties.



I'll make mention of the menu here, which was mostly made in house, with several crucial contributions from especially well-mannered friends, attributed where appropriate.

For the liver:

Tamarind Whiskey Sours

For the belly:

Macaroni & Cheese, featuring Velveeta, my grandma's famous recipe

Rainbow Coleslaw with Buttermilk Dressing


Kobucha Squash salad with spring greens & roasted red onions tossed in a cilantro walnut dressing.

Homemade veggie brats

Grilled potatoes

8 hour marinated tofu log

Tarts of caramelized onions and fennel seed

Homemade caramel sauce and fresh apples

Meats for grilling, of various kinds and shapes (Various)

Stuffed mushrooms (JayDee)

Artichoke Spinach bake dip (Marianne)

Pumpkin chocolate chip bundt cake (Marianne)

Sweet potato salad (Jen)

And last but not least, almond coconut cupcakes with blackberry buttercream frosting. (Miriam)

I think it's safe to say no one went hungry, even after giving our new backyard ping pong setup a thorough workout. And we got party hats to make everyone look funny, which seemed like more fun.
It worked.


ps. Jen was better at taking pictures than me, so a lot of these are hers. She also has a whole lot of them here.

Pooling

Never underestimate how happy a pool party will make you. Even if it's a bit of work and even if it requires a lot of prepping and even though you require a new bathing suit and the water's too cold and you don't actually like to swim. No matter what, you should get started planning one because truly, you will thank me later.

Our friend Halimah's parents, whose home is nestled in a nook out in Narberth, PA, have graciously allowed us to hold aquatic court at their home, in the form of pool parties, three years running. They always entail about a quarter tank of propane in grillable vegetarian products, badminton, ping pong and all the trimimings. This year, in honor of our annual (or so they say) visit, we piled into a fleet of automobiles (RIP to the Pony Pants band van, that held us all so cozily within you) and headed west to relax. By now perhaps you've guessed, it failed to disappoint.








Though we're not necessarily equipped to install an in-ground pool in our backyard, we're officially in the market for a ping pong table.

Snapshots from a Saturday Barbeque

Our friend Anthony's special lady, Ruth just finished her master's thesis (!) and there was a grilling event on Saturday to celebrate. Anthony's house has a particularly memorable backyard and Garden, owing to his particularly crafty housemates who are not currently in graduate school. And anyway I just took some pictures of the things happening in their backyard while lingering over my beer, and there were plenty to note.

The epic woodpile really set a tone.

The light in this tree was so summer.

I couldn't stop myself.

Empty plate, empty shoe.

Coldframe sort of box built from old windows.

Dinos.

Great outdoor table under all those grillettes.

A keg of homebrew.

The last of the light.

The garden was full of stranger children and I felt funny taking pictures of stranger children so you'll have to wait til next time I visit for pictures of that. But I'm telling you, artichokes like hydrangeas. Patience, I'm always reminding myself, is a virtue.