A Favorite Feeling

Even at small parties, when the swell of the Happy Birthday song grows and everyone is singing really loud, perhaps in desperation for cake, I love that minute where you're just standing there in the glow of the candles, gathering your breath to blow them out, thinking about your wish. Year after year, I find it overwhelming, but great.

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.

At it Again

As part of my overarching plan to win people over by baking them things, I took this cake to our neighbor, Marianne's Palm Sunday party this Sunday. It's a double ginger sour cream bundt cake, which christened my bundt pan, and it's served with ginger infused strawberries and fresh mindt...er...mint.


It's pretty tasty! You can't see it in the photo but there's also a demerara sugar crust on the outside which made for such a nice texture. No slumpy bundty cakes here.

Marianne always has the best food at her parties, so I was just hoping it wouldn't shrink in comparison. And since it didn't, I think that makes it a keeper. Also, I've declared neighbor hosted parties to be the best thing since sliced bread because you can wear high heels to the party and not die and then go home to swap them out and still hang out and help with the dishes. Seriously! Your own fun, talented, hilarious neighbor should host something along those lines, don't you think?

Cardstock

So, those who know me know that I actually pretty much love christmas cards. I forgot to document the ones I made for everyone this year from old photos and recycled heavy paper. I am now home to the Snowiest Wisconsin I've ever seen and my mom had the best seasonal party invite on her fridge. It makes me smile every time I look at it. This photo is a little weak, I couldn't focus on the words and the picture at once, what with it's festive glossy finish, but you should get the drift:



My mom's friends Joe & Joe host a famous holiday party each year and this is the invitation. The story goes, that Joe asked for a Ken doll year after year for Christmas but would never find one under the tree. Eventually she did buy him one, but only after much resistance. That is a ken doll in the little boy's hand and the name of the party beside it:

Everything You Want For Christmas

In this month of Milk and the passing of Prop 8, this invitation so eloquently breaks my heart.

Happy Day Before The Day Before, you all.