It involved good friends, family, small children, a good meal* and some excellent wine.
There were some very nice presents (including a moleskine address book, a tripod for my new camera, and a zinfandel that is just itching for the first steak of barbeque season), and lootbags for everyone. These contained my favorite childhood candy: lemon sherbet fountains with licorice. Basically pure sugar, which children proceeded to pour down their throats at 10 pm. Their parents all thank me.
Claire and Liz made exquisite appetizers and my sister made a classic four layer chocolate cake that I ended up wearing on my linen shirt. Here, Tim and Sally help me count the candles on the cake. There were 44. This deeply confused me until everyone yelled "One for good luck!!" Forgotten childhood rituals. I'm just glad they didn't try Bumps.
There were also two very large, very blue mariachi hats.
Which were sometimes combined with a yellow ukulele.
Conversation ranged from genetic anomolies (there were two epidemiologists and a doctor in the house) to Latin grammar to hairstyles for aging surfers. Here, Michael and Sue model combovers:
It was a terrific party.
Notice how one beloved nephew is pretending to pick his nose and the other, with the help of my beloved partner, is doing bunny ears behind my head.
Sharing a meal with a few of the folks you love is a great way to mark your birthday. I highly recommend it!
*For those who asked, here are the recipes (except for the sauteed rapini and salad; they're pretty basic):
Nigella Lawson's Porchetta -- found in her book Forever Summer or on this blog by someone I don't know. My modifications: I don't butterfly the pork; I just cut deep holes into it and stuff in about 2/3 of the marinade mixture. Then I rub the rest all over the roast before wrapping tightly to rest overnight. You can also barbecue this. I serve it sliced and falling apart without the ciabatta.
Cheesemonger's Mac and Cheese -- might be a good idea to have a defibrillator handy.
Bunbun’s Roasted Tomatoes:
A carton of cherry or grape tomatoes
A good glug of extra virgin olive oil
A handful of fresh thyme springs
6 or 8 garlic cloves, halved
A healthy pinch of coarse sea salt
A healthy pinch of chilli flakes or a good squirt of harissa
Mix everything together in a small shallow casserole. Cook at 325-350 for about an hour and a half. Tomatoes should collapse and some should be lightly charred. Serve at room temperature. Remove thyme stems before serving.
3 comments:
Oh man, those roasted tomatoes... Can they really be that easy?
C.
Now that looks like a fun party. Elizabeth looks like your Mother and her oldest boy looks like Elizabeth or Brian.....I love that!
Thanks for the opportunity to share in your birthday party memories. Cousin 1 is dead-on with the "looks like" comments. I think I look a bit like your Mother too. I'm getting Aunt Daisy and Nan's hands though....
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