Happy (Belated) Birthday to Me

Just a blurb and a photo dump this morning. My bestie, W, came up for birthday festivities and we all had a blast together! More to follow tomorrow - too much food and too much fun has me running slow today. Happy Monday!

Balsamic-Rosemary-Lemon Chicken, Lemon-Pea Risotto, Roasted Asparagus

Pink Lady Cake, Homemade Lemon Curd, White Chocolate Buttercream

Beautiful Branches: Cherry Blossom, Dogwood, Wisteria; Arranged by W

Little K and the Cherry Blossoms

Contingency Plan

The number one problem with planning any outdoor event is the weather. You never know when it’s going to take a turn and leave you scrambling to make other arrangements!

You may recall that someone has a birthday tomorrow. (As a quick aside, my boss’s daughter’s birthday is tomorrow, also, and two people I know are getting married that day. The 31st is a big day round here!) The celebration centers around outdoor activities like grilling, lounging on the deck, and letting the kids run around crazy in the back yard.

We have been prepping for two weeks, refreshing flower beds and planters, re-staining outdoor furniture, putting the lawn back in order, laying down fresh mulch and pine straw, and straightening up the swing set and clubhouse. I’ve pulled some of my favorite serving pieces, including a beautiful ceramic refreshment bowl given to me by my grandfather – perfect for cold drinks outdoors and big enough to hold the standards plus a bottle of white. In the four years that it has been in my posession, I have yet to actually use it for an event.

And thunderstorms are expected from 9 am to 9 pm tomorrow. Boo!

So now dspence is working out the details to move the party indoors. Do I pick up a cast iron grill pan for the range or plan to roast in the oven? Do I pull in my outdoor potted centerpiece or pick up cut flowers for the dining table? Do I move our outdoor games for the kids inside or put together a craft table? Do I sacrifice counter space for the refreshment bowl or just keep everything in the fridge? And how in the world do I find two more chairs for our odd-height dining table?

These are the questions facing me this Friday morning.

At least the cake stays the same!

Birthday Bash

I am an event coordinator at heart. From inspiration boards, menu planning, research, and spreadsheets, I love everything that goes into planning and pulling off an event.

And so I have finally slipped into birthday planning mode over here at casa de dspence.

The past two years held big birthdays: 29 and 30. For my 29^th, R and I went to Florida to visit my folks. It was a four-day trip filled with food, fun, and restoration. For my 30^th, two parties were held. The first was an early celebration in Texas while the whole family was together for my sister’s wedding. The second was just R and I over a five-course meal, complete with my milestone Tiffany necklace.

But this year is special, too. Yes, I am happy to say that my upcoming birthday is my birth-date birthday - as in, dspence is turning 31 on the 31^st. Woot!

Living away from family makes it hard to put together what I feel is a real birthday celebration. With just R and I for the adults, a teenage boy, and a picky six year old, putting together my kind of menu while still hoping people will eat it is, well, frustrating. But I have finally begun making the kind of friendships that I want to nurture, both for me and for our family. Although the proposed guest list is small, I finally feel like I have a group to cook for and a real celebration in mind.

Here is where I plan to work out all the intricate bits and pieces for the big day. Let’s get started!

Inspiration

When it comes to birthdays, the first thing I go to is dessert. I still remember my mother and sister’s birthday in Hawaii when my grandfather made them two cakes – one lemon and one strawberry. It has remained my favorite birthday cake profile since that day.

In the past, I have made boxed strawberry cakes with jarred lemon curd filling and white icing. And they have been very good, with the sour lemon curd playing off the overly sweet frosting and cushioned by a mid-range moist cake. But this year calls for the real thing.

This year, I will be preparing Smitten Kitchen’s Pink Lady Cake and Lemon Curd filling with White Chocolate Buttercream frosting.

And so, with early season strawberries and lemons in hand, a theme is born: Spring Celebration.

Hors d’oeuvres

·         Lemon-Garlic Steamed Artichokes

·         Gouda Robusto

·         Columbus Artisan Salame (Truffled, if I can get my hands on it.)

Main Course

·         Grilled Balsamic Chicken

·         Grilled Lemon-Zucchini Filled Portobello Mushrooms (For my vegi-guest)

·         Grilled Spring Asparagus

·         Lemon-Pea Risotto

Wine

·         Conundrum

Kid’s Menu

·         Mommy’s Homemade Chicken Nuggets (featuring California Citrus Rub)

·         Grilled Spring Asparagus

·         Mac-and-Cheese

The theme trips through each course with a combination of fresh spring produce and acidity. With any luck we will be blessed with a beautiful morning to gather produce and flowers (pink, yellow, and green, naturally) at the Farmer’s Market before heading home to enjoy our meal on the deck. Or, you know, at least enough for the kids to play in the backyard while the grownups sip and grill.

Oh! And in case any family is snooping about, I’ll share my magical birthday wish list:

·         Wine Glasses

·         Wine/Ice Bucket

·         Tea Cup Collection (which deserves a post all its own!)

So, there we have it – the rough plan for dspence’s 31-on-31 Birthday Party. Let’s see what unfolds!