Yes, yes, I am another year older, I was hoping it would pass by quietly but all of my friends are too awesome to let it go by unnoticed so big hugs and kisses to all of you! I have the bestest friends EVAR! I have an even better husband who greeted me with this when I came home this afternoon:
(My favorite roses.)
(You will only understand the sign if you watched the recent Office episode. It was hilarious.)
Awww, isn’t he sweet? But this post isn’t about me, it’s about the food so let’s eat!
Appetizer: Flaky Pizza Purses. These were an excellent appetizer, tasted just like pizza. I do have to say, there were a bit filling as an appetizer dish if you eat more than one (which is what everyone did). There were a couple of tweaks to the recipe. First off, Kate used puff pastry sheets instead of phyllo dough, thereby simplifying the pastry process. There was no layering/buttering needed. Secondly, she used real cheese, Romano and smoked mozzarella, to be exact. She’s vegetarian, not crazy.
Entree and Side Dishes: Pan-Fried Chicken-and-Ham Parmesan with Garlic Herb Pasta and Caesar Salad. This was a very flavorful dish, full of surprises with every bite. You had the tang of the balsamic with the tomatoes, the gooeyness of the cheese, the saltiness of the ham and the chicken tied it all together. I was introduced to the world of buttered noodles, this was the first time I’ve ever tried it and now I understand why little kids love it: it’s just so simple.
Dessert: Birthday Cake. Katie baked and constructed this beautiful cake in honor of my birthday and it tasted just as awesome as it looked. She had everything that I wanted, strawberries, chocolate, white cake. Now, she modified the recipe to incorporate my requests and it turned out perfectly. Did you know that white cake really has no flavor? For great white cake, you have to add a hint of lemon. Interesting.
Thank you girls for such a wonderful meal! Mwah!