Birthday Party!

All week I thought about the menu for my birthday party. I knew I just wanted to have a BBQ, but I felt like I had to make it special. I worried about the vegetarians; I considered fish tacos; I toyed with making extra dessert (i.e. in addition to birthday cake). Then I realized that as much joy as I get over preparing food and sharing it with friends, I really needed to focus my energy on enjoying my birthday and not stressing out. So I (eventually) relaxed.

There were no culinary masterpieces...at least not made by me. The baked brie was made by a dear friend upon my special request, and it was greatly admired and appreciated!

Here's the brie before the oven:
And after being attacked by revelers:

Here are some photos from the spread, regrettably absent: my spectacular (half carrot-half chocolate torte) birthday cake and the bison burgers. Take my word for it, Yum! In their place, a photo documenting my boyfriend's sense of humor. You'll know it when you see it...it's also the last photo. Oh, ethnic grocery stores.

Cookbook Birthday Presents

Do my friends know me well, or what?!

I am so excited to get in the kitchen with my two new cookbooks, The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham (today's Fannie Farmer) and Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert.

My mom has a shiny gold copy of The Fannie Farmer cookbook. It always seemed slightly magical in its shimmeriness. I imagine my mom's copy used to have a dust cover on it, but it was long gone by the time I ever saw it. (Its chocolate chip cookie recipe is our family go-to.) Marion Cunningham is responsible for editing the Fannie Farmer cookbook in 1979...so maybe my mom's copy predates Cunningham's contributions. Several Christmases ago my mom gave me my own copy of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook (the Cunningham edition) along with Joy of Cooking.

I'm particularly looking forward to having friends over for brunch so that I can try Cunningham's Shirred Eggs with Mixed Herbs (eggs cooked in the oven in little ramekins or a muffin tin), Bridge Creek Fresh Ginger Muffins, Rhubarb with English Custard, and Chocolate Walnut Butter Bread French Toast, and everything else!

Simply in Season is organized by season with straightforward, one-page recipes that highlight produce that is...ahem...in season. So basically, its title is incredibly descriptive. I can't wait to make its Rhubarb Muffins (I'm really pining for rhubarb these days.), Velvety Vegetable Soup, Shiitake Mushroom Pasta, and Sesame Chicken Couscous Salad (peas!). I haven't even peeked at the Summer section. Patience is a virtue.

Dinner Party

I had some friends over for dinner this week and wanted to use up a bunch of veggies but also cook something comfortable and easy after a long day at work and a busy week. I decided on penne with fresh Italian sausage (local! from Baltimore!), zucchini, yellow and green pepper, garlic, onion, basil and fresh tomatoes. I cheated with 1/3 of a jar of store-bought sauce, which helped make it a little juicier since I didn't have that many tomatoes. The sausage sort of took over in all of the photos I took, so I decided not to post any of those, but I'm pretty sure it was tasty since two guests went back for seconds and one of them took home the leftovers.

This plate was filled with caprese salad, but I forgot to take a picture until the plate was half empty and our feeding frenzy had abated. (That's what happens when you don't sit down to eat until 9:45 pm!) When slicing the tomato, I gasped audibly because it was so darn gorgeous inside: a deep blood red. The basil came from the garden of my friend Mr. Bacon. For dessert I made my favorite brownie recipe--Moosewood Fudge Brownies--and served them with some B&J vanilla ice cream. I'm not sure how others feel about these unique, spongy brownies, but I can't get enough of them. They have a unique consistency due to the 5 eggs in them, but I love their firmness and cake-like quality. They don't crumble when you bite into them and they are so chocolatey. In fact, the smell of the unsweetened chocolate melting over a double boiler tricks me almost every time. I know it's going to be bitter, but usually I just can't resist trying it...I'm like the dog that runs to play with the tantilizing neighbor dog and gets zapped by the electric fence!