Surprisingly, this double-digit milestone doesn't make me feel old. Now that I'm well into the thirties, it's not so bad! In fact, I often find myself wishing I was older. The older moms that I know are so much wiser, patient and more experienced than I am.
As is the custom in my family, we commemorated the day of my birth with scrum-diddly-umptious food. I made steak, twice baked potatoes, spinach salad with crumbled blue cheese, olive cheese bread and chocolate cherry pavlova for dessert. YUM. Everything turned out really well and even though I spent most of the afternoon cooking, it was NOT a chore. Somehow the toil just added to the overall anticipation and enjoyment of the delightful meal. The boys napped beautifully and I enlisted Chloe's help in the kitchen (she proudly pointed out to Matt that she was the one who scrubbed and pierced the potatoes).
The crowning creation of my birthday dinner was by far the dessert -- the pavlova. Pavlova is a traditional New Zealand dessert consisting of a meringue crust, whipped cream and fruit. Using Nigella Lawson's recipe for chocolate raspberry pavlova, I set out on my task to bake a memorable birthday dessert. It was daunting. Especially so since I usually hold quite loosely to recipes and measurements. But even I, novice baker that I am, know that you don't MESS with meringue.
After reading the recipe reviews, I felt confident I could do this pavlova thing. While it was a teensy bit more time-consuming than I hoped, the process itself was easy. And the end product was DIVINE. I never imagined a meringue could be chewy, rich and filling. But this one sure was! Topped with homemade whipped cream and chopped cherries, the pavlova was EXACTLY what I wanted in a birthday dessert.
My dear hubby surprised me with a lovely and unusual bouquet of flowers and I had a fun low-key day with the kids. After dinner and putting the kids to bed, Matt and I watched a movie together. All in all a superb birthday!
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
5 comments:
Happy birthday, Alicia! I'm so glad you had a fun day & that meal looks fabulous! I'm going to have to look at that dessert recipe - wow! You did an excellent job.
We like to keep birthdays low key, too. Mike & I are only 13 days apart so we usually end up celebrating with a big family dinner. I love those times with all of us gathered around the table. We are blessed to have family nearby so it's usually a house full :-) I could have a lot of fun teasing my mom by asking for a pavlova for my cake this year. She isn't a huge fan of making new dishes so her reaction would be a hoot!
Wow, that dessert does look delish! I want some! I am so impressed with your fancy meal! I confess that on my birthday I would just not want to cook! (I'll probably ask for Chick-fil-A!) You've inspired me to maybe make myself a rockin dessert. :) My big 30 is coming up soon. . . My age hasn't bothered me yet. I don't know if that will change. Like you, I just want to get older and be wiser and not such a spaz about some things!
Glad it looks like you had a really special day!
Mary Ann: What a lovely birthday tradition! You are seriously blessed to have so much family nearby. We don't and we really miss our loved ones -- especially on birthdays and holidays. :(
KT: I would LOVE a break from cooking on my bday! This year though it was fun to whip up some pseudo-gourmet food. And going out with our three crazies is more like torture than a treat. I'm sure you know what I mean!
I am so glad I nagged you until you cracked. Pavlova 4 lyfe!
Yes, it IS more like torture than a treat; I agree! We'll probably bring something home like Qdoba. Or maybe go to Chick-fil-A; going there, especially with Chris, isn't too bad. :)
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