Birthday happiness

My birthday party table with candy buffet, watermelon shark and huge themed birthday cake courtesy of my wonderful boyfriend. We ate and ate and ate ourselves into a birthday tropical paradise!

Whew it's been a while since I uploaded anything or did a blog entry. I haven't even told you how my birthday party went! It was a few weeks ago and the luau theme was smashing! The weather cooperated and, though extremely windy, it was a hot and lovely night.

My luau-themed food went over well too. I started with the idea to roast a pig but that didn't fly. Then I dumbed the idea down to pulled pork sandwiches. That would have been more work and messiness than it was worth though. So in the end I did a bunch of finger foods, some on sticks, that guests could pick up and eat while mingling with a drink in one hand. For that drink, I made huge batches of sangria. One batch was my regular birthday (or any special occasion) alcoholic sangria. The other was a non-alcoholic sangria punch for anyone who wanted something refreshing but didn't want the buzz. The recipe is from Kraft Foods and it's served me well for a few parties. Seriously, it tastes just like the real thing!

For the food I made:
- fruit kabobs (self-explanatory enough)
- pigs in a blanket (get it??)
- candy buffet with tropical-themed candy like Swedish fish, gummy sharks, sour fruit, etc.
- Hawaiian pizza on a stick (this was a kabob of ham, pineapple and cheese with pizza dipping sauce)






And finally the main event:

My watermelon shark! I saw a picture of this online and knew I had to make it as the centerpiece of my party. I got directions here and enlisted my sister to help carve the shape of the shark mouth and teeth. Using blueberries for eyes and more Swedish fish as the shark's food, the whole thing was a big hit!

Add in some twinkle lights on the patio, a few leis for guests to wear, some beach balls and you've got yourself a party. So there it is, a long-awaited update and a recount of my birthday luau party. With a little imagination, Internet researching and some food I was able to create a tropical paradise birthday party.

And I whopped it up a bit with some sparklers at midnight!

A thought on themes

My birthday is approaching and I've begun thinking about parties and themes. Now I'm not one to turn down a good party of any kind. And I fully believe with the right mix of people, you don't need a themed party to have a good time. Most of my party past has consisted of good friends, good wine, good food and laughs. That all being said though, I really wanted to do something a little different for my birthday. It's smack dab in the middle of July and I'm hoping for good weather. I was thinking a wine and cheese dress-up party. But the reconsidered, thinking that with (hopefully) hot temps and celebration, no one will want to be confined to a fancy dress or suit. So I'm going to go with an old stand-by: Hawaiian luau.

This type of party theme can get a bit out of hand quite easily. I'm aware of the tackiness that comes along with this party meme. It's fine to go out and get a bunch of decorations from the dollar or party-supply store. But that can become over-done and lack-luster. I'm going minimalist on the decorations and trying to get creative on the food and drink. I hope I'll meet this party theme half-way and succeed in throwing a fun bash that lets everyone relax and enjoy themselves.

So in the next few weeks I'll be thinking up fun food ideas, researching tropical cocktails, stringing up twinkle lights, and scanning stores for leis. I hope it to be low-stress and fun. Stay tuned for pictures and feel free to submit ideas or recipes!

Lazy weekend junk food

Ah, the joys of junk food.

I had an incredibly lazy but truly satisfying weekend. And I didn't cook once. Well, I pieced together a salad yesterday to make myself feel better about all the junk I had and was about to consume. Yes, this weekend was full of eating out at other people's places. Restaurants, take-out, the lovely bakery in my neighbourhood, and the the corner store.

As I write this, I am having one last hurrah of a snack: Cheetos. Aside from it being the weekend, I am rewarding myself for a couple feats and was dealing with a couple stresses. Though I love to cook, sometimes it's just nice to be treated to someone else's work - and let them clean the dishes too while they're at it. And it's ok to eat when you're stressed as long as you don't go overboard. Food should be comfort in (and hey - I did my time at the gym this weekend too).

You've got to let go and stop over-thinking every calorie and every morsel of food every now and then. And as for the Cheetos...I'm not feeling one bit guilty.

Momma needs a drink...

Sometimes in life, a girl just needs a drink to get her through to the next hurdle. And it is in these times when knowing a little about tastes and having no fear of experimentation comes in handy. Give me a poorly stocked bar and martini shaker, and some ice, and I'll come up with something. Like a MacGyver in the kitchen. Yesterday, given I had not one bottle of wine left (at least not one that I was willing to open for such a grand occasion as a Tuesday night) all I had was peach schnapps (don't ask why), lemonade, grenadine and vodka. Believe it or not but it worked well enough. Recipes and kitchen experimentation doesn't have to be all about food. No sirree. You can extend your enjoyment to the liquid variety (either alcoholic or non if you wish). If you're in the mood to have a little fun with liquid libations yourself, here are some resources I've found useful throughout the years:

Epicurious

What to Drink

The Webtender

Cocktail Times