My Mama Turned 60

This is my gorgeous mother. Isn’t she beautiful? Seriously, who looks like that? This gorgeous lady turned 60 on Friday and we threw her a fabulous birthday bash befitting one of the best and most incredible persons on the planet.

I asked her several months ago what she would do on her birthday if she could do anything her heart desired. She said she would have  Rob, her youngest brother and chef extraordinaire, fix her dinner. I went straight home and called Rob, and of course, since he and his wife Mary are two of the most generous people that ever lived, they agreed to host a party and cook the meal.

I got busy planning and delegating the rest…the guest list, table decorations, side dishes, entertainment, etc, because I think someone who has spent most of her life making a fuss over others, should have a fuss made over her every once in a while. 

It was good, creative fun planning the tablescape (okay, now I sound like Sandra Lee) but it really was fun. I decided on colors of greens and browns, with a tiny touch of pink. A classy look for a classy mom. My favorite touches were the framed pictures of mom through the years, and the individual sparkling ciders (from IKEA) by each place setting. The placemats were just pieces of 12x12 textured cardstock. They added just the right touch of green and I could just throw them away when the dinner was over.

Yes, the tables did looked nice, but the food, oh the food!

First we started with appetizers brought by my sister-in-law Laurie, who’s life’s ambition is to be a caterer. She brought an antipasto platter, all different kinds of olives to sample, and the best artichoke dip ever created (not pictured unfortunately). We also enjoyed various flavors of bread such as artichoke sundried tomato, and garlic cheese, that were freshly baked by my uncle Paul.

And then we had the glorious pleasure of enjoying Uncle Rob’s fabulous cooking. He really outdid himself this time. I haven’t had such amazing food in like… forever. Here he is preparing to work his magic. He looks very serious, because he is a seriously good chef.

The menu:

• Orange and Candied Almond Salad (made by Emily)
• Fresh rolls with sweet cream butter (made by Costco)
• Shrimp Portofino with lemon crowns (a delicious pasta dish with shrimp, mushrooms, pine nuts, and spinach all swimming in a lemon butter garlic cream sauce)
• Aunt Mary’s cooked carrots
• Sparkling cider….

and for dessert…well, last the best of all the game….I tell you about dessert later.

After dinner we had some excellent entertainment.

Several weeks ago I snuck into my parents house when they were out and sorted through and borrowed all the pictures of my mom that I could find. I scanned them all in and fixed them up in Photoshop, then let the professional take over. My brother Eric is the best movie maker ever. He put all my mom’s pictures together with music and quotes from various family members. The result was a beautiful presentation of my mom’s life. It was so perfect and meaningful. There wasn’t a dry eye. I’d share it will you all, but it’s a bit long and somewhat too personal for a public blog, so I won’t. Just believe me, it was excellent. After the presentation some speeches were made, gifts were opened, lots of visiting, and then it was time for dessert. Are you all ready for your mouths to start watering if they aren’t already….

….we had Crème Brule stuffed crepes with fresh berry topping. Yep, you heard right, tender golden crepes filled with perfectly creamy, rich Crème Brule, drizzled with a sweet, homemade berry sauce, and finished off with a pile of fresh blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Amazing! Seriously the best dessert I’ve ever tasted. All through the room you could hear groans of delight as people enjoyed their birthday dessert.

 

It truly was a terrific party for a terrific lady. Thanks to everyone who added so much to this celebration. It was most certainly a joint effort. Thanks again Rob and Mary for opening your home to and feeding 26 party guests. You’re the best. And thanks to everyone who took the time, and traveled so far to celebrate with us. The best part of the whole night was the company of friends and family.

Happy Birthday mom. We love you so much!