March 9 was both Olivia and Jake's birthday, and it seemed only natural to throw a joint dinner/birthday party to celebrate. Since Jake had requested lasagna in lieu of a formal birthday present, the menu was not difficult to decide upon. For appetizers, Lucy made wonderfully simple bruschetta on tiny squares of toasted no-knead bread and goat cheese-stuffed dates wrapped in basil and prosciutto. The salad, which was entirely assembled with Annie's help was a red-leaf/bibb combination with radishes and English cucumbers, dressed with a spicy Gorgonzola dressing that has been a long favorite of mine. Mustard, blue cheese, garlic, and scallion create the perfect spicy dressing that slightly resembles a Caesar; I think the addition of Anchovies would be excellent and I will try it in the future. It is an adapted recipe from a
Caprial cookbook I stole from my mom. Which I then lost. So I had to consult my Aunt Deb for the recipe. Sorry Mom. Thanks Aunt Deb.
As far as the lasagna, I adapted my Aunt Betty's famous lasagna recipe *(she is the eldest of my mom's 5 sisters), substituting the 2 lbs ground beef for a 1 pound ground beef, 1/2 pound veal, and 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage combination. After assembling the lasagna, it was apparent I had made plenty of lasagna (far too much for a dinner for 4), so naturally, I invited 12 guests. We had a wonderful time celebrating Jake and Olivia, and an even more wonderful time sharing the evening's desserts. With help from Martha Stewart, there was a
Carrot Cake with Buttercream Frosting (it weighed in at approximately 7 pounds), and chocolate chip cookies with dried cherries and sea salt.
The food was amazing. The company was even better. I've eaten lasagna for every meal since Tuesday.
The more the merrier,
-S-
2 comments:
is there a recipe or tips for the dates?!
Excellent party. I'm sure the birthday boy and girl were delighted.
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