happy birthday!! there are so many elements to this special day, today we are going to focus on only 1: the family dinner. in my house growing up, and with my own little family, the birthday person gets to choose the meal on this very blessed day. obviously, the little person being celebrated needs to be old enough to able to choose, but until then serving her fave foods is the way to go! my kids usually stick with the same menu for atleast a couple of years, then as their culinary tastes broaden, so does the menu. here are some ideas from our family: (these links are the actual recipes that i use. i will post as many others as i can, along with any substitutions i do, throughout the week.)
ciela: at first we had bbq chicken, mashed potatoes and biscuits. now we get to enjoy homemade enchilada's, mango and spicy black beans!
toran: always, always chinese food! sometimes i make it, but it is always a good excuse for our favorite take-out place! orange chicken is a must, as is sesame chicken.
caleb: for a couple of years we had hot dogs (hebrew nationals only! make them adult tasty by adding a few drops of hot sauce to the ketchup/bun mixture!) cheeto's, and strawberries. and for the past 2 years we have enjoyed maple-mustard pork, strawberries and a delicious loaf french bread from the local bakery.
haven: butternut squash risotto, strawberries and bread.
glenn: often we go out for his day, but his fave thing is burgers and so we do that at home occasionally.
me: always since i was a little girl we have corned beef. maybe you think it's yucky, but i love it! slather on some dijon, make some homemade irish soda bread and serve with roasted broccoli, sooooo good! i have a small obsession with ireland, and i don't really know why!
toran: always, always chinese food! sometimes i make it, but it is always a good excuse for our favorite take-out place! orange chicken is a must, as is sesame chicken.
caleb: for a couple of years we had hot dogs (hebrew nationals only! make them adult tasty by adding a few drops of hot sauce to the ketchup/bun mixture!) cheeto's, and strawberries. and for the past 2 years we have enjoyed maple-mustard pork, strawberries and a delicious loaf french bread from the local bakery.
haven: butternut squash risotto, strawberries and bread.
glenn: often we go out for his day, but his fave thing is burgers and so we do that at home occasionally.
me: always since i was a little girl we have corned beef. maybe you think it's yucky, but i love it! slather on some dijon, make some homemade irish soda bread and serve with roasted broccoli, sooooo good! i have a small obsession with ireland, and i don't really know why!
a mention here on the birthday dessert. of course the guest of honor should love what is being served, but just because that guest is a child, does not mean the dessert needs to come from a box, or look kid-only-friendly. in years past i have transformed a deliciously rich tuxedo truffle torte into a hello kitty head, served a wonderful homemade cheesecake with raspberry sauce, made crazy good chocolate ice cream, and we traditionally have goowie chocolate brownie cake for glenn's day of honor! although, i don't love the "box" cake, if one must go that route i have a soft spot for that sprinkled cake with matching sprinkled frosting. somehow all the sprinkles make it happy! we always have a family party on the actual day of birth, which we invite the grandparents to (when we live by family), it's usually a little calmer than the friends bash! special dinner, delicious desert, and family. perfect.
2 comments:
Christy, WOW! You may be a cake sculptor! A hello kitty head? Amazing, I never would have dreamed that up. You are seriously creative!!!
That's so fun to see what everyone likes on their birthdays. You're so great!
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