30th party recap: what we ate

Cooking a full meal for a party is always a challenge, but after years of practice and taking notes from my mother's shining example, I think I've got it down. I used to think Martha Stewart was a crazy bitch and now I realize that she is because I find myself pursuing the same overly time consuming endeavors. I actually had to write down a schedule! Friday was spent getting the backyard party-ready and baking cupcakes. Saturday (day of the party) started at 7:00am...

7:00am - prepare chicken & marinade
8:00am - make mini hummus rolls
9:00am - set up the bar
10:00am - make signage & music playlist
11:00am - iron tablecloth & make pasta salad
12:00pm - make falafel patties
1:00pm - eat lunch, tidy up the place
3:00pm - decorate cupcakes
3:30pm - get glamorous
5:00pm - party starts. prepare bruschetta while waiting for guests to arrive

It's a lot of work, but I have fun doing it. First off, let's take a look at dessert. I served with the appetizers- I mean why wait until the end for a good thing right? These are angel food with whipped topping. I made strawberry-mint and lemon-blueberry, plus a special mini cake for myself. By the way, the cake sparklers & cupcake flags will be available to purchase from my etsy shop very soon!

I served strawberry-basil ciabatta bruscetta with cinnamon and honey yogurt sauce. They were delicious. I got the recipe here.

This bruschetta is a little less involved, just pear & gorgonzola on baguette. My friend Melinda was sweet enough to put these together for me while I worked on the strawberry ones.

The menu definitely had a Mediterranean theme. My Mom makes these tortilla pinwheels out of cream cheese & salsa. I put my own spin on it by layering hummus, arugula & tomatoes. Essentially you're just rolling these & slicing into bite-sized pieces.

30th birthday cup, courtesy of Mom.

After all that cooking I was ready for a glass of sangria, so I kicked back for a bit and put Gary to work in the kitchen, assembling honey mustard chicken kabobs.

Gotta love him! He even smiled for the photo.

Although I don't have a pic of the falafel I made, here's some signage. It was my first time making it and I must admit was nervous about how the consistency would turn out, but it was fine. Clearly, our guests agreed.

the morning after

Part II coming up!