Celebrating Birthdays with Food

Last week, my husband JH marked the completion of another journey around the sun. But unfortunately, this year the birthday involved less celebration than is typical, because of a looming project deadline that has kept him almost chained to his desk for the last month.

But, I reasoned, a man's gotta eat. So, the meals of the day became the moments to pause and reflect and make him feel special through food. I think it worked.

The breakfast ingredients: basil and cherry tomatoes picked from our small garden moments before preparation; and eggs from our friend MH and her chickens Phoneix and Big Red.

The resulting breakfast, served on a tray, breakfast-in-bed style: omelets with sauteed onions, basil, and tomato; fresh-baked baguette and focaccia and a bite of salty caramel brownie, all from Batch Bakehouse; and juice and water and the ever-present sriracha.

After a lunch of taco salad and a dinner of Vientiane, our Madison nearest and dearest joined us in a little park off State Street for an event that has alternately been referred to as a "surprise dessert flash mob" and a "30 minute birthday party."

Such a spread of desserts! Cookies, lemon bars, ice cream sandwiches, chocolate zucchini muffins, chocolate chip cookies, zucchini bars, and double-chocolate cookies!

And we ended the day by sharing some smiles, along with a a bottle of JH's first batch of home-brewed beer, courtesy of Mr. Beer! (I'm hoping JH will report back and describe the process here on D&O).

Happy food-filled birthday!