Happy Birthday to Me!

Birthdays come each year (stating the obvious).  Some approach the date with dread. I choose to make the most of it.  I tell people that as I get older, I just get better and use more hair coloring.  Saying that, most years I choose to throw myself a party. This is usually a potluck brunch.  Chaos is a part of this process each year. Why, then, do I do it? There are several reasons.  First of all, having plans for guests is a great way to inspire more housecleaning than what would otherwise take place.  I have learned in my house that having a neat house so that it is ready for guests at any time is not an inspiration to action.  It doesn’t prevent us from making plans, but the house will be somewhat messier than I would like at those times. When there is a big event planned, though, THAT is inspiration (plus the constant nagging from me to get things done so that the house is ready for a larger crowd).  Is the house ever as organized as I would like? No, but there is always a significant improvement.

The real reason for throwing myself a shindig is to provide an opportunity to get together with friends and family.  People are busy. That goes without saying. I have learned not to take it personally when I receive a “no” response to an invitation.  The focus is placed on those who can join me and my family. I have learned that people may not always be available, but if I do not put in the effort to ask, the chance of getting together drops dramatically.

The beauty of a pot luck is that it ensures that there will be enough food for whoever can come by.   It also ensures that there will be at least one food item that each guest will enjoy. (If someone has picky tastes or food sensitivities or allergies, he or she brings something that he or she can enjoy.)  In my opinion, if you are going to have a crowd for some time of event, pot luck is the way to go! Saying that, I do always enjoy planning what food I will prepare. Despite my best attempts at planning, there is usually some last minute rushing, but this year, I chose to do all of my food prep the day before.  I knew that I would have plenty to do on the day of the party, and I did not want to worry about cleaning muffin tins or mixing bowls. As usual, I over prepared, but no one ever wants to worry about not having enough food. My kitchen creations included the following: pumpkin muffins (If it is fall or winter, something pumpkin just HAS to be baked and set out.), banana bread (I have a low fat banana bread recipe which is literally the only recipe I have ever tried from a cookbook I own titled, How to Bake by Nick Malgieri, but I really enjoy it.  There is no actual reason I have not tried the other recipes.  Perhaps I will just open up to a page and give it a go.), crustless carrot quiche (I had a ton of carrots in my fridge that I wanted to use.  The quiche was overall just decent. I enjoyed the leftovers more the next day. I need to add more seasoning next time. Granted, I did not follow the recipe perfectly–mainly because I wanted to use up so many carrots.  I do feel, though, that it has great potential!), and an oatmeal apple bake. That last recipe was something I tried for the first time; I found it on the “Wonderful World of Pinterest.” From the recipe, it looked like it would be hard to mess up, and I had the ingredients on hand.  Additionally, oats are gluten free, so that seemed to be a nice option to include, and I could bake it in the morning. This did not create any additional mess, and it certainly made the kitchen smell delicious and ready for guests! I honestly, though, did not get much feedback as not too many people tried it.  I think (hope) it was because there were so many other options on the table. I think it turned out well; I liked it. Hopefully it will freeze well. I will let you know at a future time how it is after a freeze-thaw cycle. I also had set out a container of hot chocolate mix using another Pinterest find. Yum!

Because I scheduled the party “open house” style, I also had carrots seasoned and chopped, ready for roasting, and a pasta salad in the fridge to take out later in the afternoon.  Well, my guests did such a great job with their pot luck “responsibilities” that those items never left the fridge. A bonus of all of this and the pot luck contributions is that my family has been eating really well for the past week without having to do much work, especially for breakfast.  I like knowing that my family does get to enjoy some extra homemade, relatively healthy foods this past week. It adds just a little something different and special to the day.

My kitchen was decorated by my kids and husband for my birthday.  I loved it! Did it look like something you would see in a home magazine?  Not at all. Was it perfect for me? Yes! One of the mixed benefits of keeping too much stuff is that it occasionally gets reused (thus perpetuating the  “saving of old stuff” cycle). My kitchen was decorated with colorful paper globes and streamers, big snowflakes, a “Happy Birthday, Princess” banner, and refilled mylar balloons.  There was also a little light up kiosk which my family told me would be set up several times throughout the year with special messages for me. (This was apparently a fun Target find.  It is fun!) (You can see the sign above. It constantly changed colors!) This was not the first time these decorations had been used (with the exception of the lighted sign). The colorful globes and streamers seem to be up for everyone’s birthday.  Who doesn’t like color in connection with celebrations?! The snowflakes were from a “Winter Wonderland” birthday party my daughter had while in preschool (she starts high school next fall).  Hey, winter lasts a long time around here, so, many years ago when I bought the snowflakes, I knew that they could be enjoyed for many seasons to come. If I cannot escape the cold, I shall (try to) embrace it!  The princess banner was obviously a bit old. It certainly made me smile! As an fyi, stores that sell mylar balloons can often refill used ones for a lower cost. They won’t float for as long or look as nice as a new balloon, but it does make for a fun way to decorate with some cost savings.   Why did all of this matter to me? I saw that my family put in the effort to show me that they cared and that they wanted to make the day special for me. They have learned over the years that I like that kind of stuff. The little things make a big difference, and I told them so! Granted, they were a bit upset with me when I came down that morning.  They got up early to make sure that everything was set up before my alarm went off. (I am the only morning person in my house. My alarm is almost always set hours before theirs. This is great on weekends. Not so great if we have places to go or tasks to accomplish.) Little did they know that I ended up pushing back my alarm for an extra hour that morning.   After burning the candle from both ends for too long, I did need some extra sleep that morning. (The kids were on winter break, but I still had regular work hours. A pediatrician’s office gets busy when you have the combination of kids being available for check-ups during the day plus winter illnesses.) I figured, it was my birthday and I was tired. I went back to bed.  Well, eventually I came down, I received wonderful birthday wishes, the kids went back to snooze a little more, and I went to work in the kitchen to set up.

What is the “take home” lesson in all of this?  It is, enjoy the people in your lives, and take the time and put in the effort to celebrate with them.  There was some frustration, exhaustion, and chaos in the process, but in the end, I made some food that I knew my friends and family enjoyed, I tried some new recipes, I enjoyed some decorations which just made for a nice change, and, most importantly, I was able to spend time with some of the people who matter most to me.

Apple oatmeal bake recipe found via Pinterest.

Quick and easy crustless quiche found via Pinterest

I tweaked some parts of this recipe for convenience, and this probably affected the final result.  Instead of using frozen vegetables, I used minced carrots, used lactose free 2% milk in lieu of low fat cream, and used skim milk as the milk ingredient.

Alton Brown’s hot cocoa mix found via Pinterest

Here is my generic pasta salad recipe:  Prepare a box of pasta (I used bowtie this time), add a can of diced tomatoes, add a can of drained beans (I used garbanzo beans), and pick seasonings.  Voila! I will make variations of this whenever I want to have some sort of side dish for a crowd. (I am a vegetarian, so if my husband or someone else is serving meat, I also know that I have something I will enjoy.  My “pot luck” idea applies here as well. )