Behind the Scenes of Hannah's Birthday Meal ~ A Success!

Hello Friends and Happy New Year!  It's time to celebrate another birthday around here.

Hannah's birthday quickly follows all the Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations and gatherings. And this year, it's coming on the heels of our family just returning from a wedding we attended in Atlanta. So....lots going on lately!

If you've followed us for any of Hannah's past birthday meal posts, you know she always picks unusual, never-the-same, fascinating, not-your-norm, different, and unfamiliar recipes for her birthday meal--maybe that's what makes her special day a grand continuation of all the celebrations we've just enjoyed! Well...this year's choices are no different. My grocery list this week consisted of items I've never in my life purchased...artichoke hearts? never. feta cheese? not me. cauliflower? no thanks. kalamata olives? nope. pine nuts? not unusual I guess, but I've just never purchased...until now.

Let's get started cooking! We have a birthday to celebrate!

Her main dish selection is Sheet Pan Chicken and Cauliflower "Shawarma" from the blog Alexandra's Kitchen.

Now, for a southern girl, that word "shawarma" just isn't in my vocabulary!

For the salad, she picked Mediterranean Pasta Salad from the blog A Family Feast. This is where the olives, feta, and artichoke hearts come in. I texted her from the grocery store aisle and asked if she was sure on these ingredients...as in...who will eat this? She assured me it would all blend together and be delicious!

For the vegetable, Tuscan-Style Roasted Asparagus from Taste of Home. Thankfully, I actually do like asparagus, so this one might be a winner. Poor guys in the family though.

Dessert...Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake from Mel's Kitchen, a favorite food blog.

Here's Hannah baking her own cheesecake today on her birthday...she assured me that "it's fun and enjoyable!"  So I guess she didn't consider it work like I did! Ha! I actually got started yesterday making the Mediterranean Pasta Salad so it could chill and blend flavors overnight. It does look pretty...olives, feta, and artichokes taking center stage, oh my!

Today I made both the Sheet Pan Chicken and Cauliflower and the Tuscan-Style Roasted Asparagus. Here's the cauliflower/onions/spices and chicken ready to go in the oven. I actually browned the chicken pieces in the fry pan first instead of putting them in with the cauliflower raw, as the recipe called for: Preparing the asparagus:

Here's the table set with snowman plates, snowflake napkin rings, and a winter blue theme...perfect for the 4 inches of snow we got this week: And here's the birthday girl's snowman table setting: I was happy when everything was on the table! We used both naan that the recipe called for and also whole wheat flatbread (both from Trader Joe's) to wrap the chicken/cauliflower mixture in, adding the yogurt sauce for the condiment: Here's Hannah ready to enjoy her birthday meal:

And, as you can see, Hannah's Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake, served with mixed fruit, turned out just beautiful and delicious, too!

Afterwards she opened many nice birthday gifts, and we played a quick game of Psych!  (download the app and play on your phone with friends in another location!)

I think Hannah had a very enjoyable birthday...and I actually liked preparing all her special requests...mostly because they were for her!

I take back all the mean things I said about cauliflower. But I'm holding firm on no more artichoke hearts!

~Deb

Comments

[Sarah H]

I have to say, the only dish that appeals to me is the cheesecake! But I'm glad she enjoyed it all! :D

[victoria]

Hope Hannah had a great birthday! I'm with you on artichoke hearts but the asparagus would definitely be on my birthday list too!
Looked like a wonderful meal!

[Barbara J.]

A belated happy birthday to Hannah. I have to make a dish for a luncheon at church tomorrow and I wish I had seen the recipe for the Mediterranean Pasta Salad earlier! I love all those ingredients. I'll definitely save the recipe for the next time. Glad you got home from all your traveling before the snow. I'm thinking we are going to have a warm wet winter here from all the forecasts.

[Kim]

Happy Birthday, Hannah! You certainly stretch the culinary boundaries for your family on a yearly basis. The meal looked amazing and I hope you enjoyed every bit! It’s great to see your sweet smile💗

[Tammy C]

Looks like she picked out some good dishes. Allison would have loved them all.

Happy Birthday Hannah! Glad you had a nice day with family.

[Bev C]

Hello Deb,

Happy New Year to you all and Happy Birthday to Hannah. My sister loves artichoke hearts, she says they are delicious.

Have a wonderful week.
Bev.