a birthday

My lovely, dear, darling husband–the one who puts up with all of my rantings, self-absorbtion, daily furniture rearranging, and cooking projects that make the kitchen look alarmingly like Chernobyl–got another year older yesterday. So, instead of getting him another electronic gadget he didn’t need, I threw him a party featuring his favorite friends and favorite foods.

What are his favorite foods, you ask?

1. Bacon. Fried, on a burger, or wrapped around somethin’ else (in this case, seasoned potatoes), he goes gaga for bacon. I went all out and made half a million bacon-wrapped potato bites with a chipotle sour cream for dipping. Recipe to come later in the week so y’all can gain 5 pounds in a single sitting like I did.

2. Red meat. Rare. I went with prime rib for the occasion, marinated in a horseradish and dijon paste. Oh, don’t worry–this recipe will make it’s way to you this week as well.

3. Tres leches cake. Super creamy, super sweet, and super delicious. This recipe knocked everyone’s socks off. It’s a must-try, so I’ll share it with you soon.

I also served a taco dip, three kinds of stinky cheeses, and enough beer and wine to pickle an army. It was fabulous, and my dear Hubs had a wonderful time.

With all of that cooking, cleaning, and generally making myself and my house presentable for company, I hardly managed to sneak in a moment to decorate. At the last minute, I threw together the mantle, and it turned out not-too-shabby for a rush job, methinks:

I gathered up all of my favorite clear glass pieces (which I’m a little obsessed with right now, by the way), tossed some candy and corny birthday hats around, and voila: a 20-second birthday mantle.

The banners, which did not take me 20 seconds, I made earlier in the week during a bout with a cold and Project Runway marathon. (May I just say, for the record, how much I LOVE Anthony?)

The mantle is the center of our living room, so it was easy for guests to grab little caramel Kisses as they walked by.

These lovely ice cream bowls came from my grandmother’s china cabinet. They’re so 50′s and I adore ‘em. The mirror came from her bathroom, which I spruced up with a coat of white paint.

I’m thinking of leaving it up all month long, since it is Lucy’s birthday in three weeks. Is that better or worse than leaving your Christmas lights up in January?

Speaking of my soon-to-be ONE YEAR OLD (here comes the cliche: they grow up so fast, don’t they?), she was the life of the party and tuckered herself out enough that she slept in until 7 am.

Yeah, you heard me. 7 A-to-the-M. It’s almost light out at that hour.

She wasted no time getting back into birthday mode.

In-between Cheerios, that is.

Why won’t…

…this dang thing…

…open!

Happy birthday to my wonderful husband–I love you more than I could ever express in this silly blog. You’re the best.

For the rest of you, I love you all too. But in a very, very different way. Stay tuned for a whole pile of recipes this week.

Happy monday!

-RDG