And the Birthday Beat Goes On and On...

Since I spent my birthday with my lovely friends, I did not get to celebrate with my family. My mother had the core family over on Tuesday night for very pleasant evening. I don't know what's been going on lately but every Tuesday seems to challenge us with some new way to weather winter. This past week, it came in the from of freezing rain but battling the elements turned out to be worth the effort.

My father made this astonishingly tasty salad, with all kinds of treats in it. In fact, it was less like a salad and more like antipasti with some greens but I loved it. Making guest appearances were peppadews (if you haven't had these, try them, they're piquant and unique!), olives (the big, purple ones), red onions (sliced ever-so-thinly), marinated mushrooms and Beemster. Beemster is a cheese that apparently is in the Gouda family but I would have guessed it to be kissing cousing with the cheddar clan. It's nutty and creamy and really tasty. My mother made a stew that I requested, a beef stew with shitaake mushrooms and black beans, courtesy of Ming Tsai. This, of course, was wonderfully appropriate during the middle of some awfully harsh weather.

The finale was really the showstopper. My father, informally known as the Cheesecake King, made one of my favorites; lemon cheesecake with candied ginger and raspberries. That alone would have been more than adequate for me but my mother complemented that with some homemade blood orange sorbet. The flavor of the sorbet was so intense and was a perfect union with the creamy, citrus-bright cheescake. While both desserts were excellent, I was really astounded that two separate people in separate kitchens could create such a well-suited harmony of flavors.

Finally (!!!!), it was gift time. I got a subscription to Cook's magazine, some lovely dishes and this amazing cookbook from an author who was born in London, grew up in South Africa, with parents from Finland and Cyprus respectively!

Thank you again, all my friends and family, for making this one of my most happy birthdays!