Thursday, November 20, 2008

Happy birthday to me

My birthday was this week, and I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. But, with Andy out of town, my main options were (1) to stay home alone and do nothing as I have conversations with the kitty or (2) organise something with a few friends. I’m still a bit young for the crazy cat lady thing, so I opted for a small gathering at my place.

I made four kinds of dip.

First, hummus. This wasn’t from a recipe, but I added cumin as I’ve seen in some recipes and I loved it.

I also defrosted some coriander (cilantro) pesto and blended it with some tofu and soy yogurt for a tangy, creamy dip.

I also took the opportunity to test out some recipes from Urban Vegan’s forthcoming cookbook. First, the Easy Tahini Sauce, made a bit thick to be dippable.

The other test recipe was the Creamy Avocado Dressing, which was tangy and creamy and really yum.

For dipping, I had sliced sourdough bread and water crackers. I told my friends about the recipe testing, and they took their job very seriously. Both new recipes were tried individually (palates were cleansed with beer between tastes), and on both bread and crackers. While both were delicious, the tahini dip was the clear favourite of the night.

Daria brought a tray of cut up veggies, corn chips, and the yummiest tomato stuff I’ve ever had. Fresh ripe tomatoes from her parents’ garden, charred and cooked down in olive oil. Somehow such a simple concept gains so much in the process. I’m currently pestering her for a recipe, which she says doesn’t exist.

And what’s a birthday without a cake? I tried to make Boston cream pie I saw bazu blog about ages ago. But, the cream didn’t thicken much at all, so I filled the centre with peanut butter and some of the chocolate topping instead. This is a flavour combination which is fairly foreign to most Australians but my friends all thought it was great.

I had some leftover cake today, topped with the runny cream filling and strawberries. Yummy.

And, over the course of two days (time difference and all) I’ve been absolutely showered with birthday wishes via facebook, email, and text message. Andy hid my favourite chocolate in the closet before he left (but I found it a few days early). Heather got me a shirt from New Internationalist... it didn’t photo well, but it has a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”.

Viv got me a cool book full of great ideas about making changes which lead to environmental and social changes.

A few friends, some food and some drinks is a good way to spend any night, but especially a birthday.

19 comments:

Cindy said...

Happy birthday Theresa!

I'd happily live on savoury snacks like those dips if I could. :-)

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, THERESA!!!!!!! :-)

DJ said...

Happy Birthday, Theresa! Sounds like my idea of heaven - small, low-key but with all the right elements!

Anonymous said...

i love the cake! peanut butter instead of cream sounds amazing!

Jenni (aka Vegyogini) said...

Happy birthday!

Anonymous said...

happy birthday!!it seems like a nice gathering, and i loved the shirt!

the little one said...

Happy Birthday T!

Vaala ◪ said...

Happy Birthday!

Sounds like you guys had quite a feast! The small gathering kind of birthday is always my favourite (I'll let everyone else have the big celebrations thank you very much).

I love that Boston Cream Pie recipe although to be honest I've only ever tried the cake part so thanks for the tip about the cream. Maybe one day I'll try and make it properly!

AMR said...

Happy Birthday to you!!!

And what a nice party with all that delicious food...

Love the T-shirt, also!

Trying To Heal said...

happy birthday to you!!! what delicious foods!!

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

HAPPY B-DAY THERESA!!!

Sounds like a fun evening, especially the part about cleansing palates with beer! I'm putting the Tahini dip on my to-test list! And I gotta get my hands on that book - whata great gift.

Let's be FB friends! :)

Anonymous said...

sounds like you had a lovely night!
the cake sounds awesome- i discovered the delights of peanut butter and chocolate when i traveled to the US, i cant understand how it hasnt caught on here yet!
Happy birthday!

Amy said...

I'm glad you had a good birthday and I'm loving that peanut butter chocolate cake! Yum!

lisa said...

Happy birthday!

Alicia said...

Happy birthday Theresa! We definitely have to compare our lists "to do before I turn 30"! Mine is an ongoing project, and maybe I can get good ideas from yours when you find the time to do it!
I love all your dips! they look great and I love parties with dips!

Anonymous said...

happy birthday! i'm glad you had a good day despite your other half's absence. your dips look pretty tasty too. i'm a fan of dipping stuff into other stuff

Vegan_Noodle said...

Happy belated birthday Theresa!! I agree, an evening with friends is the best way to spend it. Sorry Andy was away!

David J said...

Well happy belated birthday Theresa. It sounds like a pretty nice time.
I'll be having another one soon too but this year will be able to share it with my baby boy! That aught to ramp things up a bit on the Party front.

I really like that T-shirt too

Liz Ranger (Bubble Tea for Dinner) said...

happy birthday!! sounds like a winning celebration to me. and I love the beer as a palate cleanser. XD