My daughter turned one in December; however because of the holidays and the weather that has hit us we decided to post-pone her party until this month. We wanted to give our guests ample time after the holidays and for us as well. I'm not sure if any of you out there have planned a birthday for a one year old - it should be quite simple, yet I find myself really putting pressure on myself to make this event a memorable one. Now, the logical side of my brain tells me that my daughter will not actually remember this festive day; however I will. The pictures that I will put in her baby book and the family scrapbook will forever frame this day in her little history. Because of all this I feel that it is my Momma duty to make this a sweet and perfect party for her.
When you think of a birthday party you think of cake, ice cream, decorations and presents. My guests will be greeted with all of the above but of course I want to also give them great food to enjoy while they are there. I have poured over menu options for quite some time now. Call me OCD, but I really just want her party to be perfect. :) The cake of course is one of the most important parts - because really - when you look back on pictures what is the main picture you look for? The cake of course. I have been looking at different places around town that make cute cakes and a girlfriend of mine who is starting her own cake business, so I am hoping that will all fall into place soon enough. The decorations are easy enough and of course presents -- I mean the easiest age to buy for is 1 - so that's in the bag. That only leaves the hard part ... the food.
I wanted to combine food that my daughter will enjoy along with the guests. I have done my best with my one year old to try and introduce her to all foods, rather than the 'kiddy' foods that most kids get comfortable with. My older two children fell into the rabbit hole when it came to food. As a young mother, I only wanted meal times to go smoothly; therefore when I made dinner they did not always like what I was serving each night so I would often find myself making two meals each and every night - one for adults and one for children. This became tiresome and eventually ended up leaving my children with a picky eating style. I vowed with my youngest to not make this fatal mistake and even though she is still young and cannot chew many foods, she still gets what we are having for dinner each and every night. I will say, she has become quite the lover of garlic.
So when thinking of this birthday menu I wanted something to appeal to everyone on the guest list. My choices so far are meatball sandies, goat cheese salad, cream cheese stuffed mushrooms along with the standard cheese and chips & dip. I wanted to include one of them here for you, so I'll share my goat cheese salad recipe.
Start out by combining goat cheese, flat leaf parsley and the zest of one lemon. Once the mixture is combined start making balls about 1" in diameter and put on a cookie sheet and place in the fridge so that they will firm up -- this will take about 30 minutes. Once they are set, add oil to a deep skillet and start heating your oil. You will be breading them, so make a quick breading station by cracking two eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt and also set up a shallow pan with your choice of panko bread crumbs or crushed saltine crackers - I prefer the panko for this dish however. Take your rolled cheese balls out of the fridge and dredge them in your egg and bread crumb mixture. When your oil is up to temp, place your balls in and cook them until they reach that magical golden brown color. When they do, remove them and place them on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil and then salt them to taste.
In a separate bowl you will want to put together a quick, light dressing. Mix honey Dijon mustard, diced chives and extra virgin olive oil together. Place your goat cheese balls on a bed of arugula and drizzle with your dressing. Voila! An easy but very tasty salad to compliment ANY meal!
Celebrating my daughter's first birthday is not only a great accomplishment for her - but for her father and I as well. We survived the late nights, early mornings, feedings, baths, baby proofing and cutting teeth but also got to experience such joys - her first smile, words, first steps and the most magical of all; her arms wrapped around us. This party isn't just for her - it's for Momma and Daddy too.
Cheers!
When you think of a birthday party you think of cake, ice cream, decorations and presents. My guests will be greeted with all of the above but of course I want to also give them great food to enjoy while they are there. I have poured over menu options for quite some time now. Call me OCD, but I really just want her party to be perfect. :) The cake of course is one of the most important parts - because really - when you look back on pictures what is the main picture you look for? The cake of course. I have been looking at different places around town that make cute cakes and a girlfriend of mine who is starting her own cake business, so I am hoping that will all fall into place soon enough. The decorations are easy enough and of course presents -- I mean the easiest age to buy for is 1 - so that's in the bag. That only leaves the hard part ... the food.
I wanted to combine food that my daughter will enjoy along with the guests. I have done my best with my one year old to try and introduce her to all foods, rather than the 'kiddy' foods that most kids get comfortable with. My older two children fell into the rabbit hole when it came to food. As a young mother, I only wanted meal times to go smoothly; therefore when I made dinner they did not always like what I was serving each night so I would often find myself making two meals each and every night - one for adults and one for children. This became tiresome and eventually ended up leaving my children with a picky eating style. I vowed with my youngest to not make this fatal mistake and even though she is still young and cannot chew many foods, she still gets what we are having for dinner each and every night. I will say, she has become quite the lover of garlic.
So when thinking of this birthday menu I wanted something to appeal to everyone on the guest list. My choices so far are meatball sandies, goat cheese salad, cream cheese stuffed mushrooms along with the standard cheese and chips & dip. I wanted to include one of them here for you, so I'll share my goat cheese salad recipe.
Start out by combining goat cheese, flat leaf parsley and the zest of one lemon. Once the mixture is combined start making balls about 1" in diameter and put on a cookie sheet and place in the fridge so that they will firm up -- this will take about 30 minutes. Once they are set, add oil to a deep skillet and start heating your oil. You will be breading them, so make a quick breading station by cracking two eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt and also set up a shallow pan with your choice of panko bread crumbs or crushed saltine crackers - I prefer the panko for this dish however. Take your rolled cheese balls out of the fridge and dredge them in your egg and bread crumb mixture. When your oil is up to temp, place your balls in and cook them until they reach that magical golden brown color. When they do, remove them and place them on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil and then salt them to taste.
In a separate bowl you will want to put together a quick, light dressing. Mix honey Dijon mustard, diced chives and extra virgin olive oil together. Place your goat cheese balls on a bed of arugula and drizzle with your dressing. Voila! An easy but very tasty salad to compliment ANY meal!
Celebrating my daughter's first birthday is not only a great accomplishment for her - but for her father and I as well. We survived the late nights, early mornings, feedings, baths, baby proofing and cutting teeth but also got to experience such joys - her first smile, words, first steps and the most magical of all; her arms wrapped around us. This party isn't just for her - it's for Momma and Daddy too.
Cheers!
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