There’s nothing quite like having around 35 friends come out for a birthday celebration to make a girl feel special. Friday night, David (with the help of a couple of good friends) threw a party for me and our friend, Heather. Her birthday was the 16th and mine is the 27th so we decided to celebrate together in between. The party was scheduled for 9 p.m. but David took me out earlier for dinner. When we arrived at Papa Gjorgjo’s North, a couple of dear friends were already there, finishing up their dinner. They weren’t able to stay for the party but they had brought me a card and a very sweet little gift.
We started with cream of artichoke soup which our friend, Karah, had specially requested of the management, knowing I would like it. Wow. It was fabulous! I then ordered blackened Mahi Mahi with dill sauce, which isn’t on the menu but they will prepare if asked. Don’t you just love a place like that? And doesn’t this look delicious?:
A few friends began arriving as we ate our dinner and at 9 p.m. we all went out to the patio for the party. David had hired Aaron Oliver, formerly of “Frail”, to perform. However, when the restaurant owners, George and Gay, saw how many people showed up, they decided to pay for the music. They also gave Heather and me each the most adorable gifts. Scroll down to the last picture. See that pink, cylindrical object with my tiara on top? It’s got a corkscrew inside and holds a bottle of wine. Isn’t that just the most clever thing? I am envisioning a picnic with wine, cheese and bread. But only after it cools down a little. And as if that weren’t enough, George, knowing how much David and I adore the créme brûlée he makes, made a HUGE platter of a similar dessert — créme caramela — or something like that. The picture doesn’t do it justice but the platter was probably 18 inches long and oh, was it good!
And then our dear friend, Karah, made her mother’s famous almond-flavored cake and decorated it beautifully. This recipe is a carefully guarded secret and those of us who have been privileged enough to have enjoyed it the many times she has made it for church potlucks affectionately call it a “Greta Cake”. Karah made a triple recipe and then decorated it with fresh flowers in our favorite colors — red for Heather, purple for me, and orange for another friend from Oklahoma City who joined us for the party and has a birthday on the 31st.
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