I was reminded recently that one of our good friends in the neighborhood whom I greatly admire has a birthday coming up. I got very excited about having a birthday party for her and of course, the first challenge I faced is the one we always face whenever we throw such a party: “what will the menu be?” This very basic but important question always stumps me so I thought that I would try to deconstruct how I normally go about solving this dilemma…
Usually for me, the theme inspires the menu. For a birthday party I threw last year, I settled on a “Forty is the New Twenty” theme. I wanted to make a light, casual lunch that wouldn’t sit like a brick in your stomach since “twenty-something” women tend to be very conscious about their weight. Also, since most young women wouldn’t normally cook an elaborate seven-course meal, I decided on a variety of easy to make sandwiches made of egg salad, chicken salad and turkey, cheddar and mango chutney. In addition, I served a cool coleslaw salad and a refreshing mango, avocado and orange salad. For dessert, there was a frozen key lime pie, a pineapple upside down cake and fruit salad. We then toasted the birthday girl with watermelon martinis because not only do they taste good, they are visually fun and festive.
For another event, the weather dictated the choice of menu. I hosted a more intimate birthday lunch for one of my dearest friends over a year ago, and the food was quite different since her birthday falls at the end of November. The cooler weather inspired a menu of what I consider to be comfort food. For that lunch, there was onion dip with potato chips, baked brie served with crackers and apples and stuffed mushrooms for appetizers. For the main meal, I served panzanella salad, filet of beef bourguignon, quiche with gruyere cheese, eggplant parmesan, pasta with arrabiata sauce and grilled polenta. For dessert, I made carrot cake cupcakes, lemon bars and cheesecake to serve along with coffee and tea.
Now for this upcoming birthday party, I think that I am headed toward a more Asian theme. Perhaps it’s the Mulan costume she wore at a recent party or the beautiful Thai outfit she sported for our “Tryst with Thai” event that has inspired me, but I have brought out my new cookbook acquisitions from Malaysia which I think will be useful for this very special occasion. And to Bindu, we wish you a very happy birthday!
Wishing you all the best,
Namee Oberst
Founder, Food for Cause
Casual Birthday Parties for Friends
Monday, February 28, 2011