The morning of July 13, we (my parents, brother and Jorge) woke up at Lazy Acres camp, enjoyed a giant breakfast of giambotti cooked on the fire and then spent a few hours kayaking on the lake. And then it was time to go home to one of the most relaxing places I know: my parent’s front porch.
It was my dad‘s 60th birthday – the main reason Jorge and I went to New York a few weeks ago. He didn’t know we were coming and was pleasantly surprised to see us.
Since he travels so much for work, we decided to make it a small family affair, full of delicious food – a finger food feast that my mom prepared with a bit of help from me, Jorge and my grandma. It started with the creation of a watermelon boat – a first for Jorge, but something we enjoyed most Summers growing up in New York.
It turned out quite well in the end. Next time maybe we’ll advance to a watermelon shark instead.
Soon, the dining room table began to fill up with goodies in my mom’s mismatched array of bowls and dishes she’s collected over the years that I love. We had lots of nibbles…
I’ve never liked pickles much. Do you?
Brie, on the other hand? I’m all over that.
Gram, who just celebrated her 80th birthday a few months ago, was busy in the kitchen slicing up all sorts of different types of cheese. Someone obviously snitched one of the smoky wedges…
We also had some fresh garlic cheese chunks that we found in the North Tonawanda Farmer’s Market. (A post about the market coming soon…).
There was, of course, a bowl of olives.
My dad is a huge fan of olives. He even took me olive picking in Greece a few years ago. That was an authentic cultural experience I would recommend to anyone.
We had some spreads and dips like hummus.
And pâté.
Something to spread it on…
There were cold meats.
And more.
From the oven, we had some delicious stuffed mushrooms.
We had one of my favorite British appetisers, “angels on horseback” made with bacon and oysters.
There was some ham and cheese puff pastry with a nice golden top.
And who could forget the Greek salad? I love this Israeli feta. I haven’t been able to find it in London so if anyone knows where to look, let me know. I’m thinking the Whole Foods cheese room, but other suggestions welcome!
We mixed up some sangria, grabbed our plates and headed to the dining room.
Stocking up, we then made a beeline for the front porch to enjoy the beautiful Summer evening.
We had to leave room for dessert – a fruit tart.
Happy birthday Dad!
Cheers to an excellent year ahead.
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