07-07-07

What a lucky girl I am!

Every year I throw a big party for my birthday. Last year we gathered in a private room in a fancy Korean Barbecue restaurant, the year before it was around a big table in the California Pizza Kitchen in West Hollywood, the year before I cooked & entertained at home, another time we all drove down to Malibu Seafood on the Pacific Ocean, another time it was in the glitzy Biltmore Hotel bar downtown... always different, always fun, good friends, great food, a joyful occasion, as, I believe, birthdays should be.

This year my birthday fell on 07-07-07 & to help celebrate my son & daughter-in-law drove down from San Francisco with their 6 month old baby boy, my grandson Nico. Inspired by the baby’s presence, & given recent excellent experiences with my gourmet group of friends, I decided to throw a pot-luck-picnic-party in the park; an early gathering in West Hollywood Park at 5 in the afternoon, on the grass, with blankets, beach chairs, picnic tables; fun, friends, family, food. As for games: I purchased a Bingo game on EBay that was made in the year I was born.

No, I’m not going to tell…

The food was great, everything worked together as though planned: fried chicken, potato salad, beet salad, soba noodles with seaweed, zucchini salad, artichokes vinaigrette, kale in tahini sauce, crudités, dips; all fresh, tasty, wonderful. For dessert I brought cupcakes from Sprinkles. Everyone’s eyes lit up when I opened the box & we gazed in awe at the Saturday selection of flavors. We each chose our favorites, shared, took seconds, licked our lips, and agreed: not only are Sprinkles cupcakes fashionable, trendy & hip but they also happen to be delicious. I’m not a pushover when it comes to cupcakes; I was brought up on Yankee Doodles & I know a good cupcake when I eat one, and I can honestly declare that Sprinkles are fabulous.

And who’s got the cutest little grandson in the whole wide world?