Happy Birthday Alex!

Today we celebrate the birth of the possum-catching, sausage-making, sign-hanging, eldest member of the homestead, Alex.

On Saturday evening we invited family to our house for a feast for Alex and my sister Megan, whose birthday is July 16.  They always have the best birthday dinners because there are so many wonderful vegetables in season at the end of July!

I welcomed guests with Algonquin cocktails and bruschetta made with homegrown Julia Child tomatoes and basil.  These were my first taste of the Julia Child variety – oh my! they are juicy, sweet, and spicy delicious!

Alex smoked ribs of Red, chicken wings, and bratwurst.  My parents brought Ohio sweetcorn, apple cabbage slaw, and vinegar cucumbers.  Alex’s parents provided green beans from their garden and tabbouleh with homegrown tomato.

Lillian insisted we make Alex a blueberry pie with a lattice top.  I rolled the dough and carefully wove the top, placing it in the oven and hoping the filling would set just so.  I prefer a pie with filling that holds together yet isn’t starchy.  Adding just a bit of flour to the fresh Wayward Seed blueberries, sugar, and spices, this attempt worked perfectly!

My mother made her famous strawberry rhubarb pie decorated this time with a pie-dough strawberry.  My ever-loving fickle child ate absolutely none of my pie and begged her grandmother to leave some strawberry rhubarb behind for leftovers!

Alex received a large food processor and professional immersion blender among other gifts.  He’s already planning to use the food processor to make hot dogs and I have my eyes on the blender for tomato sauce.

In all, it was a great celebration.  Happy Birthday Alex!!  We love you!!