Happy birthday to us
It was my birthday on Tues, last week. I had a lovely evening with the Chivers, plus Rich and Adam. It was pancake day, so we had pancakes with meaty, savoury filling, and then more pancakes with ice-cream, butterscotch sauce, and rum soaked raisins. It was all very nice, as was the Battenberg cake K had got for a birthday cake. We played a few rounds of a card game I brought, 'Sylabex'. The winner of the evening, if not the actual game, was probably Adam. He managed to combine cards with the syllables KER and WAN to make a word.I'd nearly managed this in a previous Sunday game, but the KER card got covered up before I could put WAN next to it.
Altogether, I had a lovely evening, sharing food and playing games with good friends. The cards and gifts were much appreciated.
Thursday was my Mum's birthday. I phoned in the afternoon for a chat and she said she'd had a lovely day. She was both amused and slightly scandalized by the slightly risque card I'd sent her. I suspect it made her day though, as she planned to take it to the luncheon she was attending the next day, with some of her WI cronies, so she could show them my card.
Saturday was the birthday dinner meal. Gary, Iain B, Iain F and myself all have birthdays within about three weeks of one another, so like last year, we got together (along with Iain F's wife, Vikki) for a meal and gossip. The Iains and Gary were good friends way, way back but Iain F is rarely in contact with either these days so he enjoys the chance to catch up. We chatted and swapped old Film Unit and roleplaying anecdotes. We managed to completely break Vikki at one point, who was laughing so much I worried she was disturbing Davinder, in the flat below.
The food was a success. I did braised oxtail, with new potatoes and savoy cabbage. I've had regular, tinned oxtail soup in the past, but never eaten it as a meat. It was braised a good long while in red wine and veg, and came out very tasty. Dessert was also a first time recipe. I had key lime pie when I was last in America and enjoyed it. I made lemon and lime ginger crunch to take to D&D the previous Sunday, so thought I'd make key lime pie for the birthday dinner. I was partway through making it on Fri night when I opened the tin of condensed milk, and found it was unexpectedly brown. I'd accidentally bought caramelized condensed milk. It was too late to go get plain condensed milk, and caramel and lime pie sounded OK, so I made that instead. It turned out very well; the sweetness of the caramel complements the sharpness of the lime.
Somewhere around 4 in the morning, my guests decided they really ought to be getting home. It was a lovely night and we all enjoyed our mutual birthday bash.
Altogether, I had a lovely evening, sharing food and playing games with good friends. The cards and gifts were much appreciated.
Thursday was my Mum's birthday. I phoned in the afternoon for a chat and she said she'd had a lovely day. She was both amused and slightly scandalized by the slightly risque card I'd sent her. I suspect it made her day though, as she planned to take it to the luncheon she was attending the next day, with some of her WI cronies, so she could show them my card.
Saturday was the birthday dinner meal. Gary, Iain B, Iain F and myself all have birthdays within about three weeks of one another, so like last year, we got together (along with Iain F's wife, Vikki) for a meal and gossip. The Iains and Gary were good friends way, way back but Iain F is rarely in contact with either these days so he enjoys the chance to catch up. We chatted and swapped old Film Unit and roleplaying anecdotes. We managed to completely break Vikki at one point, who was laughing so much I worried she was disturbing Davinder, in the flat below.
The food was a success. I did braised oxtail, with new potatoes and savoy cabbage. I've had regular, tinned oxtail soup in the past, but never eaten it as a meat. It was braised a good long while in red wine and veg, and came out very tasty. Dessert was also a first time recipe. I had key lime pie when I was last in America and enjoyed it. I made lemon and lime ginger crunch to take to D&D the previous Sunday, so thought I'd make key lime pie for the birthday dinner. I was partway through making it on Fri night when I opened the tin of condensed milk, and found it was unexpectedly brown. I'd accidentally bought caramelized condensed milk. It was too late to go get plain condensed milk, and caramel and lime pie sounded OK, so I made that instead. It turned out very well; the sweetness of the caramel complements the sharpness of the lime.
Somewhere around 4 in the morning, my guests decided they really ought to be getting home. It was a lovely night and we all enjoyed our mutual birthday bash.