I gave her a couple of party options and she chose to light sky lanterns with a small group of friends at the beach.  I purchased five lanterns here, and couldn’t have been happier with the results.  It was cold that evening, so the celebration was kept short and sweet.  While bundled in our warmest sweaters, hats and gloves, we enjoyed cupcakes, blew bubbles, and played with sparklers.  After the beautiful sunset, we lit our lanterns and sent them flying with sweet birthday wishes. I was glad to have so many adults present, to help with lighting all the lanterns.  We had eight in all (a family member brought three more), and lost only one to the cold and windy conditions.

It was a sweet and magical party.  One I am sure no one will forget any time soon.

In Amanda’s words: This Moment – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Friends and family from far and wide, old and new, came together to celebrate life.

We ate.

We played.

We celebrated while my handmade papel picado banners flapped overhead.

Ever present, the ofrenda (shrine) sat nearby, laden with fresh fruit, handmade sugar skulls, corn, candles, copal incense, pan de muertos, salt, water, marigolds, and the photos of many departed loved ones.

Dia de los Muertos is a special day to me, and I am so honored that my friends and family joined me to celebrate those who have come before us. It’s a party I will never forget.

A very special thank you to Nathan and Camille Pyatte, our talented photographers.  You can find their work at pyattestudios.com.

Here are a few more photos from our Day of the Dead celebration.  This pinata was the third I’ve made and I think it was the best of the three.  I used the cooked wheat paste recipe from Amanda Blake Soule’s Handmade Home, and it was really nice to work with.  It was far stronger than the uncooked wheat paste I usually use, and much smoother.

I originally made the pinata seven layers thick, but it felt a bit weak.  Remembering that the last party’s pinata got busted much too quickly, I added one more layer of paper and it was instantly rock hard!  I was a bit concerned that it would be one of those pinatas that eventually takes a grown-up to crack, but the kids did a great job.  The grown-ups were making wisecracks about the pinata being made of cement, but it lasted through three rounds of kids, each turn consisting of three whacks.  I think it worked out just right, and will certainly make it that thick again next year.

It was filled with small trinkets and organic lollipops.  The kids had a grand time breaking it open, and a fun time enjoying their booty!

A very special thank you to Nathan and Camille Pyatte, our talented photographers.  You can find their work at pyattestudios.com.

Roasted tomatillo salsa, made by me.

Fresh chicken tamales, brought from a tiny little local restaurant.

Pan de muertos, also made by me.  The recipe can be found here.

Apple empanadas, made by The Bird.

We also had fresh tomato salsa, chicken enchiladas, shredded chicken soft tacos, refried beans, chorizo soup, corn on the cob, fresh watermelon, guacamole, cookies, and two kinds of brownies!

The most special dish there was my grandfather’s famous beef enchiladas, made by my mother.  It was nice to have him honored on both the ofrenda and the buffet.

I know there were many other wonderful dishes, I just can’t remember them all.  Unfortunately I didn’t get to taste them all, but I sure tried!

To wash it all down, there was mexican beer, sangria, red raspberry tea, hot chocolate, and of course, tequila!

So now that I know that potlucks do have an amazing way of just working out, I am a believer.  So everyone had better start perfecting their Mexican recipes for next year!

Tomatillos are one of those ingredients I really got into using when I started with Mexican cooking years ago.  I love them so much, and I just can’t get enough of them.  They look like a smallish green tomato, but they are quite firm, and usually are found in the store with their papery husks still attached.  They taste remotely tomatoish, but much zingier.  Since I have been asked for this recipe so many times, I will gladly share it here:

ROSE’S ROASTED TOMATILLO SALSA

(adapted from Rick Bayless’ Mexican Everyday)

1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed

3 large cloves of garlic

1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded (or not, if you like it hotter) and chopped

one bunch (a good sized handful) cilantro

1 small onion, finely chopped

salt

Preheat your oven’s broiler. Cut the tomatillos in half widthwise and place cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet, along with the unpeeled garlic.  Broil about 5 to 7 minutes, until the tomatillos are beginning to char and blacken.  Flip the tomatillos over (cut side up) and return to the broiler for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until they are beginning to blacken.  Some will still be firm and most will be quite soft.  This is all fine.

While the tomatillos cool down a bit, roughly chop your jalapeño and then chop it finely in your food processor.  I always find that I get better results when I chop the onion by hand. Squeeze the softened garlic out of its papery skin and add to the food processor.  When the tomatillos are cool enough, pour them, along with any accumulated juices, into the food processor. Add the cilantro, about half a cup of water and about a teaspoon of salt, and blitz the whole business until it is coarsely pureed.

Pour into a bowl, add the onion and stir, and taste and adjust salt if necessary.

Try not to eat it all right then and there.

A very special thank you to Nathan and Camille Pyatte, who not only brought the tamales and hot chocolate, but also took all of the gorgeous photos you see here.  You can find their talented work at pyattestudios.com.

The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated predominantly in Mexico and has evolved from an ancient Aztec festival.  Rather than being a somber occasion, it is a celebration of the lives of those who have come before us.  Traditionally, a feast is prepared, and an ofrenda, or altar, is built to honor the dead. It is believed that on this day, the spirits of the dead return to the earth for a visit! I believe it is important to remember the generations that have come before me, making my life possible.  And I hope someday someone will celebrate my life and memory on Dia de los Muertos!

As far as the party is concerned, I still have plenty to do.  Gather buffet supplies, get decorations ready, and finish the piñata and sugar skulls.  I’m in good shape now, and I just have a few last minute things to do. The paint on the piñata is drying as I type this, and the housecleaning will have to wait until tomorrow.  (And do I really need to clean the house before a party when it’s just going to get messed up anyway?)

I’ll be back next week to share images from the party, but for now I wanted to share the outfits I made for the kids to wear.  I had some scraps of muertos fabric from a skirt I made years ago, so I made a shirt for The Boy, and a skirt for The Girl.  I’m pleased to report that I had only tiny slivers of fabric remaining.  Love that fabric stash!

My only regret is that I did not have enough fabric for a similar skirt for me.  Also, I might be about thirty years too old for a skirt like that.

The Boy had been asking for a party for several days in a row, so I decided to oblige him.  I had exactly six cupcakes in the freezer, so we invited four friends.

Everyone got a candle to blow out.

I made a fruit salad and put out a bowl of pretzels.  I blew up some balloons, set out some bubbles, and called it a party.

A good time was had by all.  Sometimes it’s good to have a party just because.

Last year we had a very sweet and simple party.  Being the inveterate party-planner that I am, I really wanted to do something nice this year.  I know she’s only two, but I really wanted to throw a party, which I haven’t had the opportunity to do in a while because, well, I had a baby.

The Girl loves tea parties, so I decided to throw a tea party brunch.  I started cooking on Thursday for the party on Sunday.  The Girl helped roll out the pastry for the quiche.  She’s actually quite good at it.

I tried to keep the guest list small, but with my Tribe growing bigger every year, the guest list grew to 37 almost instantly.  But it all went without a hitch.

Mushroom mozzarella quiche, broccoli cheddar quiche, cheese and crackers.  (My first ever quiche, and it was so good!)

Granola, fruit salad, yogurt, banana chocolate chip muffins and raisin walnut bread.  There was also a pot of winter squash and kale soup, and hot apple cider on the stove.  All of it lovingly made from scratch.

Lots of tea to choose from, as well as coffee.

Nigella’s buttermilk birthday cake recipe (doubled) with some chocolate chips thrown in for good measure.  It was delicious.  The cake was so huge, the topper of my cake stand smashed the frosting when I put it on.  (The coloring in the pink icing was made by juicing some beets, then cooking down the juice until thick.)

It was a lot of work, and everyone had a great time, especially the birthday girl.

The Girl’s first birthday party was this weekend.  I know she had no idea it was her birthday, but the party was more for us than her.  We really wanted to celebrate the birth of our daughter since we weren’t really able to when she was born.  I invited family and a few close friends.

Since The Daddy took the monkeys to the grandparents’ for breakfast that morning, I had a few hours by myself.  Even though I had planned on having only cake and punch, I made a small veggie platter, some cheese, hummus, and fresh fruit.  I made the cake the day before, so it really wasn’t that much work the day of the party.  I kept myself calm and happy, mindful that I wanted to celebrate, not make myself crazy.  Rather than getting all grouchy, rushing through my preparations, and barking orders at everyone within earshot, I took my time and enjoyed it.  It was a real triumph for me.  I love to throw parties, and I’ve thrown lots of them.  And I always get stressed.  When the kids came home, the food was done, the presents were wrapped, and I had fresh flowers on the table.

We had a few hours to relax and then our guests began to arrive.  It was a glorious, beautiful day, so everyone ended up outside to let the big kids play.  It worked out well because rather than trying to clear off the food table inside the house, I set the cake up outside.  It was whole wheat banana chocolate chip, the same at The Boy’s first birthday cake.  My little milkaholic couldn’t have cared less about the cake.  She was hardly interested in the frosting or the chocolate.  Is she really my daughter?  Perhaps her chocolate sensors haven’t kicked in yet.

All in all, it was a sweet, lovely day.  It was exactly what I wanted.

The crown of flowers I made for the birthday girl to wear while we sang Happy Birthday.

And since The Bird requested it, here’s the famous…

WHOLE WHEAT BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE

adapted from Nikki & David Goldbeck’s American Wholefoods Cuisine.  You can also halve this recipe to make a loaf or muffins.

3 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. wheat germ

2 t. cinnamon

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 11.5 ounce bag Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips

1/2 c. canola oil

1 c. honey

2 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 c. mashed banana

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.  Grease and flour two 8″ cake pans.  If you wanted to place a circle of parchment in the bottom of each pan, I wouldn’t stop you.  Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  In another bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.  Pour wet ingredients over the dry ones, and mix thoroughly but gently.  Pour into pans and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn onto wire cooling racks.  Frost with your favorite icing or eat plain.