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.