Newest Addition to the 30 Crowd!

Since the beginning of living together, Tara and I have wanted to have a dinner party.  It only took nearly 9 years, but we finally put one on for my 30th birthday.  Having a nice apartment, with nice furniture helped create a cozy atmosphere.  We invited 7 of my friends, 3 couples and one single guy to partake in the event.  After coming up with the menu it was off to Whole Foods, Jewel, and Target for all the necessary ingredients.  Saturday began with cleaning and deveining the shrimp at 10am, which lead to a full day of prep work.  Tara did an amazing job finding interesting and delicious recipes, like the smoked salmon rolls with creme fraiche and basil.  I put together 9 large stuffed chicken breasts, which took a little longer to cook than I thought (so I learned to start 20lbs of chicken earlier next time).  The decor was very nice, as Tara loves flowers and simple touches that make things stand out. 

It was a great evening, with all of us gathered around the table drinking, eating and enjoying each others company.  Of course it wasn't complete until the Lemon Cake, with homemade lemon curd, was devoured.