Duet Birthday Dinner

In the past, I have cooked a birthday dinner for my mother (with the help of my sister, Meg) and for my mother-in-law (with the help of my sister-in-law, Elizabeth). This year for my mom's birthday, we have some very special guests coming up to celebrate with us, our good friends Susan and Carrie. They lived across the street from us growing up and we missed them tremendously when they moved away. Luckily, we get to see them fairly often, and it just so happens that Susan shares a birthday with my mom!

Meg and I knew this needed to be a special menu, so we worked hard on planning some gourmet treats. (This was heavy on the Giada inspiration since I happened to be re-reading her cookbooks at the time I was planning the menu!)

Look for the new recipes in the upcoming weeks!

Duet Birthday Dinner

Appetizers

• Baked Caprese Salad
• Cranberry, Caramelized Onion, and Goat Cheese Dip with assorted crackers
• Parmesan-Crusted Zucchini Sticks

Dinner

• Hearty Winter Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette
• Seared Scallops over Wilted Spinach
• Flank Steak with Red Wine Sauce
• Farfalle with Creamy Mushroom Gorgonzola Sauce
• Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with garlic and olive oil

Dessert

• Birthday Cake
• Black and White Cookies