Today is my birthday. I’m 34. My Dad turned 58 yesterday. A few years ago, 58 was an incomprehensible age. Now, it feels like I’m closing in on it quickly. I was 30 when I had my first daughter and that puts into perspective for me just how young my parents were when they had me (and I was their third!). Despite lamenting growing older, I still had a really nice, but low-key day.
I felt like having some falafel on my birthday, so my husband stopped at Lavash and picked up two sandwiches, some dolmades, some hummus and some lentil soup.
It was the perfect birthday dinner. Lavash’s lentil soup is undoubtedly the best I’ve ever had. Also, I asked my husband to make sure the tahini sauce was vegan and, not only did the employee know that it WAS vegan, she also let him know that their garlic sauce is vegan, too. He told her how awesome it was that she knew so much about the food and was able to tell him – without having to ask the chef – that the ingredients were vegan. She said that they make all the food from scratch in-house, so all the employees know what goes into it. I love it!
For dessert, I made the Apple Pie Cupcake (except I made a cake) recipe from 500 Vegan Recipes. I filled and frosted with an altered version of the vanilla frosting from the Babycakes book.
The cake was moist and light and was just the perfect amount of sweetness (I halved the sugar called for in the recipe). I can’t wait to taste the cake again tomorrow after it’s had a chance to settle into itself overnight. I think all the flavors are going to get along really well and turn into something spectacular. I won’t be surprised if I eat a slice morning, noon, and night until the cake is gone!
So, that’s what I ate today on what is not only my birthday, but the last day of Vegan MoFo 2010. I had a great time participating this year and, looking ahead to 2011, I think I’ll try to settle on a simple theme to make things a little easier on myself. I haven’t a clue what that theme will be, but luckily I have a whole year to ponder it! I met all of my goals but one – to create an original recipe. It’s cool, though, because I feel like that’s not something for which I really need to set a deadline. After taking such a long break from cooking to instead take care of my babies, I’m glad to have gotten back to spending more time in the kitchen and to honing my skills as a cook. I do think I improved over the month and I don’t anticipate returning to the way things were a few months ago when my family ate veggie burgers several nights a week. It was great to meet some new bloggers and discover new recipes and I hope to keep up with many of you for a long time to come! If you feel like sharing, how was your MoFo experience?
The deal is on!
