Birthday Dish

I love fall. October is the best month of the year, in my opinion. It unofficially kicks off the holiday season for me. I get to decorate with pumpkins and gourds. The weather changes from hot and humid to cool and crisp. The colors change from green to yellow, red and orange. October not only welcomes Indian Summer and football, it also kicks off with my hubby's birthday.

Our little family spent the weekend celebrating Gabe's birthday. Gabe's mom, Bonnie, came down and we had a bona fide FEAST on Friday for the Birthday Boy. I made Beef Burgundy and Broccoli Casserole (thanks Paula Deen!) and yellow cake with dark chocolate frosting (thanks Martha!). This was my first attempt at baking a cake from scratch. I have to say, while my decorating skills leave something to be desired, it came out pretty darn good!

Of course, no birthday party is complete without candles and a little Happy Birthday sing song. And while I won't give away his age, I will say that there wasn't enough room to fit all the candles on the cake. :-)

Saturday, Gabe and I stole away for a quick movie - Julie & Julia. GREAT movie. Sunday, Gabe's mom made her famous Chicken n' Dumplings. Gabe's brother Michael and his family came by and we spent the afternoon watching the Chiefs dig themselves into a deeper hole.

Sunday afternoon, the house was quiet again and we were left wishing we had one more day to celebrate life. Alas, we can't play forever.

For now, I leave you with a little Mia treat - trying on Grandma's glasses...