We celebrated two birthdays in my house over the past week. I often approach my own birthday with a bit of quiet reflection. While I can’t quite wrap my mind around the idea of aging, the awareness of how quickly a year goes by always makes me sigh. And it seems that the older I get, the more deeply this can be felt. Many of us groan and lament each passing birthday, as one step closer to an end. Yet I contemplate the rationality of this thinking. Are we not fortunate to simply be able to grow old? Of all the people who lose their opportunity to age, is it nothing short of a miracle to keep living? And to live to be 80 or 90 years old? That is true luck.
For our birthday celebration, we enjoyed some amazing, slightly indulgent, homemade foods….these come straight from Bon Appetite.
Here is Jason’s version of Garlicky Black Pepper Shrimp with Black-Eyed Peas…he added some tasty smoked salmon.
…and my version of Apple Ginger Pie with Cider-Bourbon Sauce. I tweaked this recipe slightly by using coconut oil instead of shortening. And it really ought to be eaten with vanilla ice cream, or mypersonal fave Ciao Bella Gelato.
A very worthwhile labor of love
Happy birthdays and holidays to you all...