Happy Birthdays!

T, C, and S have birthdays within three weeks of each other, so a party was in order. A party to which everyone was shockingly punctual, throwing me into a frenzy of preparation during which photos were sacrificed. Who told you people to suddenly learn how to be on time? Anyway, some photos from our mezes inspired party came through unscathed. Note how the quality of the photos decreases as my stress level rises.

Salmon filo puffs, my proudest creation. The filling is just wild Alaskan sock eye salmon with a little dill and Greek yogurt, but I really loved working with filo for the first time and making appetizers in fun shapes.

Caprese with basil from the garden and fresh buffalo mozarella.

Lemon pepper baby zucchini with flowers still attached, and grilled asparagus with dijon mustard dressing. A more careful food stylist would have spread the flower petals out before snapping.

Garlic tiger prawns the size of your palm, broiled and served hot hot hot. Can you tell at this point I'm just throwing food onto a plate and screaming for someone to bring it to the table?

Among the photos lost to shaky hands or plain and simple forgetfulness:

• baba ganoush with toasted flatbread wedges.
• prosciutto-wrapped figs stuffed with feta and broiled. A surprising favorite, since I made it to give people something new to try but didn't expect so many of them to go gaga over the unfamiliar flavors.
• Ahi tuna tartare with my ever changing secret ingredients.
• a tray of oysters: 10 Fanny Bay, 10 Hama Hama.
• the wines: a Piper-Heidsieck brut, St. Supery sauvignon blanc, and Benziger Dragonsleaf port.
• mini tiramisus, one per person with one six inch tall pastel candle in each birthday girl's ramekin.

This photo was taken after everyone dug in, so it's frightfully unattractive. But it does give you an idea of just how much food we had when all was said and done. Prepping small amounts of eight different dishes was time consuming, but getting to eat a variety of little things is worth the effort. I think I need to start taking photos of a few things before they're cooked so I at least have a record of what they looked like going into the oven. The figs and tiramisu, for example, were adorable. But I completely forgot to photograph them while it was light out, so the only photos I got were blurry and dark.

Now that I know I can physically make this much food in one night, I wish I had a few dozen tiny plates, a twelve seater dining table, and a good dishwasher. It would be fun to serve my friends a ten-course, three-hour tasting menu complete with wine pairings and stylish presentation, but it's impossible in my apartment.

Aaaaaaaaand, end posting frenzy. Hopefully I'll get back to a more regular posting schedule now.