Happy Birthday Dad + Me: Pandemic Edition

Last year, Dad and I threw an epic birthday party for ourselves at Purple Chopstix. I turned 40, he turned 70. It was so fun!! So many of our friends gathered to celebrate with us! Look at all of those people in one room with no masks on!!!!!!!

Since this year is the global COVID-19 pandemic, we couldn't throw a big birthday  party with all of our friends. Instead, we gathered on Mom and Dad's porch! Purple Chopstix has been closed most of the year. They just happened to open the week of Dad's birthday, offering contactless pickup on the weekends!

How lucky for us! Here we are gathering to celebrate Dad's birthday.

Dad and I were lucky to have warm, beautiful weather on our birthdays.

Sushi appetizer.

Ben got seafood crepes.

Mom and Dad each got crab cakes.

I got the sweet potato peanut pasta.

Everything was SO delicious and it was wonderful to be enjoying Purple Chopstix food again!

Little Kate made our family favorite, Texas sheet cake!

Dad blew his candle out away from the table, so as not to spread germs.

Can he blow it out through the mask? Of course he can!

Two weeks later, we gathered again for another round of Purple Chopstix family birthday fun! This time, to celebrate my birthday!

Vana and Joe gave me some home brew for my birthday. Cheers!

Vana also gave me these Junk Party Jewelry Cool Ranch Dorito earrings. Isn't that the best name ever for an earring!??

Sweet potato bisque!

Relaxing on the front porch!

Kate got pesto pasta!

I got red curry with shrimp, and Ben got sweet potato peanut pasta with chicken! We love Purple Chopstix!!!

Lucy tried unsuccessfully to get a bite.

Instead of blowing out the candles, I waved them out using the force of my freshly-washed hands!

Poof!

Mmm, Texas sheet cake. You wish, Lucy!

Cooking club paddle board pandemic expedition

Cooking club paddle board pandemic expedition! We've been talking about doing this all summer, and we finally made it happen.

The quarantine has put a damper on hosting cooking clubs at our houses.

So we packed some dishes and hit the lake! The theme was basically "make something picnicky with barely any advanced notice." Because this was such a quickly planned cooking club, Summer already had plans that day and was unable to join us. We missed her!!

Nancy borrowed Riley's board, which is the same board that Yumi and I have. TRIPLETS!!!

We paddled to the far corner of the lake, where there are some picnic tables, and set up a socially-distant picnic.

In the front are delicious cups of chilled corn soup made by Nancy. Behind that, herby, creamy pasta salad featuring asparagus and smoked trout, made by Valerie!

The little burrito-looking things are my contribution: baguette sandwiches with brie, dijon and honeycrisp apple slices. Simple but delicious! On the right are Emily's deconstructed salad skewers, featuring marinated veggies and cheese tortellini! In the back, Yumi made vanilla bean panna cottas with white peaches. YUM!!

Valerie demonstrates the proper drinking technique!

My sandwich, unwrapped. Mmmmmmmm.

Heading back to our cars. We were so full, I'm surprised we didn't sink! What a delicious day.

Happy Anniversary to me and Ben!

Happy 8th wedding anniversary to me and Ben! Often we'll celebrate by going to Zoe for dinner, but since it's a pandemic right now, that wasn't an option. Instead, we recreated one of our favorite Zoe cocktails! The pondwater martini! Cheers!! Those are blue cheese stuffed olives. Mmm.

Another of our favorite traditions is to have a bunch of cheese and fruit and bread. Can't go wrong! Plus egg salad and meats!

Mmmm.

Happy anniversary!