Last Saturday my sisters and I had the honor and privilege of celebrating the birthday of one of the two most influential people in our lives - our mother. It was an afternoon full of fun, laughter and good food shared with Mama and many of her closest friends. Enjoy the photos! Oh, and of course, there's a recipe at the end.
An enlargement of the party invitation sat on a side table in the foyer. That's Mama as a third grader! Wasn't she the cutest little thing?
The place settings were a mix of china patterns with a rattan charger.
The centerpiece on the main table - lilies, roses and mums.
There was an additional table in the foyer to accommodate more guests.
And a casual table setting for the kitchen help (i.e., my sisters, nieces and brother-in-law).
As the guests arrived, they were greeted with champagne mimosas and cheese straws.
Lunch was chicken salad served atop a Parmesan puff pastry round with a side of oven roasted asparagus and an Apple-Pear Salad. You'll find that recipe at the end of this post.
My sister, Miss P. You may have seen her frequent comments on the blog.
My youngest sister and her three girls. What a beautiful group!
And, of course, we had birthday cake! An old-fashioned 15-layer chocolate cake dusted with edible glitter. It was sliced and served on a little puddle of raspberry sauce. Yum.
I think everyone at the party had a great time laughing and talking and celebrating Mama's special day. I know we "girls" did! Here's a huge "thank you" to both my sisters for everything they did to pull this day together. And, just in case you're interested, the birthday we were celebrating was her 75th. Yes, you read that right - 75. She doesn't look anywhere close to 75, does she?
And, as promised, down b the recipe for that delicious Apple-Pear Salad we served.
Enjoy!
Pin to Your Pinterest Salad Board!
Apple-Pear Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 lb. ready-to-serve Butter Lettuce
- 6 oz. Swiss or Gruyere cheese shaved
- 1 cup roasted salted cashews
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 large apple thinly sliced
- 1 large pear thinly sliced
For the dressing:
- ⅔ cup extra light olive oil
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ tblsp. poppy seeds
- 2 tsp. finely chopped shallot
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp. salt
Instructions
To make the dressing:
- Process all ingredients in a blender until smooth. May be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. Serve at room temperature.
To assemble the salad:
- Toss together all ingredients in a large bowl. Serve with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
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Lana Stuart is the cook and occasional traveler here at Never Enough Thyme. Lana has been cooking since she was tall enough to reach the stove and started this blog in 2009 to share her delicious home cooking recipes. You'll find about 700 recipes here so there's sure to be something your family will like!
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Katherine Martinelli
What a special celebration! And this salad looks just wonderful. Thanks for linking up at my salad blog hop!
Priscilla - She's Cookin'
Sorry I'm so late to the party - been traveling and dealing with sketchy wifi :) I heart this salad and, even though I don't have much of a sweet tooth, I'm curious to see a 15-layer chocolate cake! What a sweet thing to do for your precious mother - beautiful party; I love the china and the centerpiece!
Kalyn
What a nice party for your mom! It was fun seeing a glimpse of your family.
Donalyn
A lovely party and your Mom looks like a treasure!
Teri
All of you girls are just beautiful. You all look so much alike.
And the setting was gorgeous.
What a special day.
Thanks for sharing.
The recipe sounds delish. Printing it out now and thinking about having it the day after Thanksgiving. For some reason that just sounds perfect for us.
Thanks Lana :)
Mary
What a fantastic party! I'm sure your mum felt as honored as you and your sister's did to have her! Really lovely :)
Mary x
Tickled Red
Happy Belated Birthday to your Mom. I love her name, India. Everything looked beautiful and your recipe sounds delicious. Thank you so much for the peek into your family's fun :D
Lana
Thanks, Red. I should have gotten a photo of the four Indias! My grandmother, mother, sister and niece all have the first name India.
Marcie
We love passing down the female names in our family! How awesome is it to have four living generations of "India's" at once.
Heather Davis
What a great celebration! Lucky mum.
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen
What a wonderful event and I'm sure it was filled with good memories to cherish. You have a beautiful family.