Tonight I threw a birthday party for Larry’s 40th birthday. It was a small gathering, some friends and neighbors, and we had an excellent time. I originally thought I’d just order some things from Draeger’s and order a yummy, special cake, just to lighten the workload. Then I decided to make the cake, at least. Then I decided, hey, I can make up a few appetizers. I did a lot of the work early in the week, but as usual, I think I had a few too many last-minute things.
– The Goat Cheese Crackers were super popular, and sooo easy to make. Just goat cheese, hot pepper jelly, and chives. It’s not even a recipe, really, but it can also also be found in Fine Cooking’s 2006 Quick & Delicious special issue.
– The Hoisin-Glazed Flank Steak Spirals were kind of a pain to put together at the last minute, and messy, too. Thanks to Larry, they got done just in time for the party. However, they were delicious. This recipe is also in Fine Cooking’s 2006 Quick & Delicious special issue.
– I made the quiches early in the week and froze them right in the mini-muffin pan. There was only enough filling to make 24 – they might have had more filling than they needed, because they needed to cook quite a bit longer than indicated also. It was nice to be able to just pop the whole pan in the oven and forget about it for a while. They were pretty good.
– The Cucumber Rounds were just okay, I don’t think I’d make them again. They are also in Fine Cooking’s 2006 Weekend Cooking special issue.
– Goat Cheese Terrine (also in Fine Cooking’s 2004 Quick & Delicious special issue) was super easy to make and needed to be done ahead of time. It was tasty, too.
– I loved the Creamy Roquefort Dip, especially with the fennel.
– The Chive & Pine Nut dip is always a big favorite for me. Mmm.
– I keep soft Spanish chorizo on hand in the freezer – it’s a really easy, quick, hot appetizer. I used mini-chorizos and sauteed them quickly, then added a bit of red wine and sauteed some more.
– The cake is super chocolate-y and is the same one we did for Jay’s birthday. Katie and Jay provided the candles.
Along with the appetizers, we served up wine and Licor 43 cocktails – these are easy and taste like Dreamsicles!
Licor 43 Citrus Punch
1-1/4 oz. LICOR 43 liqueur
2 oz. orange juice
3 oz. club soda
Squeeze lime wedge
Combine the LICOR 43 liqueur, orange juice and lime wedge over ice in a 12 oz. glass, top with soda and garnish with a lime wedge.

• Goat Cheese Crackers with Hot Pepper Jelly (Fine Cooking #64, May 2004, p. 63)
• Hoisin-Glazed Flank Steak Spirals with Carrot, Red Pepper & Scallions (Fine Cooking #64, May 2004, p. 78)
• Bacon, Leek & Cheddar Mini Quiches (Fine Cooking #82, December 2006, p. 49)
• Cucumber Rounds with Hummus & Yogurt (Fine Cooking #69, January 2005, p. 90c)
• Goat Cheese, Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomato Terrine (Fine Cooking #61, Holiday Baking 2003, p. 98c)
• Cruditiés with Creamy Roquefort Dip (Fine Cooking #75, Holidays 2005, p. 52)
• Chive and Pine Nut Dip with Sourdough Toasts (Gourmet, June 2005)
• Sauteed Mini-Chorizos in Red Wine
• Double Chocolate Layer Cake (Gourmet, March 1999)

Wine:
– Heritage Vineyard 2003 Zinfandel (Oakville, California). This is the wine that’s sold at the Zinfandel festival every year. This vintage is particularly tasty – probably because Paul Draper was the winemaker.
– Louis Jadot 2004 Pouilly-Fuisse (France). I picked this up at BevMo for the party, just for those white wine drinkers.
– Michel-Schlumberger 1999 Benchland Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (Dry Creek Valley, California). This was a magnum that Larry won in a raffle at the winery. And it was good! Perfectly drinkable.
– Copain 2004 Cerise Vineyard Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley, California). Still needs time in the bottle, like all the other Copain we’ve opened so far. But so much potential. Ralph chose this bottle to open – I was just glad we had some Pinot in the cellar he was interested in.
– The Holy Trinity 2001 (Barossa, Australia). A Bordeaux-type blend brought to the party by our neighbor Chris. Yummy!