Happy Birthday (Observed)

We celebrated Randal's birthday yesterday. We spent the day flying and driving in an ice storm on his actual birthday. I'm not going to lie, the party wasn't that much better having waited several days to celebrate. Early church, teaching deacons and no gifts (upon his request) had something to do with the lack luster of the celebration. With a birth date so close to Christmas, he's learned not to expect too much.

I did succeed in making a great meal. With our kitchen in the early stages of remodel, dinner really is a special gift around here. Randal had even finished running new lights over our dining table the night before making it a real treat to eat in something other than darkness.

Randal really likes Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana. Ever had it? It's delicious. I've been hanging onto a pirated recipe I found on the internet. His birthday seemed a good time to crack it out. And I must say, it's an extremely good likeness! We loved it.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. Italian sausage
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 onion, diced
4 Tbs. bacon pieces
2 tsp. minced garlic
10 cups water
5 cubes chicken bouillon
3 lg. Russet potatoes, unpeeled, sliced
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 bunch kale

Saute sausage and crushed red pepper; remove and refiegerate until needed. In the same pan, saute bacon, onion and garlic until onion is tender. Add water and bouillon; bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until soft (approximately 30 minutes). Reduce heat. Add cream and sausage; cook until heated through. Chop kale into bite-size pieces; add to soup just before serving. (Disclaimer: The picture is not mine. But it could have been! Last night it really did look that good!)

In keeping with the Olive Gardenesque theme I made pasta with pumpkin alfredo for the main dish. If my dad were here, he would've said it was a dangerous meal. "If you put a piece on your forehead, your tongue would lick out your brains trying to get to it," he would say. Do you see why I was embarrassed a lot as a kid? Here's the recipe in case you're interested in licking out your brains.

Randal, Happy Birthday. I love you. I consider you the greatest gift I've ever been given. You are patient and kind. I'm trying to to deserve you. Someday I hope to get there. (Next year, I promise not to spend your birthday gift money on plane tickets home and get you something other than a cheesy sentiment written on this blog.)