The Birthday Post

Yesterday, Friday the 13th, was my birthday. After so many birthdays it’s not a day I particularly look forward to or feel the need to celebrate lavishly. And though I don’t look it or always feel like it, I still think I’m 35, so I decided to pooh-pooh all the “old” comments and enjoy this week and the attention.

Tuesday evening was a family joint celebration with my baby brother who had a birthday two weeks ago. We had a wonderful time at Sampaio’s, a Brazilian restaurant, with great food and service. The food was not quite as spicy as I thought or hoped it would be, but everyone enjoyed their dinners and it was presented beautifully. The chef wanted to create special vegan fare for Chase and me. On a side note, to all the people I’ve seen comment that they were hesitant to take pictures of their food at restaurants, you should know that our waitress told me that the chef saw me taking pictures of the food and he was just beaming. So fear not and show us your food!

My salad appetizer was greens and hearts of palm wrapped in a grilled zucchini slice and topped with green olive, tomato, and herb vinaigrette. Terribly clever and so delicious.


The waitress knew which items were cooked with meat, e.g., the black beans, but I became a little concerned after she asked me twice if vegans could have oil. Chase finally asked her what oil they used, and it was soybean oil. Don’t really get that. Anyway, we were presented with this lovely platter of Shu-shu salad (greens and zucchini in a lettuce cup), grilled veggies topped with the most delicious crispy fried collards, and a roasted red pepper filled with pecan cilantro rice. The chef came out to watch us receive our food, and I gave him a thumbs up.

My mom had Oatscreme and vegan mini cupcakes awaiting us for dessert at home, so we didn’t order dessert. But I always ask to hear about them. Along with flan and bread pudding, Sampaio’s serves a chocolate layer cake filled with chocolate mousse and then set afire and presented afterward. I was hoping another patron would order it so I could catch a glimpse of that creation! Here’s a couple of pictures taken at the restaurant.

Chase wanted to come visit me Friday after work and bring me a present. I asked him what we would do after that and he said, “Eat?” I knew Friday was going to be extremely busy at work and I would be exhausted, so I planned to pick up the best Falafel sandwiches in town from Marakesh, across the street from my office. On Thursday, I made some things to have with it.

Spinach hummus – your basic hummus recipe with a handful of fresh spinach added in. Very, very yummy.

And Lentil Stew with potatoes, carrots, and fresh tomatoes. This turned out really great and was so filling.

Then on Friday, Chase and Liz and Smokey came over and sent me to my room while they prepared the dinner table. The falafel wraps have 4 huge patties in them. Here they are – bigger than my dinner plates.

I got some plain patties for myself.

Chase and Liz brought me some lovely flowers, a card, and an ABC Double Chocolate Decadence cookie!

We enjoyed all the food and were very full, and then to my surprise, Chase said they had one more special gift for me.

I still can’t believe they bought me a new grill! I’ve been talking about getting one all summer and now I have it. Sadly, the rain is back but we’ve decided we are grilling on Sunday despite the rain.

I guess birthdays aren’t so bad after all.