Saturday, February 13, 2010

Josh's Birthday Party

Hi Everyone! I hope you're having a very nice weekend! Yesterday was Josh's 28th Birthday! Since his favorite number is 8 and mine is 2, I decided this was cause for a BIG celebration! I enlisted the help of my side kick and got to work...
Since Frank doesn't have thumbs, he wasn't much help! I have tons of pictures to share, so I will keep the words to a minimum. I started with a few gifts (a Polar HRM, a new modern looking ceiling fan for our bedroom, and a bulldog t shirt):

Yes, I wrapped his gifts in little boy birthday paper ;). The prep work started with baking up some meatballs. I kept these on the dry side, as I planned to put them in the crock pot with marinara for a few hours prior to the party (if you make them too moist, they will fall apart in the crock pot):



I had placed an order for mini desserts at WFs, so I ran out to pick those up. I got key lime tarts (Josh's favorite), fruit tarts, and chocolate/raspberry tarts:

I also made up some chocolate dipped pretzels based on inspiration from the fabulous Sabrina (melt chocolate in microwave (30 second increments, stirring between), dip pretzels in chocolate, lay out on parchment or wax paper to solidify). These disappeared VERY quickly:


We had plenty of beer on hand (this was a manly party after all). Miller Lite in our keggerator, that I purchased for Josh for Christmas a few years ago):


Other beers in the fridge:



Had to make my fruit and fruit dip (1 container cool whip or truwhip mixed with 1 single serving fruit yogurt):


Simple spinach salad (spinach, walnuts, mandarin oranges, dried cherries):


Sabrina's Zaatar Bread:


Josh had made a comment earlier in the year that his ideal birthday would include beer and chickfila nuggets and fries. So...I made it happen ;):



The meatballs cooking up:


Josh and I at the end of the night (I was too busy during the party to take pictures!):


The craziest part of the night? It SNOWED in South Carolina! Its almost completely melted now, but here is a picture of one of the palms in our backyard not looking too happy:


I think the party turned out well and we both had a blast!


Due to the snow, the classes I was supposed to teach at the gym this morning were canceled (yes 1-2 inches of snow cancels everything here!). My plan is to do some things around the house, hit up the gym for a short run and go food shopping. What are you up to???

59 comments:

Pam said...

Erica...sweetie...you WON my giveaway, so make sure you email me your address to pam101360@gmail.com.....AND Congrats!

Happy Birthday Josh! WoW..what a spread and a good time..he he!

Love you two together...so cute!

Happy V-Day to ya both too!

Glad you could experience the snow...he he!

Stay warm!

xoxo!

Molly said...

Wow - amazing party you threw for your hubby! So much fun! I've never tried anything from the WF's dessert bar - but I always make sure to walk past them to drool a little :) .

I say this every single time, but I am seriously enamored with your dog. I love those puppy dog eyes!

Lauren said...

what a fun party! love the wrapping paper and the chic-fil-a made me laugh. How thoughtful of you! Also random, but I really like your shirt.

Allie (Live Laugh Eat) said...

Happy Belated Birthday JOSH!!!!!

My lucky number is 8 :)

That's quite a spread of food, Itzy!! I would love to go to a party thrown by you. Wowza!

Have a happy V-Day with the hubzzz <3

Anonymous said...

That looks like a great party. I'm sure he had a wonderful night.

We had a bunch of closings for 2-3 inches of snow too. It was fun to actually walk around while it was snowing, but now it's icy which is not so fun.

Ashley Lauren said...

What a great party!! My family still talks about the Christmas Eve my aunt brought the chick fil a platters- they were a HUGE hit!

Wow- I can't believe ya'll got that much snow in Charleston- crazy!!

Stephanie @cookinfanatic said...

Happy BDay to Josh! You did a FABULOUS job on the party, the food looks great :) I hope you have a wonderful weekend celebrating with your sweetie!

Trying To Heal said...

what a great party!!! everything looks delicious!!!

and i'm up to sushi making tonight w/ my coworkers and blogger friends! yay!

homecookedem said...

How sweet are you to have such a great party for your man?!! I know he is feeling so lucky and loved right now. Love CFA nuggets!! :)

itsawrap said...

Happy birthday to Josh and what a great idea to have Chick-Fil-A. My favorite fast food restaurant...can't beat those waffle fries but I would hit up your goodies too!

Thanks again for the fabulous Valentine's package. I used my baking cups yesterday, painted my nails pink last night, had granola this morning(FABULOUS..what's the secret recipe?), packing a Larabar in my purse for a snack later at the mall, and can't wait to try your bread! You know how to hook a food bloggie up!

Julie said...

umm will you marry me?

seriously girl this was an AWESOME party! you hooked all of your guests up. my birthday is may 13th..

hahaha but seriously josh is one lucky dude

btw totally love your veggie and apple stash under the beer.

Angelalovesfood said...

aww, everything looks so good. The hub is very lucky to have a good cook! and I love ChickfilA, it's down the street from where I work! but I hardly go, I feel like I need to now!

Abbys Vegan Eats said...

AW, Erica, Looks like an amazing birthday for your man!!! Seth's 29th is next Wednesday.. I better get crackin.. I may steal some of your fabulous ideas!

I know what ya mean with the snow.. The school I teach at was cancelled for 3 days in NC for a dusting..lol. Stay warm, have a great weekend, hun!

~M~ said...

How fun!! That salad looks really good. Now I am craving mandarin oranges!

chrystad72 said...

oh awesome!! love the party eats! My hubs has been wanting a keggerator for so long! ha! Such a guy thing=) Those little tarts from WF look awesome! They do such a great job I think. You are so cute too for including the chickfila and fries. Everything just looks awesome. You did a fantastic job!

I cant believe it snowed in SC! OMG, my friends in savannah told me all about the snow there too. So crazy!

Oh btw my training sesh went awesome! I finally feel like I found a really great trainer. (I had some bad ones in the past) but this girl is awesome. I went home a very sore but happy girl=)

Anyways darlin I hope you have an awesome weekend!! xoxo!

Jocelyn said...

oh wow...everything looks delish! You are a great host! happy bday to hubby! :)

fittingbackin said...

What a great party! Lots of fun eats and great pics of pupper! Hope you have a great day - I'm hoping to make it over to the gym later!

Krista said...

Fabulous party food, Erica! I bet Josh was excited to see all that.

HAPPY B-DAY, JOSH!!

Bec said...

wow thats an amazing spread you put together, everything looks so yummy! Also your dog is way too cute!

Dynamics said...

My mom takes those pretzels and dips them totally in either white or chocolate and then puts an M&M on top. She has been known to holidayfy them by adding a corn, kiss, cherry, etc. She puts about five in a cellophane bag with a ribbon and a tag. Makes a great gift and looks good in a bowl. Great for work.

Anna said...

Keggerator...I love it!!

Great job on the food spread; the party looked like a blasty!!

Sarah said...

What a gorgeous spread, you throw a great party! Josh is VERY lucky, and I bet your guests had a wonderful time.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

vanillasugarblog said...

how were those tarts from WF? I've always wanted to try them. Good?
I have to agree that was quite the spread. Happy Birthday to Josh.

tam said...

What a lucky guy your man is! Happy Birthday to him! Looks like you had a fun day, those meat balls look yummy x x

Lauren said...

Awww, Josh's birthday party sounds like it was a BLAST!!!! You are such a sweet wifey to get him all of his favorites.

We are celebrating VDay tonight. <3 <3 <3!!!

Hope you have a great weekend darling! :)

Dawn Dishes It Out said...

What an awesome spread!! Everything looked so delicious.

I got a good giggle out of the fact that 1 - 2 inches was enough to cancel your classes!!

Britt said...

Happy B-day to your hubby! Yummy looking spread, especially those key lime tarts!!

Aggie said...

Happy birthday to Josh! Loving the eats...especially that beautiful bowl of fruit and dip! Gina is turning 3 next week and we are having a bday party for her, I am totally recreating that!

Pretty cool about the snow! Enjoy the rest of your weekend! :)

Maria said...

Yea! I am so glad Josh had a great birthday. You did a fabulous job on the party and gifts. You are such a cute wife:)

I went to pump this morning. They played all heart/love music in honor of Vday. We did some major cleaning so tonight we are relaxing!

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

Erica what awesome party pics...the 2 of you look tooo cute!

key lime tarts = perfect.

those pretzle things dipped in choc.. my those would disappear quickly round here too :)

Anonymous said...

I love the Chik Fil A stuff and all the dog cards he got!

We got a bunch of snow last night as well and was watching the news this morning about Charleston and couldn't believe it snowed there-I thought y'all never get snow :)

On a side note, I absolutely adore my new Polar :) I wasn't a fan of either Good Luck Chuck or Employee of the Month but love Dane Cook stand up--weird!

Michelle @ Find Your Balance said...

Wow check out the kegerator! how funny. Only 28? I feel old :-)

Fresh Local and Best said...

What a great party! Happy birthday Josh!

The Purple Carrot said...

Aww, sounds like you made Josh's birthday a great one ... I'm sure he's grateful to have you as his wife!! :)

Hope you guys have a great Valentine's Day!

Anonymous said...

Aww! Looks like a blast! Happy belated birthday, Josh!

Boo to snow...is it not about time for spring?! I am just relaxing this week. And eating Chinese food.

The Healthy Hostess said...

Great party! My husband would totally request something like a platter of chicken fingers :) Love it!

Jessica @ How Sweet said...

Happy Birthday to Josh! Your party looks great! :)

CaSaundraLeigh said...

Happy 28 Josh!

Will you host my birthday party!? Looks so yummy and I am glad you all had fun! It's funny because bulldog cards are always a tradition in our family--I bet we have a box full :-) Josh is very blessed to have a wife like you!

Andrea @ CanYouStayForDinner.com said...

Frank is ADORABLE!!!! What an impressive party you put together! I love to see the way people entertain and what they serve! So fun

Jessie (Vegan-minded) said...

Looks like a fun party. It is so crazy to see snow on the palm tree like that!

Dewi said...

Happy Birthday to Josh, wish him the best of luck and have many many more!

Erica, you are such a sweetheart, look at all of those meals you've prepared. They not just pretty looking, but also look so delicious. I am pretty sure Josh is very happy!

Diana said...

AMAZING party! You need a medal. Chick Fil A and everything! High-five. Love the keggerator. ;)

bhealthier said...

Happy Birthday Josh! You threw an awesome party for yo manfriend. manfriends make great husbands too. i should copyright that.

happy vday love bug!

im working-35 hours since Friday- thank goodness though to keep me busy on this day o love... i posted about him/us... check it out if you can- I know he reads so I hope its well written!

RhodeyGirl said...

The party looked awesome!!! I never knew how to prevent meatballs from falling apart- you are so smart! next time I will make them a little dry! Thanks!

Kerstin said...

Happy Birthday to Josh! And what an amazing party spread - glad you had a wonderful celebration!

lynn said...

the party looks like a lot of fun - happy birthday to josh! (i love your idea for fruit dip too)

Kristen @ Change of Pace said...

You are SOOO sweet to do all of that! I just wrote down so many of your appetizer ideas to use to take to parties... My birthday is in March maybe you can come throw me a party ;)

teresa said...

aw, you're so sweet to throw such a perfect party for your man! looks like a great time!

our gym was closed a good part of our week too and it almost killed me! i'm so glad to go back tomorrow!

Holly said...

Happy Birthda to Josh! I LOVE even numbers, so I loved "28". :-)

That looks like the perfect night to me...and a keggerator!?! I want one. Maybe one day?

SNOW in SC?! Wow. That is crazy!

K from ksgoodeats said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH!!! Erica you pulled out all the stops for this bash - everything looks fantastic! I need some of that zataar bread in my life. The keggerator? I love!! What a genius invention and purchase! Glad you guys had a great time!

Katie said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH!

What a gorgeous party, Erica! From the zaatar bread (one of my favorites!) to the chocolate-covered pretzels, to the chest of beers... you really made it a special day.

Bridget said...

Happy (belated) bday Josh!!! Look at you being all super-wife making all that delicious food :) That boy is LUCKY! I need to keep some of those recipe's in mind...Brian's turning 28 in May! I want to try all of those things you made, looks SO good!

Holly said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH! that is the most lovely spread of eats ever! i LOVE the idea of mixing cool whip + yogurt for dip...genius!

welcome to my world with the snow...grrrrr - it has become the bane of my existence!

Esi said...

Happy birthday to Josh!!! I love those chick-fil-a nuggets. We don't have a store nearby so it is a real treat to get them. Hope you had a faboo weekend!!

Heather @ Get Healthy With Heather said...

Happy late B-Day to Josh!!!

That's so sweet of you to throw a big bash for him. Looks like it was fun and your spread of food looks so yummy too. The WF mini desserts are so cute, but really anything mini is cute right?

Simply Life said...

wow! looks like a great time with a ton of delicious food!

Amanda (Two Boos Who Eat) said...

Aw! You are such a sweet wife to put all of that together for Josh! I would love to go to a party with key lime tarts and chickfila waffle fries! How fun!

mtbcy said...

Looks like a perfect birthday! Josh is a lucky guy! Love that a manly birthday party involves little boy paper and lots of beer- too cute!

SashaInTheKitchen said...

wow, amazing party time - great blog, nice photos. what a fabulous celebration.