Bon Anniversaire, Matthew!

Happy 28th birthday to my one and only ginger, Matthew Dale! 

Since Matt is in the throes of his first semester of business school, I wanted to make him a nice home-cooked meal that he could enjoy after a long day at school. Nothing says comfort food like mashed potatoes, green beans, pot roast, homemade bread, and Funfetti cake. 

First up, white cheddar mashed potatoes. I had only made mashed potatoes once before (many years ago), but this recipe seemed pretty simple. I also figured that once you add enough salt, butter, milk, sour cream, and cheese then anything will eventually taste good. The next time I make these (and there will be a next time seeing as I had to buy a 5 pound bag of Yukon gold potatoes) I think will add more cheddar and whisk the potatoes a bit longer to achieve that silky smooth mashed potato texture.

I searched high and low for a pot roast recipe that didn't have too many steps and looked delicious. I finally found a recipe on some random blog, and what stood out to me the most was the spice rub that coated the meat before its grand entrance into the crock pot. The last time we made pot roast, it had zero flavor, which was a direct result of Matt and I having no idea/ability to gauge how much seasoning food needs. I am really hoping that this magical skill, which only mothers/grandmothers/aunts seem to possess, will come to me sooner rather than later. Besides needing to cook for 30 minutes or so longer, the pot roast and the accompanying gravy tasted light years better than our last attempt.

I had initially planned on buying a package of Sister Schubert's rolls at Publix and calling it a day, but then I remembered seeing a recipe for homemade bread that you can make in a Le Creuset French oven, and I figured I'd give it a shot. I mean, how hard could it be? It is only 4 ingredients, and the lady who penned the recipe said that the whole process was so easy that "it's like magic or something." I can do this!

.....I can't do this. Waaahhh! After 16 hours of rising, my dough was soupy and closely resembled plaster of paris. Epic fail. Goodbye homemade bread.

Though the bread making experience was a disaster, the rest of our dinner tasted great and the birthday boy enjoyed a nice hearty meal. 

We closed out the meal with a classic Funfetti cake. Fun fact about the Funfetti cake - I had never made a layered cake before, and typically when I make a cake I always manage to rip off the top layer while icing. This time, however, I successfully assembled and iced a layer cake that did not look like it had been mutilated moments before (#victory). 

After we ate our birthday cake, Matt finally got to open his cards and presents. Since the EPL season just kicked off, I got him a new Arsenal shirt and an Arsenal soccer scarf to wear on Saturdays when he watches his team play. Lucky for us, the through street outside of our building was recently opened back up, giving us a 2 minute, straight shot walk to Fado Irish Pub. Looks like our Saturdays will be filled with EPL in the morning and college football in the afternoon/night. I'm not complaining.  

I also presented him with an envelope containing a surprise activity which turned out to be...tickets to the Atlanta Cheese Festival! We enjoy nothing more than sitting down to a nice cheese and meat plate with crusty bread, fresh fruit, and a cold beverage on the side, so I think this event is right up our alley. Be on the lookout for a future post about our adventures at the ACF...

Even though this was his one-year anniversary present, I wanted to sing the praises of the Smathers & Branson team and the wonderful job that they did on designing Matt's needlepoint "life belt." I had pondered buying Matt a needlepoint belt for a while, but was overwhelmed with all of the choices that fit his personality. When I discovered that S&B made custom belts, I knew this was a perfect fit. I chose 10 items that I wanted featured on the belt, submitted them to S&B, received a mock-up of the design, and in 6 weeks the belt was delivered to my door in a charming little wooden box. The custom belt was not that much more expensive than S&B's regular belts, so if you are looking for a personalized gift then definitely consider designing a life belt! 

Enjoy these last two years, Matthew Dale, your 30s are coming for you!