{"id":9359,"date":"2014-09-30T20:21:23","date_gmt":"2014-10-01T00:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.relishments.com\/blog\/?p=9359"},"modified":"2014-10-02T05:14:17","modified_gmt":"2014-10-02T09:14:17","slug":"thoughts-on-30-my-new-favorite-party-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.relishments.com\/blog\/thoughts-on-30-my-new-favorite-party-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts on 30 + My New Favorite Party Recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"

I turned 30 last weekend.\u00a0 And I\u2019m totally okay with that.\u00a0 It seems to me that, for my generation, 30 is the new 20.\u00a0 Very few people I knew had a clue about what they were doing in their 20s.\u00a0 We changed our majors and our significant others and our apartments.\u00a0 We found and lost jobs in search of something we could actually survive on.\u00a0 We returned to our parents\u2019 homes when nothing else worked out.\u00a0 But by my late 20s, things seemed\u00a0 pretty settled down.\u00a0 I was married.\u00a0 I got a permanent position at work.\u00a0 We bought a house.\u00a0 I figured out what clothes I actually liked and looked decent in.\u00a0 I stopped caring so much what other people think. I felt like I had a clue about what I was doing and where I was headed and life in general seemed less stressful and more settled.\u00a0 I know I\u2019m not alone in this feeling; many others my age have expressed similar sentiments.\u00a0 I\u2019m really excited to be in my fourth decade*.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s going to be my best yet.<\/p>\n

\"card<\/a><\/p>\n

My excitement about 30 was compounded by the fact that Brian really outdid himself.\u00a0 I awoke on the first day of September to a card that explained that I\u2019d be receiving a card or gift every day throughout the month.\u00a0 It was awesome.\u00a0 Thanks to all of you who contributed cards and notes and emails and gifts.\u00a0 He also told all of our co-workers that it was my birthday, so my work mailbox was absolutely full of cards when I checked it on Friday.\u00a0 It was a lot of fun to decorate the house with all the well wishes before my party.\u00a0 Speaking of decorating, the credit for arranging the cards (and realizing that the flat ones could be taped to the windows) goes to my sister.\u00a0 I\u2019m so glad she was able to join us for the celebration\u2026and she brought along my adorable 3 year old nephew, which was a treat for everyone.<\/p>\n

When I first decided that I\u2019d do most of the organizing for my 30th birthday party, I had grand plans.\u00a0 I love hosting parties and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make some impressive food.\u00a0 I began thinking about a fall themed party, with hot cider and apples and gingerbread popcorn.\u00a0 But then my life got super busy in the weeks leading up to my birthday, including another get together at my house on Thursday evening.\u00a0 My parents and sister and nephew arrived the Friday night before the Saturday party and I was much more interested in spending time with them than making food.\u00a0 It also turned out to be around 80 degrees on Saturday, which isn\u2019t really fall weather.<\/p>\n

\"party<\/a><\/p>\n

So, armed with leftover cheese, crackers, pepperoni, hummus, pita chips, spinach-artichoke dip and cream puffs from Thursday\u2019s party and a lack of time and motivation, I greatly reduced my preparation plans for my birthday party.\u00a0 We had plenty of food (and guests were invited to bring items to share) and I wanted to enjoy my weekend.<\/p>\n

I did, however, try out once new recipe:\u00a0 Cheese Straws from Smitten Kitchen.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"cheese<\/a><\/p>\n

Trying a new recipe right before an event isn\u2019t generally recommended, but it\u2019s a habit I seem unable to shake.\u00a0 Luckily my confidence was slightly bolstered by the fact that I had an almost identical recipe my mother-in-law had passed on saved in my Evernote account with which she\u2019d included rave reviews.\u00a0 She was right.\u00a0 These cheese straws were a huge hit.\u00a0 I cannot tell you how many times I answered the question \u201cDid you make these?\u201d\u00a0 I was only too happy to share that I had, in fact, made them.\u00a0 I actually made three batches between Friday night and mid-day Saturday, once I realized how quickly I could turn them out and my sister began threatening to eat all of them.\u00a0 I had all the ingredients on hand and each batch took less than a half an hour from start to finish.\u00a0 We were left with only a few at the end of the evening.\u00a0 I\u2019m pretty sure they\u2019re going to become a staple at my future parties and whenever I need to bring something to a party.<\/p>\n

\"cheese<\/a><\/p>\n

*updated – my uncle pointed out that 30 is my fourth decade (0-9, 10-19, 20-29, 30-39). \u00a0Fair enough.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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