Birthdays: Another Reason to Eat Too Much Food – August 2, 2009

My extended family (20-ish people) gathers almost every weekend to have lunch or dinner (or both). These weekend dinners are hosted by a different family each week, so it gives everyone else a chance to relax a little bit. Normally, these dinners feature whatever food was on sale that week, and we make simple dishes.

When we get together for a family member’s birthday, however, we go all out. This year for my brother’s birthday, we decided on having a striploin steak dinner. These steak dinners usually include two different types of vegetables (sometimes two salads, or a salad and steamed vegetables), mashed potatoes, and gravy.



We had a special occasion staple: heart of palm salad. If you go back through our “Holiday” tag, you’ll notice this dish crops up frequently.



Christine and I prefer our onions to be more sautéed than sweated, but the rest of family doesn’t understand the difference. These were limp and soggy, and they were on the side for those who don’t like onions.



Our younger cousins love mashed potatoes, which is why we always have such a huge pot full of them. We hardly ever have any leftovers.



I don’t like using these dinner rolls for garlic bread, but they’re pretty cheap at Costco. I find them a little too crunchy and crusty, so I prefer garlic bread made with baguettes.

I didn’t get a picture of an assembled plate because I was too busy stuffing my face. I can guarantee that at least half of us ate too much that night. That night, I ate a small steak, a spoonful of mashed potatoes, a slice of garlic bread, and loads of salad, which worked well with The Diet. I'm glad these larger dinners always have a vegetable option.

I really wish I could get more photos of these weekend get-togethers to remember the moments, but I guess focusing on enjoying the dinner and company is also important. This is the main reason I miss living in Ottawa. I can’t wait until I move back to Ottawa in May!