Official Birthday Party

Well, since Easter this year was on March 23rd, I decided that I would postpone my "party" until the 30th. We did have my meal of chicken pot pie, and a small cake on Sunday night, since Rachel had to work on the actual date (24th). Jim and Jess called and emailed me birthday wishes (THANK YOU GUYS, I LOVED IT!), one text message from K.S. (you know who you are) and I received two calls from my family. We talked to Kim Wright during the week at some point about her making it to the party, and she offered her house to host the event. What a great friend the Wrights are turning out to be! It's sure nice to find people that you click with, even though the only common thread in the beginning is that you attend the same church, or work at the same company, or had abusive fathers, or smoke a ton of weed ... you know, the classics.

I also decided a few weeks back to make Carolina BBQ for this party. Now, I've never worked up the guts before to attempt this recipe alone. Usually, I get the stuff to make it and end up waiting until Mom comes up, and she cooks everything. What a great way to learn, huh? This time, I didn't have the option, so I called her up and asked for the recipe. Now, my mother learned this recipe from my Grandmother(father's mother), who learned it from her family on a hog farm in rural North Carolina, who probably learned it from the Confederates. She also learned grandma's recipes for southern style cole slaw, chicken pot pie, buttermilk biscuits (add cheddar for cheese biscuits), and southern banana cream pie all passed down and taught. The rub? Grandma never used a written recipe, she just knew how to make all that stuff. So, Mom never wrote them down, either. You should see what I wrote down when I asked Mom for her help. It's actually funny, often you'll see the words "Oh, add some *insert ingredient called for here* - and don't be shy. But don't add too much, either." I started the roasts on Saturday night about 9:30, and then spent a good 3 or 4 hours obsessing about it on the couch. I finally stopped worrying, and fell asleep around 3 AM. When I woke up, I was jazzed. It smelled like it usually does when BBQ has been cooking all night. I pulled off the foil, and it turned out great. I was very, very happy with my first try. I toned down the spice, due to the fact that I didn't want to burn faces off when the meal was served.

The Otts, the Gallions, and the Wrights all joined with us in observing the birthday celebration. The Otts brought my favorite Salt and Vinegar chips, Kim made wings and a cheesy potato casserole, and the Gallions made chocolate Heath bar fondue with a ton of dippers. We sat around, eating dinner and watching Empire Strikes Back (Kim knew it was my fav and popped it in) and talking. The BBQ turned out so much better than I could have hoped, and now I'm keen to try it again, using the written down dimensions I used for the spices to find the exact measurements so I can make it the same each time. I'm hoping it will become my "signature" dish to bring to people's houses, or to make for dinners. I'm also wondering if I could use our big ole roaster pan, instead of the oven. Maybe I'll try that next. Thank you all for your birthday wishes, and for your love to me and my family.