We went with a Swiss theme explosion. August 1st is basically Switzerland's 4th of July, so it seemed appropriate. Besides, it's our last month here, and lately, I'm craving all things red and white.
I had the idea of turning this American flag cake into a Swiss flag cake, complete with color coordinating candles. I thought it was brilliant. I figured Ryan would be amazed that it was homemade, surprised by the Swiss birthday party tie in, and think I was the greatest.
That is, until our friend brought this cake. Our 24 year old friend, who is a student, and a boy, brought it completely unprompted. It's a homemade cheesecake, with his mother's jam, and fresh blueberries, in the shape of Ryan's new age. I told him he should be careful not to upstage the wife. Just kidding. I told him thank you. Right after I told him he shouldn't upstage the wife.
Honestly, though, his effort blew us away. All of our friends surprised us, actually. My friends from USI pitched in and got Ryan a gift (wrapped it and everything). It was a Tuscan cookbook, because we were just talking about how we really wanted to take authentic recipes home with us. Ryan said the gift was twofold... I was gifted with new recipes and he was gifted with the opportunity to eat those recipes. Oh, the hilarity of a chauvinistic joke! I think the longer we stay here, the more Italian he gets.
Our other two friends offered to come an hour early, and help us prepare. It was just what I needed, and I will totally remember to offer this to friends in the future. I actually had time to get ready, while they did some last minute chopping and thoughtfully arranged flags and balloons. They brought a gift for Ryan as well, so he totally racked up.
This Emeril lasagna recipe was amazing. Highly recommend it. Although the suggested 30 minute prep time is laughable. It easily took me five hours. You make the meat sauce and the cheese spread from scratch. And the cheese spread isn't just a bunch of grated cheese, it's four cheeses, plus basil, egg, milk, etc. It's amazing though, and it made me very sad that when/if I make this at home, I won't have access to homemade, fresh ricotta. I didn't even think I liked that cheese, but the stuff I got here... I licked the bowl like it was cake batter.
I think Ryan really enjoyed his day. Birthdays tend to be harder here, but he was loving it. In large part because we were surrounded by great friends. Friends we didn't even know two years ago. Some came from Italy to be with us, others spent their time helping me prepare. Some came carrying wine and beer from Bavaria, because that's their hometown, while others made cakes and brought thoughtful gifts. And all of them came for Ryan. Looking around the dinner table, I knew he felt lucky. I did too.
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