Forty Years and Six Courses

Yesterday was my parents' fortieth wedding anniversary!

The sisters and I decided to have a dinner party in my parents' honor--it turned out to be six courses, and was a total blast, from the Bermuda Rum Swizzles to start it off to the dance party (mainly the kids, but an occasional parent jumped up and did, for example, the robot, but that's a completely different story...) to finish it up.

The courses were assigned to different people, so I was a little afraid that the food wouldn't be complimentary, but it was. Here's what we had:

Appetizers: Assorted cheeses, Rum Swizzles (recipe from here), Crostini alla Mozzarella (I'm not sure where this recipe is from, made by my sister(sis, feel free to comment):)

First Course: Crab Cakes with garlic aioli, made by my sister:

Second Course: Chilled Cream of Sweet Potato Soup, recipe from here:

Third Course: Spring greens with Pears and Blue Cheese, made by my sister(sis, feel free to comment on the source:)

Fourth Course: Peach Sorbet and Plum Sorbet, from Frozen Desserts, William Sonoma:

Fifth Course: Bourbon-Glazed Cajun Tenderloin and Grilled Asparagus, from Weber's Big Book of Grilling, made by my husband, who has become a whiz at the grill:

(if not a culinary artist...)

Sixth Course: Vanilla Creme Brulee from Creme Brulee, by Lou Seibert Pappas:

Things went off perfectly, the food was great, the guests were happy. It was a nice way to celebrate forty great years.

And now for many more!

Congratulations, Mom and Dad!

Thanks for getting married. So, you know, we could come along.

We love you.