Blogger Birthday!

The great thing about being a food blogger is that everyone knows what you're interested in on your birthday! Yep, today's my birthday and I had a bit of an epiphany about the people I connect with. They may not be vegetarians (although happily, they're all liberals), but I suddenly realized today I could invite my friends together for a party and we'd all end up connecting on the food element...oh, yes...and others.

And though I feel a speech starting, I'll spare you and just let the food roll:

Above: Il Fornaio Insalata di Bietole

Below: Il Fornaio Pumaroru cu Piacintinu Ennese (Sicilia Regionale Special Menu)



Soba Noodle Salad:


Super low fat (ha!) Spanikopita:


Vegan Quinoa Salad with cranberries and onions:


I made English Sausage Rolls.

Incredibly, I missed photographing a lovely green salad with avocado. And check out the gifted jams:



I feel lucky!

Postscript: 07/07/07

Here's the Soba Noodle Salad recipe, per request, courtesy of cookiecrumb of I'm Mad and I Eat
Boil a package of buckwheat soba until *just* past al
dente. Drain it, and rinse it well. This is an
important step.
Drain again, and then toss in a bowl with some glugs
or squirts of sesame oil and soy sauce, to taste.
Cut up, julienne or grate some or all of the following
and toss with the noodles: scallion, radish, carrot,
immature baby pears from my backyard tree (heh), and a
little chopped sweet kombu (kelp -- we got it at the
Marin farmers market) that has been softened in water.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
We also sprinkled it with Japanese rice seasoning, a
seaweed blend called Nori Fumi Furikake.
And when we ate the leftovers the next day, we decided
it would be nice with the kick from Japanese red
pepper seasoning, Shichimi Togarashi.