Grandma's 85th birthday!

What a nice party! Everyone was there -- Grandma's five children & their spouses; her grandchildren (Troy's cousins are great!) and great-grandchildren. Extended family, girlfriends, boyfriends, neighbors, friends. It was wonderful. Grandma is so cool, I love her, and she was her usual gracious, funny self. Troy's Aunt Tina freaked when she saw Harry, and is convinced that he is her dad, reincarnated. She said he recognized her. Hey, who am I to argue? He is the only one of my children who is really into puzzles...just like Grandpa was. Troy's brother was there with his awesome gf, Kyra, and we had a lot of fun catching up with everyone. Troy's Uncle Teddy and his partner, Joe, are caterers and did an amazing job! Everything was top-quality. They had a buffet set up with pulled-pork sandwiches, baked beans, corn-on-the-cob, cheesy smashed potatoes, fresh mixed fruit, green beans, potato salad, bratwursts, Italian sausage, hand-ground beef hamburgers and cheeseburgers, chips, and a HUGE dessert table. Rugelach, cream puffs, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, eclairs, and a beautiful tiered birthday cake that they had made by pastry chef Laura Cid-Perea. Laura worked at Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago until venturing out on her own. The cake she made had a lot going on: chocolate cake with a layer of raspberry jam, a layer of chocolate fudge, and a layer of cheesecake, with fondant icing and elaborate flowers decorating the whole shebang. For once, I let the boys go berserk and eat as many desserts as they wanted -- they were thrilled. Grandma loved her necklace, and despite all the guests, we were able to sit together for a little while and talk. As I looked around at everyone, I felt encouraged about my life with my sons. It's not always easy, but a time like this where you see everyone together, laughing and enjoying each other's company, it feels very rewarding and heartwarming to be a part of such a family celebration.
p.s. Don't tell Grandma I've got her pic up on "that internet." She thinks the www is connected with the end of the world.

Article on Chicago pastry chef Laura Cid-Parea for you foodies