'Tis the Season

July has arrived and brought with it the second birthday season at our house.

Today is Justin's birthday; Tuesday is Janelle's birthday. Later this month is Lamar's birthday, and then my mother's.

We have a similar season in March each year when we celebrate Jennifer and Jordan's birthdays.

And we do celebrate ... and celebrations around here are always centered around food. That's because we have the ultimate hostess in residence - Lolly. She has the gift of hospitality on steroids!

We actually had Justin's birthday feast last night (because the maids are coming today!).

It was a feast that rivaled the Father's Day Feast: Rib-eye steaks (seasoned by Lolly to a level of perfection that the famous steak houses have yet to approach), Lolly's special "stuffed" cheese potatoes, Caesar salad with Lolly's homemade croutons, and Sister Schubert's rolls. The steaks were accompanied by the steak sauce Lolly created.

Now most people would focus on the main entree (in this case the rib-eyes) as the feature of the meal. But all of that was just the warm-up act. The real focus of the meal is the dessert. And last night we had two "Specialties of the House" - Strawberry Cake and PTA Pie.

This Sunday we will celebrate Janelle's Birthday with another feast. But, we're going to let the fine folks at Babe's do the work on Sunday.

Are you hungry yet?