Can I Make It Up...

Last night was Mom's birthday, so I had her, Dad, and Pete over for dinner. Dave's family had planned his mother's birthday celebration for the same time, so he wasn't able to stay home with us. I decided to go all out with the meal, so this is what we had:

First Course:
Cubed Anjou Pears with crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese and Toasted Walnuts
paired with a white wine called Traminette from Arcadia Vineyard in the Finger Lakes of New York

Second Course:
Roasted Pork Tenderloin stuffed with Roasted Garlic, Dried Apricots, and Dried Cranberries
Roasted Red Potatoes with Rosemary
Green Beans in Walnut Oil with Toasted Walnuts
Cornbread
paired with 7 Deadly Zins Zinfandel

All around, everything was perfect. I loved getting to use all of my serving dishes, pitchers, and decanters that I never get to use. I made everything from scratch, and the only issue was not being used to the oven in our new house, so the pork took about a half hour longer than I had planned for. No big deal! I had so much fun planning the menu, prepping, cooking and serving, and I didn't even mind the cleanup. I need to plan another dinner party soon!

Pete brought Mom's birthday cake, per her instructions: White Cake, Lemon Filling, Vanilla Icing, and Coconut; and I served espresso.