Birthday Bites

Over the weekend we threw a little get together in celebration of my Birthday. I love to throw dinner parties, but this was more of a "tapas style" soiree. I chose to make a couple of different finger foods, and even made cake pops for the first time ever.

I made my Roasted Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta. You can find  the recipe here. I love how simple this dish is. I can not get over how beautiful the  colors are.

We have been experiencing some hot days and warm nights here in San Diego lately. I thought that the Chilled Avocado soup would be a perfect addition to the lineup.  You can find that recipe here. It was served in shot glasses, which made it a delightful version of an amuse bouche.  I added Tajin (chile lime powder) on the rim for an extra kick, as well as some color.

Proscioutto Wrapped Canteloupe has to be one of my favorite food combinations. The sweet and salty components are  so perfect together. I actually had a few friends that had never tried it before, and they ended up loving it.

Here are the the Caramelized Onion Tartlets with Feta Cheese. I have made a French Onion tart, where I topped it with Goat Cheese. These are basically a mini version of that, but this time around I decided to use Feta Cheese. You get just the right amount of tangy and salty bite with the rich caramelized onions and flaky puff pastry.

I am normally all about cupcakes, but hearing so much about the cake pop world lately, I had to give them a shot. I made Carrot cake pops with cream cheese frosting, and Devil's food cake pops with buttercream frosting. They came out so moist and delicious. I will definitely be making some of these for my son Giovanni's First Birthday that is coming up. I love everything about them. They were displayed in glasses with sugar cubes, but it will be fun to experiment with different displays.

I had a wonderful time! I love to see people eat and enjoy the food that I make. I will spend an entire day in the kitchen, if that means that someone gets to enjoy what I have created. I want to thank every one that sent me birthday wishes, as well as the ones that I got to enjoy this special evening with.