CELEBRATING A BIRTHDAY IN AN OLD LOG CABIN
Hello.
This past weekend was a busy one. We had house guests, my son’s ski buddies visiting from England. These 3 young chaps don’t get to ski on real snow in England, where downhill winter sports take place in indoor domes on artificial snow. So, if you’re British and looking for an inexpensive place to ski, where do you go? Big Bear, California! Here, the British pound, worth nearly double the value of the U.S. dollar, goes a long way on the other side of the pond. So for the past 2 years these Brits have spent their winter holiday in our beautiful mountains, and made fast friends with my son Austin. Austin is the one refusing to smile for his picture-taking mom of course.
It was so pleasant having these very nice young men pay us a visit. Brad and I love the UK and enjoyed a lively conversation over dinner reminiscing about jolly old England. Despite their humble apre-ski appearances, these boys come from upper-crust families, are widely traveled with interesting stories to tell. I fed them Spanish food, my Tortilla Española for dinner. Click here for the delicious recipe.
I thought it apropos since when they leave the states their next stop is the Spanish island of Ibiza.
For their pre-ski breakfast the following morning I served traditional American fare.
So as the boys went off to the ski slopes I continued in the kitchen, preparing a birthday cake, because that night we would be celebrating a birthday in an old log cabin.
Once the cake was ready my party co-host Brenda and I ran over to nearby Willow Woods to set up for the birthday dinner in an old log cabin we rented for the evening. I told you about Willow Woods previously in this post.
We decorated the table with pink and white roses and votive candles.
Napkins were tied up with ribbon and a pink rose was tucked inside.
We managed to successfully surprise Cindy, who thought she was coming over to my home for a small dinner party. Instead she found herself here, surrounded by a dozen of her closest friends.
It was a beautiful, cozy and intimate atmosphere, and a wonderful time was had by all.
Dessert was birthday cake and champagne of course. I made the cake from a recipe I found in the March 2015 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. It was absolutely delicious and feminine, a girly kind of cake perfect for Cindy!
Called Dark Chocolate Cake with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream, it was super moist and chocolaty, with a hint of fresh strawberry. And it wasn’t too sweet. I don’t usually publish recipes that are not entirely my own, but because everyone at the party enjoyed the cake so much, I feel compelled to share it.
So, please go to the “Cook” category of the blog for the recipe by clicking here.
So there you have it: CELEBRATING A BIRTHDAY IN AN OLD LOG CABIN
Thanks for dropping in! Do please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
- If you’d like to read After Orange County every time a new article is posted, please “Subscribe” to the blog using the Subscription Box above.
- If you enjoyed this post, please help me spread the word by sharing it on your Facebook Page. You can “Like” my Facebook Page here.
- If you enjoyed the photos, please “Pin Them” on your Pinterest page. You can follow my Pinterest Page here.
- Do you Tweet? Please follow my Twitter Page here.
- Follow my blog on BlogLovin.com
All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise credited, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission.
