Wes' 30th Birthday Party

Wes' birthday is really on Dec.25th. Yes, he has a Christmas birthday...and so we figured that people might be busy to come over for a birthday celebration on that day (ya think?) and decided to celebrate sooner (this may turn into a tradition). I really wanted to cook him something special and delicious so I decided to go with a French theme. I found a great recipe on Smitten Kitchen (if you've never been on her blog, you have got to check it out!!) and decided to make coq au vin (Chicken in wine) as I've always wanted to try that. The only dilemma was that we had a vegetarian family coming over as well and I didn't know what to make that was a main dish that was French. After a few days of asking Wes what I should make, I finally decided on au gratin! After all, who doesn't like cheese and potatoes?

The party was on Saturday night but I started cooking on Friday night. It took me 3 hours to make coq au vin!! The recipe didn't indicate this but I did cook the chicken longer than it called for (which I thought made it taste better). The recipe asked for cognac which I didn't have so I checked quickly online to find a good substition - did you know that pear, apricot or peach juice works? It was 9:53pm and Wholefoods closed at 10pm so you know who went to get it (not me!)
What a great guy! He brought back pear juice and stopped at Longs and bought a small bottle of cognac (why didn't I think of that?) At 11pm, it was officially done! The sauce was really yummy and I was really excited to see what it would taste like the next day!! I cooked a few more hours on Saturday and this is what we had: Coq au vin with mashed potatoes, au gratin, bread with EVOO and for dessert, we had homemade brownies and Haagen Daaz Vanilla Ice Cream! Everything was soooo yummy! I was so happy that everyone enjoyed their meal and commented on the chicken which really did taste delicious. We even used some fine china!! It was a great meal with great company and Wes and I had a great time!

Here is where I got the recipe for Coq au Vin: http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/12/magnificence-au-vin/

Au gratin with bechamel sauce - before it was cooked.

My new favorite dish: Coq au Vin with mashed potatoes and garlic with mushrooms and onions.

Our friends...can you tell that someone is pregnant in this picture and ready to pop anytime?? (Not me!) She looks great!!!