Bryce had a naughty start to his birthday on Tuesday. He began his day by blowing out his diaper in his crib.....one of my favorite things! He emptied the dirt out of my African Violet....that I had kept alive for nine years.
He had several temper tantrums. And yes, that is syrup gluing his eyelashes to his face. Refusing to be wiped clean after breakfast was another of his naughty tricks.
He climbed a few stairs...and fell down them...onto a bag of clothes that I had procrastinated dropping off at the Salvation Army - Lucky for him. 
He climbed a few stairs...and fell down them...onto a bag of clothes that I had procrastinated dropping off at the Salvation Army - Lucky for him. (note that I DID pick him up and comfort him and make sure he was okay before I repositioned him for the photo shoot.)
His day only went up from there. I made him a scrumptious birthday dinner. The fare consisted of a main course of Italian Wedding Soup......check out my meatballs. There's a whole lotta love in those meatballs.
Want the recipe?
Italian Wedding Soup
INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves - or you may used a couple teaspoons of dried
1 tablespoon chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
2 green onions, sliced
5 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 cups finely sliced escarole (spinach may be substituted)
1 lemon, zested
1/2 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta), uncooked - or may substitute 1 Cup small shell pasta
grated Parmesan cheese for topping
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves - or you may used a couple teaspoons of dried
1 tablespoon chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
2 green onions, sliced
5 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 cups finely sliced escarole (spinach may be substituted)
1 lemon, zested
1/2 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta), uncooked - or may substitute 1 Cup small shell pasta
grated Parmesan cheese for topping
DIRECTIONS
Mix together the meat, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil, parsley, and green onions; shape into 3/4 inch balls. Pour broth into a large saucepan over high heat. When boiling, drop in meatballs. Stir in escarole(spinach) lemon zest and orzo(pasta). Return to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cook at a slow boil for 10 minutes or until orzo is tender, stirring frequently. Serve sprinkled with cheese.
Serve with.....
And a little....
And Voila! 
Karah: "Did you add lemon to this?"
Me: "I did!" (shocked at her mature palette)
Karah: "Yeah, that's what I thought. This might be the best thing you made....ever."
Bryce gave it the thumbs up.
Bradley approved, as well.
Karah breaks into song. It's sideways - but still hilarious.
Bryce opened some gifts....
And got some loves.
And then some cake. 
I love a man with a 5 O'clock shadow. Love it.
Happy 1st Birthday --- Sweet, Naughty Boy of mine.
What a great birthday celebration!
ReplyDeletehah- 5 o'clock shadow. hilarious.
ReplyDeletegive him a birthday squeeze for me
Meg - we don't use them every night - but dont reserve them for only special occasions. Basically just when we are in the mood to make a toast :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the dinner idea, I just made it and it is delicious. But, it looks like you have something orange in yours, do you, or am I just seeing things? Happy Birthday to Bryce, what a sweetie, I have fallen for him, he's definitely a keeper. I almost kept him, :) I loved the conversation that he would of spoke as a baby, I'm sure that is exactly what he was thinking behind those big brown eyes. You are such a great mom and inspiration to the rest of us.
ReplyDelete