Tonight I had the pleasure of hosting a lovely group celebrating a special birthday. The best part - they kept it a surprise to the birthday girl & showered her with red wine & her favorite desserts (I love surprises!). And of course - both paired perfectly with the "Pasta Party" menu for the evening.

We began the evening with bruschetta two ways; Basic & Tomato. Don't let the name fool you, this simple recipe features some of the freshest ingredients & grilled baguette slices.

Now for a salad, and the star of this one is surely the vinaigrette! This mixture has lots of flavorful ingredients including parmesan & pine nuts. Tossed together with the fresh veggies and crisp romaine, this is not your typical 'side salad'.

It's time for Basil Pesto. Yum. Blended to a perfect paste and finished with just the right amount of olive oil to smooth it out.

Voila! Bow tie basil pesto!

While the group relaxed on the patio I started the second pasta dish, Spaghetti & meatballs with Italian red sauce. Oh boy - you know that no one left the Crème Kitchen hungry.