A Birthday Feast

Ben asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and originally, I had said, "Birthday cake." But then he was all, "Why don't I make a big dinner at your house?" And I said, "Isn't that a lot of work?" And he said, "You should take advantage of the fact that your best friend is a certified chef." And I was like, "Mmmm, okay." So last night, Ben came by with about ten bags of groceries and proceeded to cook a feast (all made from scratch!) for the seven of us:

Pizza with mozzarella, goat cheese, beef brisket, tomatoes, and bell peppers

A makeshift version of tarte flambée, with fatty bacon, asparagus, and fromage blanc

A platter of chicken wings, pork chops, ribs, and bacon

Creamy pasta with jumbo shrimp, broccoli, and cheese

Angus steaks with mushrooms in a red wine sauce and steak butter (!)

Portabello mushrooms and tomatoes topped with harvati and mozzarella cheeses

My birthday cake: Tiramisu!

Let's just say my kitchen has never seen this much cooking in a single night. Except for a minor mishap with the smoke alarm, the dinner was just... phenomenal. I always knew Ben was a chef, but I never really had him cook a full meal (or, in this case, feast) for me. Ronsee pretty much summed up how delicious the food was when he said to Ben, "I'm so glad we live in Canada, so now I can marry you." Leave it to Ben's cooking to change people's sexual orientations...

Needless to say, I had a great birthday.