A Chilled Birthday

This birthday was just as the title says - a chilled out time with my sisters and brother-in-law. I love making welcome drinks, so this time I made a strawberry and sparkling wine based drink, with a few additional ingredients for that extra kick. This was really yum, with just the right amount of sweetness. It wasn't too bubbly either, since blending the ingredients took out most of the bubbles. I topped it off with a sweet fresh strawberry on the edge the glass.

Being fond of Mexican food, I tried to incorporate it in the food. Pre-dinner snacks were chips and savoury bites with a dipping sauce (with authentic South African flavour - droëwors). I also made some cheese puff-pastries with mustard, Parmesan- and cheddar cheese, baked in the oven for a few minutes. Be careful to not bake it for too long, to avoid the pastries drying out. To incorporate the Mexican vibe, I made a nacho-style dish, which consisted of nacho chips topped with cream cheese and two cheeses, baked in the oven until the cheese was melted and slightly crispy. It was served cold with three dips - jalapeño chutney, mild tomato salsa and guacamole. This is one of my favourite dishes - it must be the cheese! (And it's quick and easy to prepare.)

The main meal was tortilla wraps. The great thing about wraps is that it's very easy to prepare, and there is no fuss with cutlery. Each guest could build a wrap to their liking. The main filling was chicken, which my husband braaied in a basting he perfected over the years. Garnishes and sauces included hummus, sour cream, guacamole, peppadews, jalapeño chutney, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, black beans and lime (which adds great flavour).

As always, dessert is my favourite course! I served mini-peppermint crisp tarts. This was fairly easy to make, by layering biscuits and caramel cream with peppermint chocolate shards. A mint leaf and raspberry topped it off, with a piece of dark chocolate, which gave it a bit of a professional feel.

The next day, my parents came for lunch. My husband braaied and I made coleslaw, and roasted baby potatoes with tomatoes and a balsamic dressing. Some heated ciabatta was also served. For dessert I made pomegranate-flavoured ice cream with a pistachio crumb, crumbled on top. I garnished it with pomegranate seeds, a raspberry and a strawberry-flavoured white-chocolate ball. The combination was great, and I will make it again.