A Sandwich Bar Birthday

This year for my husband's birthday I was banned from doing anything special. My husband wanted something chilled with plain sandwiches. Naturally, I couldn't allow that, so I suggested a sandwich bar - I just had to wiggle myself into the preparations in some way.

For welcome drinks I made a simple Kamikaze shot, which is very easy to make. All you need is 3 parts vodka, 1 part triple sec, and a dash of lime juice. I decorated the glasses with a slice of lime and smeared the rind of each glass with fresh lime juice for an extra sour surprise. There were mixed feelings regarding this drink - some found it too sour, others enjoyed it thoroughly.

For snacks I wasn't allowed to do anything, sadly, except place the snacks in a bowl. My husband wanted to serve chips only, so he decided on three types of good quality crisps, one of which was a hot and spicy flavour. I recommended a dip for a cooling effect, but what do I know? It was a bit spicy for the guests after a few helpings. Perhaps my recommendations will be taken seriously next time...

Finally, the sandwich bar!! My husband wanted to braai fillet - plain and juicy. For the bread options we served slices of Ciabatta, hamburger buns and tortilla wraps. Fillings included two types of cheese, tomatoes, smoky roasted peppers, mixed coleslaw salad leaves, gherkins, peppadews and my final touches - bacon, avocado and Danish feta. Making the perfect sandwich!

The guests also had the option to eat the sandwiches as is, roast or heat on the braai, or make a proper sandwich with a sandwich maker. We all ate on the grass, which gave the evening a chilled, picnic-like feel. Most guests went for second or even third helpings. A definite winner between my husband and myself.

For dessert, my husband wanted a cake, with a mix of chocolate and vanilla batter, finished off with Astros. For the occasion I made cupcakes and a cake.  When making the cupcakes, I placed batter of each flavour in one half of the cupcake tin and gave it a swirl, after which I added a few Astros to each cupcake. The same was done when making the cake. In the end we decided to serve the cupcakes only. The cupcakes were decorated with Lindt dark chocolate and hazelnut spread, topped with a salted caramel chocolate ball, with almond flavoured icing sugar as decoration and some decorative pearls.

This was a great hit, especially the salted caramel chocolate balls with the oozing center. Some of the leftover cake we had to freeze. My husband and I soon realised that the cake was a treat on it's own, and did not require any frosting or add-ons. I will definitely make something like this again. Quick, easy and delicious.