Hello and a good Monday to you all. How was your weekend? Relaxing? Quiet? Busy? I hope you had a chance to not do anything for a bit. For us it was a very quiet weekend, and for me – it was a very relaxing weekend.
It was my birthday last week
It was my birthday last Friday and all I asked of my family is lunch and dinner to be taken care of and not by takeout 😝 . I also asked if I could celebrate my birthday for three days 😁 – Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

I am happy to report the family obliged and treated me to homemade lunches and dinners and let me just relax all weekend long.
I did some gardening, took long afternoon naps, read and browsed a lot 😁. I had a lovely brunch up in the veggie patch on Friday. Then in the evening the twins made dinner. It really was a perfect birthday and I couldn’t ask for anything more 🥰😘💕❤️

Brunch in the Veggie Patch
Since it was a warm day last Friday I had veggie sandwich and salad with dessert of mango with cream and saffron honey and fresh berries, plus carrot muffins . I even got an ice cold mocktail and a homemade bouquet delivered to me up in the veggie patch!



Birthday Brunch in the Veggie Patch Menu
Summer Apple Salad
Veggie Sandwiches
Fresh Ginger Honey Black Tea
Ginger Orange Mocktail
Saffron Mango with Cream and Honey and Fresh Berries
Carrot Muffins









Birthday Dinner and Cake
For dinner I asked for a simple pasta made with delicious summer tomatoes, salad, and garlic bread. This time of year tomatoes are so flavorful that I love to cook with them and what better dish to show these off than in a classic tomato pasta.
As for the cake, I had been eyeing this beautiful white chocolate blackberry cake on Instagram for months but was too intimidated to try and make it, instead I asked my eldest daughter who is our designated baker if she would make it for my birthday, and she did!

Birthday Dinner & Cake Menu
Simple Salad
Parmesan White Cheddar Garlic Bread
Pasta Pomodoro. Fresh Tomato Pasta with Basil
White Chocolate Cake with Blackberry Jam from haflbakedharvest.com




Sunday Night Dinner
On Sunday Rani volunteered to make dinner! After a weekend of indulging we opted for a more simple menu of soup accompanied with cheddar parmesan and caramelized onion baguette.
Sunday Night Soup Menu
Zucchini onion soup
Cheddar parmesan caramelized onion baguette



Everything was delicious!! The pasta, garlic bread, salads, sandwiches and soup are a breeze to make and takes advantage of all the summertime veggies in abundance right now. For delicious fresh from the farm menus give these menus a try!





Wishing you a fabulous week ahead!
What a special birthday celebration! Beautiful pics – drooling over your birthday weekend dishes esp that birthday cake. Gorgeous!
Enjoy the rest of your birthday month!💝
Thank you my friend!
Happy Birthday!!!! What an exquisite weekend of cooking! I love the idea of the saffron and mango, and that birthday cake is definitely one for the memory!
Thank you!! It really was a fun weekend of home cooking – not made by me 😊 Oh that saffron mango was outstanding! I will post that recipe soon, its so easy yet so indulgent at the same time. And that cake! Probably never making it again 😁 it was too much work, but it was nice to have it at least once. Have a great week Dorothy.
It all looked wonderful. I love making cakes, but rarely eat them. I think making them reminds me of my mom. She made a cake most every weekend and fussed over it, or she would make pies or cream puffs. She had a sweet tooth!
Belated birthday wishes 🎂🍾🎊Kalpana 😊
So glad you had a wonderful weekend 🧘♀️
Thank you Swati.
Wow!!!! Dolly , your Twins have watched you Cook and your presentations and now they have learned this Art from you . Very proud of Rani and Anjali for making your Birthday a memorable Event . You have shown thes Twins the Art of Cuisine and also the Finer Art of Table Presentations with Floral Decor . Happy Birthday again and again. .
typo sorry … these twins
Thank you Mami!! Yes, they have watched me their entire lives cooking and flower arranging and enjoying it all and I am happy to see that they enjoy it too. The girls did an outstanding job making my b’day special, I truly am blessed!!
Happy belated birthday! Glad to hear that you had a quiet relaxing weekend.
Nishma
Thank you Nishma.