At our house, we have a family tradition where the one celebrating their birthday gets to choose the entire menu for their birthday dinner.
This tradition started with my mom. As kids, we always got to choose what we wanted for our birthday dinner. My mom is a great cook! I can’t believe that I asked for Swanson’s chicken pot pies one year. So sorry mom!
We celebrated Natalie’s birthday in March and she chose an Italian birthday dinner. For the main course, she selected clams & linguine. She had the dish several times in Europe last summer. And, we recently had clams for dinner at friends (both of whom are accomplished cooks). They had served a very flavorful main course of clams & linguine – which Natalie loved.
Here’s Natalie’s Italian Dinner Menu:
- Bruschetta Pomodoro (a crostini topped with chopped tomatoes, garlic, basil and olive oil) — See recipe
- Peppered Salami,
Toscano Cheese with Black Pepper, Pita Bite Crackers, and Raisin & Rosemary Crackers (all from Trader Joe’s) - Steamed Clams & Linguine (clams cooked in a wine, butter & olive oil broth with seasonings and cherry tomatoes) — See recipe
- Strawberry Field Greens Salad
(one of her favorites, but not quite Italian) I would suggest Caprese Salad (tomatoes, buffalo mozarella, basil and olive oil). — See recipe - Garlic Bread
- Tiramisu (a classic Italian dessert with lady finger cookies, espresso, mascarpone and eggs) — See recipe
It was definitely a high carb dinner, but …
