What can I say about these two dudes?
Not only do they share a birthmonth but they also share a special connection – they’re the best of buds.
And they also share a similar sensibility of foods….
More on that later.
To kick off Fam Din, we needed cocktails….something of the tropical nature as a nod to my BIL C.
And what evokes “tropical” than a big batch of Blended Passionfruit Margaritas??
Aren’t they lovely?
Slightly sweet, super tart and packed a punch that you don’t see coming.
As for the food menu, the birthday dudes pretty much wanted ALL THINGS SEAFOOD!
Lobster, crabs, calamari….
I mean, no complaints here!
First appetizer was per C’s request – Crispy Calamari with Marinara Sauce.
V took the lead with this and we inhaled a few trays of them.
C also wanted LOBSTAH!
Seester steamed several lobsters and shelled them. Look at all of those chunks of gorgeous meat!
But hey–we just didn’t enjoy the meat.
Seester T took also took the lobster “tomalley”, aka “lobster fat” and mixed it with mayo and spices to create these decadent Lobster Tomalley Crostini.
SUPER scrumptious and a great way to use all parts of the lobster.
Then it was time to get the Littlings‘ involved — even if Lucasaurus was one of the birthday boys.
We had them trim greens beans that seestrah T used later to make Stir-Fried Garlic Green Beans. It’s a veggie dish that even the munchkins enjoy!
Now back to some decadence….
If you’ve been following my Instagram, you saw that a few months ago, I finally got to try Beef Ribeye Cap Steaks – a beef cut that I’ve been coveting for a LONG time.
The cap is the top, most tender and marbleized portion that runs above the ribeye steak.
It is so beefy, so packed with flavor….it’s incredible.
So although neither birthday boy explicitly requested it, we knew it would be a hit with them and asked brother V to cook some of up on the cast iron.
After they had rested a bit, Nini sliced them up….
And she had a couple of onlookers — just in case she had dropped anything on the floor.
Take a gander!
Oh!
I almost forgot about these!
I decided to grill up some spears because they looked quite lovely that morning.
After I pulled them off the grill, I topped them with a quick dressing I had made earlier to deepen their flavors.
Grilled Asparagus with Salsa Verde – awesome alongside any summertime meal.
Lucas had two requests for dinner….crabs and mint chip ice cream.
Well actually, he also wanted plain rice too.
Our little Asian dude….
Initially we were going to pick up several Dungeness crabs to steam up but when we got to the store—no Dungeness crabs were to be found!
DOH!
So we took a quick run to Costco and picked up a few pounds of Alaskan King Crab Legs …. and as it turns out, those are actually Lucasaurus‘ fave.
CAUGHT!
Fam on their devices during Fam Din!
BUSTED!
We’ll give them a pass this time.
Back in the kitchen we returned our attention to the huge bowl of lobster meat.
And with the assist of her kiddos, seester N created this STUNNING platter of Lobster Rolls.
I know….
Calamari, Tomalley Crostinis, Ribeye Caps, King Crab….
And now, Lobster Rolls, too?!?
I have no excuses….
…because I was too busy eating….
Our plates, quite literally, ran over.
Will these munchkins ever understand that eating like this isn’t “normal” for most 6-10 year olds?
But I’m okay with that because I’m banking that they’ll make these kinds of dishes for me when I’m 80 years old.
Here’s Leia patiently waiting for us to finish dinner so that we could start the next episode of Game of Thrones.
And then it was dessert time!
My nephew/godbebe doesn’t enjoy cake. He likes donuts and mint chip ice cream….the green kind.
For his birthday dessert, I made him a quick Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Pie.
The base was an Oreo cookie crust and then it was filled with mint chip ice cream. I topped it with fresh whipped cream, Andes mint chocolates (a nod to our Grandpa who used to give them to us as kiddos when we were good) and chunks of a new Oreo-Mint candy bar.
But here’s my confession…
I DIDN’T MAKE THE CRUST – IT WAS STORE BOUGHT!
We were running around that morning with so many errands that by the time I got to the store, I just picked up the crust thinking that it would save me time.
But when I used it…THE GUILT!
Really!! It would have taken me all of 15 minutes to make the crust but I took the short cut. Which I get…is fine in most cases. But I felt so guilty and came clean to everyone….. I made a vow to make it up at the next dinner.
As for C….the man loves him some green tea. So this oldie but goodie came out again — Green Tea Match Tiramisu.
Needless to say, these dude were very happy with their Birthday Menu. And how could they not – it was all decadently delicious!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Lucas and C! ❤
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This Month’s Family Dinner Menu
Cocktails: Blended Passionfruit Margaritas
Appetizers: Crispy Calamari with Marinara Sauce, Lobster Tomalley Crostini
Entree: Beef Ribeye Cap Steaks, Alaskan King Crab Legs, Lobster Rolls
Sides: Stir-Fried Garlic Green Beans, Grilled Asparagus with Salsa Verde, Steamed Rice
Dessert: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Pie, Green Tea Match Tiramisu
theculinarychronicles.com 