Birthday Dinner =)

Sunday was Dustin's birthday. Even though we had already had a mini-surprise session in the car previously in the week, we also wanted to make him a special birthday dinner! When I asked what he wanted me to make him, his only criteria was that he wanted me to make something new, preferably some sort of pasta or sandwich. Beanie and I got to work looking up new recipes. We decided on Pastitsio. It is basically a Greek Lasagna. Dustin is always trying new/weird meals at restaurants so I thought I'd get creative. Here is the recipe in case you are interested! 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/pastitsio-recipe/index.html


Anyway, I worked on this meal for 3 hours....that's right...THREE HOURS! I love cooking but this was a little extreme. At one point, I had all four burners and the oven going...but it was worth it because it was his birthday dinner :)

Beanie in his birthday hat helping Mama!

After slaving in the hot kitchen for what seemed like an entire day, the dish was done. It was the moment of truth. I was a little nervous because the recipe called for cinnamon and nutmeg, both of which Dustin hates. I was beginning to regret my decision just as I was plating our dinner.

Pastitsio and Iced Tea :)

As we sat down to dinner, I poured tea into both of our glasses and waited for him to taste it. He liked it! Praise the Lord! I hadn't wasted the entire day! I began to dig in...and then stopped. Apparently, I'm not a fan of Pastitsio. The dish that had sounded so delicious to me turned out to be not so delicious. I decided it wasn't worth the calories and gave my portion to Dustin ;) I was disappointed but decided it wasn't a waste because he really enjoyed it. He ate quite a bit, which isn't surprising if you know Dustin. The chances of me making it again, however, are very slim (unless of course he wants it next year for his birthday :)

He ate quite a bit...

As Dustin ate, I sat and enjoyed his company. I drank more tea than usual because I was not eating the dinner. In fact, I had not had that much caffeine in a LONG time. Consequently, neither had beanie and the following day he was up for nearly 12 hours straight!!!! Ooops!

We ended the night with donuts...he insisted on donuts rather than a cake and who was I to argue with the birthday boy?

Overall, I think that 26 was a success :) Happy Birthday Dust!!! We love you!