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When I asked what you wanted to see more of on my blog, quite a few of you requested menu ideas. I heard ya!! Last week we celebrated my darling niece’s first birthday. Here are some shots of the amazing food and party-goers.
Appetizers:
1. Bread (If you are hosting a party for Slavic guests, you have to serve good bread). Before we got married, there were two things we emphasized to our caterer; to make sure we don’t run out of bread and potatoes.
2. Costco salmon sandwiches with a plain cream cheese spread. I think Costco has the best smoked salmon (I’m just bummed that it went up in price!
Salads:
1. Look familiar? Strawberry, Snap pea and mixed green salad with a Pomegranate Vinaigrette; don’t worry it only sounds fancy, but it’s EASY!
2. A party isn’t complete without this classic: Olivye (aka Olivier)
3. The Easy Peasy Cabbage and Cucumber Salad (It’s very similar to this salad except there’s no purple cabbage here and the cucumbers are sliced differently).
Meats:
I am not a vegetarian. Sorry. I’m very much a meat-n-potatoes kind-a-gal. About an hour or so after I had dessert, I snuck another piece of meat.
1. This was just a simple s&p chicken thighs marinated in BBQ sauce and BBQ’d.
2. Homemade sausage. WHAT??!! This stuff is the bomb. I need to do a tutorial. Yeah. That would be good.
3. Smoked trout. I’m craving this just by looking at the picture. My parents smoke their own fish. Beware, once you’ve tried this, it’s the stuff that cravings are made of.
4. Slow Cooker (Fall apart) Pork with mushrooms and carrot. My sister shared her recipe with me and it will be posted soon. Can I get a what what?? I don’t know why I keep saying that (not just on the blog), “can I get a what, what?” Where did that even come from? What does it even mean?
The Potatoes. I mean, the Alfredo Potatoes; ’nuff said. These might make you cry.
Dessert For the Sweet Tooth:
1. I’m very proud of the display I put together 🙂 I think I need a cute little stand like that. It’s my sisters; maybe I could just borrow hers 😉
2. Mom’s Waffle Cake; such an easy dessert to throw together and loved by all ages!!
3. By my sisters special request: Moist Chocolate cupcakes (egg free!) with the perfect cupcake frosting. I made one with extra frosting for the b-day girl. These roses are so so easy too. Do you all want a little video tutorial?
First birthdays are amazing because several generations can celebrate together. P.S. I love cute Ukrainian grandmas 🙂
Me and my sweet, sweet man. He looks younger and studlier every year. I think I look a little tired. Oh I know what it was; I actually forgot to put on Mascara that day. Oh well.
P.S. I had no idea there was a bow on my head. My son must have pulled a fast one.
And the birthday girl. Happy Birthday and God bless you little darling!
Where can I get a fruit stand like that?
I believe it was from bed bath and beyond.
The menu looks lovely! Do post the recipe for your sausage, would love to see how you make it.
P.S. love how you put parsley on your pineapples and watermelon 😀
it was just sitting there on the counter and I figured, why not? 🙂 Thanks Marina!
Yay! Thank you 🙂
It would be cool so see a video tutorial for different kinds of decorating ideas/tips for cupcakes. I developed a recent obsession for cupcakes. My only rule is to never bake something twice. Except maybe the peanut butter and jelly cupcake. it was amazing! Anyway, I only know how to make the original spiral shape, so they all look the same. I need to spice things up! Please Help!!
I’m working on video tutorial for decorating cupcakes, should be ready hopefully next week :).
Could you please pretty please do a tutorial on the smoked trout. pweez:) i live in fl and whenever we go to WA we always get the smoked trout from Subotniki people who make and sell them to the russian stores. I always bring back a suit case full home with me. but I would much rather make it myself:)
can you make thet video for the rose frosting
Next video on my list :).
Awesome menu Natasha! Thank you for posting it. Please post more menu ideas, i.e. list of foods, for various events. E.g. Engagement party, family reunion, BBQs, baby showers. You’re site is amazing!
Thank you Nina 🙂 I guess I’ll be taking my camera to parties for the rest of my life. lol. I’ll do my best to keep posting menus!
Natasha, your comments next to food groups made me laugh out loud.. Its so YOU!!!
Ha ha, Thanks Einna 🙂 I miss you lady, lets hang out! Sushi? Or soup again would be fun!
I keep on looking at this post. Everything looks great. Would you also be able to do a tutorial for the smoked trout. My mother used to make it when we were younger, but she hasn’t done it for few years and she doesn’t remember how to. Thank you Natasha!
That might be kind of tough since we don’t have a smoker…hmmm… I don’t think it will happen anytime soon to be honest but I’ll keep it in mind. That would be good to know how to do it!
I would love a tutorial on the smoked fish. Also, I am living in Moscow with my family right now and at all of the markets there is a ton of smoked fish–so a tutorial on smoked fish in general would be awesome!!
Natasha I are so cute.. I love your blog.. I am a very much meat and potatoes kind of gal as well.. absolutely love all kind of meat.. and I too when I saw that pic with grandma thought “how cute are our grandmas “.. thanks for post.. would love a tutorial on the roses
🙂 thank you and I’ll definitely be making a tutorial!
Love the cupcake roses!!! can you please show us a video tutorial on how to make the roses on the cupcakes, looks so beautiful!
Will do! 🙂
Hi Natasha,
All the food looks great. You do such an excellent job on the blog and you have a beautiful family. Please share the video tutorial on the roses. My anniversary is coming up and I would like to make these beautiful roses for my husband. Also post the recipe tutorial for the sausages, my husband would love it. Thank you and have a great weekend.
Natasha, you are such a darling!!!! Thank you for listening to our requests!! What a great post!!! Everything looked beautiful. I loved the pictures of your family, so cute. Our family will also be celebrating our daughter’s 1st birthday in July! So exciting. Can I ask you if you know where your sister got that tri-stand for the fruits? I would love to invest in one.
I think she got it as a gift, but Bed bath and beyond sells alot of that stuff 🙂
Everything looks so good! Please post a recipe for the home made sausage. I really want to learn how to make some cuz my hubby has been taking about it for a while now and I don’t have a clue how to make it.
It’s definitely on my “recipes to post” list 🙂 Thanks Lana!
We are celebrating my son’s 1st birthday at the end of the month. I love the fruit display and plan to do something similar. Also a baby shower you posted weeks ago inspired some birthday theme decorations 🙂
Thank you!! I’m happy to be a source of inspiration! 🙂
Hey Natasha! What’s the name of the salmon you use?!
For the sandwhichs.
I don’t have a package in front of me to tell you but it’s the moist smoked salmon from Costco. I was just at Costco yesterday but didn’t buy any!!
I believe it’s the “Kirkland” brand that they sell 🙂
Everything looks delicious, and please put up a tutorial of cupcake rose frosting.
I guess I don’t have a choice now! 🙂
Awesome menu ideas! Looks yummy:-) especially when you are hungry)
If I was there would take a bit of avery dish on my plate.
Natasha, I love your honesty! Cute and funny sentences about your tired look and mascara:-)
Would definitely like to see video tutorial of how you make these gorgeous roses on cupcakes.
Thank you 🙂 I’ll definitely add that to my to-do list!! 🙂
The party looks so much fun and the food looks delicious. Thank you for posting this menu. My little girl will be one in 6 months and i’m already looking for some new dishes. Please do post a tutorial for the homemade sausages. My husband loves those.
I knew someone would ask for those. I’m a huge fan of the homemade sausages too. YUMM!!