French Inspired 50th Birthday Celebration

Like everyone else in the world, COVID threw a huge wrench into my plans for 2020. A milestone 50 th birthday trip to France with my lifelong best friends was cancelled. Since my birthday was during the trip, we had planned a lovely night in Nice sitting by the sea. Le SIGH…

I couldn’t imagine not spending my bday with my girls so I decided if we can’t get to France, I’ll bring a little France to us. The menu, drinks and vibe including the music were all inspired by Parisian bistros, Provençal markets & seaside cafés.

Individual Charcuterie Plates

Mini Spinach Croque Monsieurs

Truffle & Comté Mac & Cheese

French Onion & Gruyere Pizza

Petite Steak Frites

Gâteau au chocolat

French wines and beer

I bought all the varieties French Rosé I could find and also added a few bottles of Sauvignon Blanc. We did the party in the backyard so the garden soirée vibe was totally working. I harvested some lavender from my own garden and bought a few bouquets of peonies for some extra pretty.

Since we are still in pandemic mode, I mindfully planned the menu using a lot of the tips I talk about in a recent blog post on safe.socially distant entertaining.

Once everyone arrived we served them their own charcuterie plate (couples shared). Each plate had comté and mimolette cheese, Provençal olives, French saucisson, cornichons, assorted breads, fresh figs and strawberries. I used mixed plates and cute little vintage forks but you could definitely make life easier and do this on eco friendly disposable plates.