Party Time again

...Continued from yesterday:  
  The day after my daughter and two granddaughters arrived from Los Angeles we threw a joint 3rd birthday for my youngest granddaughter, 

...and  **th birthday party for Tom,  here rolling out the dough for the party strombolis,

...which he topped with ham and cheese then rolled up jelly-roll style,

...while I worked on the stuffed mushrooms.

        As we planned for about 25 kids and grown-up guests,  I aimed for a  kid/grown-up fusion menu, including a few repeats of some of the dished I'd made for Anusha's shower a month earlier.  (See post from 5/18/2016).

The Joint Birthday Party Menu:
         Ham and cheese stromboli
         Macaroni and cheese
         Chicago-style hot dogs (grilled hot dogs topped with tomatoes, onions, marinated peppers, relish, celery seed, and a pickle spear)

     Tater tots   
      Stuffed mushrooms
     Pork roast in wine sauce
     Green beans almondine

     Guacamole and chips
     Veggies and dip
     Strawberries
     Blueberry shooters

     Peanut blossom cookies
     Blueberry bars
     Vegetable straws
     Potato chips

     Cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, and, of course, birthday cake. 

     As always, on the day of the party the house was a-flutter with preparations but, also as always, many hands made the job light.  (Or at least more fun).

Helping Auntie Anusha ice the cupcakes.

   At 3 o'clock the guests began arriving.

     They came,

...they noshed,

...they played,

...sang "Happy Birthday",

(and requested a piece of cake with a flower, of course),

...they caught up on news and reminisced old times.

...and then they said good-bye.

      And we zonked for a while,

...then dug into  the left-overs, of course.  ;)