Party: "Fiesta Forty" Birthday Party

Well, we did it! We used my fortieth birthday as the excuse to host a party we'd been thinking about for a few years, with street taco vending, live Mexican music, good friends and family and lots of bright decorations (well, it's probably not accurate to use "we" for that one...). Here is the report on my FIESTA FORTY! starting with a photo of my little Scarlett in her fiesta skirt and blouse (Audrey wore a similar set) and me in my maternity Mexican peasant blouse--hooray for variety in pregnancy wear! It was fun to dress the part for this party.

As you can see, I jumped on the tissue paper pop-pom bandwagon for this party. Loved the idea of brightly colored clusters of these hanging from the trees. I used a mixture of rounded and pointed petal poms in bright pink, turquoise, yellow, white and orange.

We set up guest tables in our backyard topped with chartreuse green table covers, then yellow paper cloths hand-cut to resemble Papel Picado banners, then my oilcloth Fiesta Tablecloths, and finally the Fiesta Flower Bouquets I had been making in the wee hours these past weeks. So fun to see these ideas come together. I typically don't like using paper but it seemed the right thing for this casual fiesta--plus I love the Mexican paper crafting traditions of banners, flowers and tissue covered pinatas.

The serving tables were set with yellow table skirts, white hand-cut paper tablecloths, and over sized yellow tissue Papel Picado banners. 

I wish I'd taken better photos of the banners because they turned out really fun and were a big part of the original concept for this party, including the invitations. 

I used a different variety of paper flower bouquets on the serving tables. It was so much fun iterating on this theme! On one table I had over-sized arrangements with a mix of rounded and pointy "blooms" in 36" tall vases. (I used dinner napkins to make these blooms and long dowels purchased at a craft store.)

On another serving table I made tight, low arrangements of pointy blooms in bright pink with one yellow accent flower. Had I not had a deadline it would have been fun to keep experimenting!

Other serving table details included delicious Jarritos sodas in lime, mandarin, mango, guava and mandarin. These are good and so sweet so one needs a party as an excuse to drink them! We served "Mexican Coke" (the stuff made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup--yum!), and the requisite Diet Coke and water as well but the Jarritos were the first to go! (I love the bright turquoise metal bottle openers I found at a local restaurant supply and tied to the drink coolers.)

We used tinfoil takeout containers lined with brightly color napkins, metal baskets lined with napkins for the utensils, and lucky me, IKEA had straws in all the right colors. 

But the food is the real story! It was the real deal: carnitas, carne asada and pollo street tacos with grilled onions and pico de gallo (catered by a great local authentic restaurant); chips, my husband's guacamole and a variety of salsas; my Fiesta Salad; and  churros made-to-order (the only way to eat them) with chocolate or sweetened condensed milk to top. 

And, of course, birthday cake! I made Tres Leches Cake, four of them actually (recipe below). I topped each with a bright pink flower (of course) and ten candles--a bit less overwhelming to spread them out in tens rather than have forty on one cake!

I loved the idea of the guests ordering just what they wanted and moving around from taco tent to serving tables while visiting. It worked perfectly! So much fun! It wouldn't have been a party without the people. I love the chance to bring together family and friends from different stages in my life. I was lucky to have friends at the party from high school in addition to those I've made more recently.

We had two guitarists playing Ranchero music--they were so great, played a good variety at the right volume, and really added to the fiesta flavor.

The weather was a minor miracle given the amount of rain and cold we've had lately. Thank goodness as we really didn't have a backup plan! It was so beautiful outside and just the right temperature. 

Can't think of a better way to celebrate! And thank goodness I had some help blowing out the candles! (Wish you could hear our friend, Charlie, playing his guitar and singing ¡Feliz cumpleaños a tí!")

Now that our big parties are finished for a while I can move on to that nesting list I have barely scratched yet. I'm looking forward to creating some things without big deadlines, well, except for the obvious one!

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RECIPE

I found this recipe for Tres Leches Cake in Child Magazine a few years ago. It was never available online and I can't find it now. Wish I had written down the name of the woman who submitted it to their cake recipe contest to give her due credit--it's such a great, easy recipe. Nice spongy cake holds up well to all the leche. My firm opinion is that anything with this much sweetened condensed milk is good!

Tres Leches Cake (Child Magazine Cake Contest Winner)

Serve: 12
Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus an hour to set)
Cooking time: 45 minutes

CAKE

• 4 medium eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
• 4 tsp. vanilla

GLAZE

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 4 tsp. vanilla

"FROSTING"

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbs. sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Separate the eggs. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until fluffy. Add sugar gradually. Mix in egg yolks one at a time.  Combine flour and baking powder. Alternate adding milk and dry ingredients mixing thoroughly between additions. Add vanilla and mix well.

2. Pour mixture into a greased 9” square cake pan, and bake for 40-45 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes in pan.

3. Remove cake from pan and place onto a platter. Make holes in top of cake with a fork.  Combine glaze ingredients in a large bowl. Pour over the cooled cake, and let it sit for about an hour.

4. Using an electric mixer, whip cream with sugar and vanilla at high speed until soft peaks form. Spread over top and sides of cake.

This is great served cold or room temperature.