Baby's Day Out

I took yesterday and today off work for my birthday and wanted nothing more than a great park day.  Because Matt and Jen are busy with a 9 week old baby, I knew they wouldn't be able to attend my party so we made plans to meet up for a picnic.  Central Park is one of my favorite places in the world so I was beyond excited to be a part of baby Avery's first Central Park experience.  We found a nice shady spot where we could watch local kids playing soccer and set up our spread.

We had hummus and veggies, baguette and cheeses (provolone, manchego, blue, humbolt fog, teleggio, and a double cream gouda), prosciutto, sopresatta, sauteed artichokes, wine, watermelon, and pastries from an Italian bakery in Brooklyn.  Avery was a little upset when she realized we got to eat everything and all she got was breast milk.  Just give it a year - as you can see from the photo below, we've got a future foodie on our hands.  When she is old enough to eat real people food, I'll be the first to bring her back to the park for her very own picnic, including wine.  Of course I'll bring the wine - I'm going to be the cool aunt.  Plus, her Mommy was my fake ID, so it seems only fitting.

I had tons of leftovers, so when it was suppertime I used them to create a delicious pasta dish.  I tossed linguine with prosciutto, sauteed artichokes, rosemary, a touch of cream, and parmesan.  It may have been one of those thrown-together dishes, but it turned out great.  After dinner, I watched a favorite movie ("Cruel Intentions") and went to bed dreaming about the birthday to come.