Two funerals and a birthday

 I know that it has been a while since I posted. We went to Boston last weekend to celebrate the bar mitzvah of a family friend. I may post about the weekend in a different post. Two disparate topics in one post is all I can manage today. 

Yesterday was a busy day and filled with big emotions. We began the day at the funeral  of a young man who was a Hebrew School classmate of my older son's. I had such fond fond memories of the sweet, funny, kind and exceptionally bright young man who also had terrible struggles. I kept remembering the young man both  as a delightful child full of promise and the suffering that he and his family have been through for the past many years. I sat with two women whose children attended preschool with the young man. We three held one another in our sorrow.

Yesterday was also my husband's birthday. My husband is not someone who wants things.  When we were  at Bingo---the kosher version of Costco I spotted a large package of steak at a wonderful  price. I suggested to my husband that I buy him the steak and cook it for his birthday. He was delighted by the idea.

I put the steaks in the freezer and got in touch with my husband's dear buddy who lives in Philadelphia. I invited our friend to join us for the birthday dinner. I told our friend that his making the trip would be the best gift for my husband. Our friend traveled two hours each way to celebrate with my husband.

My husband will often joke that I am terrible at keeping secrets.  Actually, if I am told something in confidence I will not spill the beans. My husband not knowing that a special guest was showing up, invited our sons to the steak birthday dinner. I wasn't sure if I had enough steak to feed the potentially expanded invitation list so after the funeral I stopped off at the kosher butcher and bought some ground lamb and a package of pastrami. As soon as I got home I got to work.

I made spiced roasted potato wedges. I baked the pastrami. That is nearly no work but it does make the pastrami extra delicious and crispy.

I also baked mushrooms in olive oil and champagne (we had part of  a bottle in the fridge)

I made lamb kibbe. I didn't have ras al hanout. I decided that if you combined the very New Englandy Bell's Seasoning and  Fiery Jamaican curry together they might add up to something vaguely Middle eastern. I also added some chopped dates to the mixture. My spice calculous was correct.

I didn't take photos of the steak, the bread I had baked or the salad.

I did however, take photos both before and after a dusting with confectioner's sugar of the chocolate almond cake that I made---topped with my husband's favorite black berries.

There is a  tapioca thickened berry glaze holding the berries in place

This was the gift that gave my husband joy---to eat a meal especially made for him with people that he loves.  There will be other parts to his celebration ---a festival of celebration that we have dubbed Pop-fest.

This morning we returned to the funeral home to attend the funeral of the 97 year old mother of a long time friend. Our friend's mother lived a long and full life. The funeral was a gathering of people who have been part of my life since I moved to New York. We have mourned and celebrated together more times than I can count. 

It has been poignant to bracket a birthday with two funerals.