Happy Birthday, Matt!
Yesterday was Matt's birthday! For at least a week I had been eagerly anticipating his birthday because I had a few things planned in an attempt to make his day as special as possible.
First, I went to the Longhorn Cafe and picked up some burgers to take to Matt at work. Those burgers are fantastically delicious and huge and cheap. And excellent for a surprise birthday lunch together.
That evening we went to Outback Steakhouse for his birthday dinner. Little did he know, I had arranged for some special guests to join us:
We walked in to find Josh and Meredith, our dear friends from camp, sitting just like this. Napkins over their heads and everything.
Thankfully, they took the napkins off their heads so we could see their lovely faces. Matt was definitely surprised and I think them coming was what made his birthday really special.
It was Matt's first time to Outback, so he was pretty excited (clearly). We all shared a Bloomin' Onion before thoroughly stuffing ourselves with excellent foods that we didn't have to prepare, cook, or clean up.
Also, it was happy hour. So that was nice - otherwise I wouldn't have gotten a drink. That Sangria was the strongest I've ever had. And our waiter was the most talkative waiter I've ever had. Here's what we looked like after drinks:
The food was so good and we ate until we were uncomfortably full. Nevertheless, we headed back to the house for some cheesecake, because what would his birthday be without homemade cheesecake?
Last year I made cheesecake for his birthday, and it was my first ever try. I had contacted the woman who used to be his boss (and whose cheesecakes he fantasized about) and got her recipe. Like I said, it was my first ever attempt at making a cheesecake, and though it was good enough, it wasn't great. Also, I didn't have a springform pan, so I used a pie pan and a casserole dish. Those don't work so well.
This year I did it right, though. I took the basic cheesecake recipe and made it my own. Instead of a graham cracker crust, I made the crust out of crushed Oreos. On top of the crust, I placed a whole bag of these (they perfectly coated the crust - not too many, not too few). I melted some peanut butter and mixed it into the cheesecake batter and poured it over the mini Reese's-topped crust. For the finishing touch, I melted down some chocolate chips, poured it over the top, and swirled it with a spatula for a marble effect.
I was a little nervous about how it would turn out since I had pretty much made up my own recipe. It turned out fantastic, though, and Matt loved it. So it was a definite success! Unfortunately, I didn't write down how much peanut butter and chocolate I used, so it may be hard to replicate exactly. I also forgot to take a photo of it before we cut into it. So here's what's left of it:
To finish up the evening, we watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and went to bed way too late for a weeknight, because we are old (okay, I know we're really not that old. But we like our sleep. A lot).
Happy birthday to my husband, my biggest supporter and best friend. I love you more than air and can't imagine life without you. I look forward to many more birthdays and cheesecakes with you.
First, I went to the Longhorn Cafe and picked up some burgers to take to Matt at work. Those burgers are fantastically delicious and huge and cheap. And excellent for a surprise birthday lunch together.
That evening we went to Outback Steakhouse for his birthday dinner. Little did he know, I had arranged for some special guests to join us:
We walked in to find Josh and Meredith, our dear friends from camp, sitting just like this. Napkins over their heads and everything.
Thankfully, they took the napkins off their heads so we could see their lovely faces. Matt was definitely surprised and I think them coming was what made his birthday really special.
It was Matt's first time to Outback, so he was pretty excited (clearly). We all shared a Bloomin' Onion before thoroughly stuffing ourselves with excellent foods that we didn't have to prepare, cook, or clean up.
Also, it was happy hour. So that was nice - otherwise I wouldn't have gotten a drink. That Sangria was the strongest I've ever had. And our waiter was the most talkative waiter I've ever had. Here's what we looked like after drinks:
The food was so good and we ate until we were uncomfortably full. Nevertheless, we headed back to the house for some cheesecake, because what would his birthday be without homemade cheesecake?
Last year I made cheesecake for his birthday, and it was my first ever try. I had contacted the woman who used to be his boss (and whose cheesecakes he fantasized about) and got her recipe. Like I said, it was my first ever attempt at making a cheesecake, and though it was good enough, it wasn't great. Also, I didn't have a springform pan, so I used a pie pan and a casserole dish. Those don't work so well.
This year I did it right, though. I took the basic cheesecake recipe and made it my own. Instead of a graham cracker crust, I made the crust out of crushed Oreos. On top of the crust, I placed a whole bag of these (they perfectly coated the crust - not too many, not too few). I melted some peanut butter and mixed it into the cheesecake batter and poured it over the mini Reese's-topped crust. For the finishing touch, I melted down some chocolate chips, poured it over the top, and swirled it with a spatula for a marble effect.
I was a little nervous about how it would turn out since I had pretty much made up my own recipe. It turned out fantastic, though, and Matt loved it. So it was a definite success! Unfortunately, I didn't write down how much peanut butter and chocolate I used, so it may be hard to replicate exactly. I also forgot to take a photo of it before we cut into it. So here's what's left of it:
To finish up the evening, we watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and went to bed way too late for a weeknight, because we are old (okay, I know we're really not that old. But we like our sleep. A lot).
Happy birthday to my husband, my biggest supporter and best friend. I love you more than air and can't imagine life without you. I look forward to many more birthdays and cheesecakes with you.
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