A Surprise Party!!!

Last week I threw my very first surprise party! Have you ever thrown a surprise party? You get to be all sneaky and schemey and it's really fun. Our very close family friend turned fifty in December, but because he lives in Italy, we all missed it. But he's here now, and we decided to surprise him with a belated celebration. We got pretty much everyone in on it - and had everyone arrive 30 minutes before he did and park way down the street. He thought that he and another friend were just coming over for dinner, but when they walked in, everyone jumped out and surprised him! It was great fun.

The party was a potluck and people brought some really amazing and delicious food. It was quite a glorious spread! Our guest of honor really loves Mexican food, so I wanted to make something Mexi that was also not too laborious. I made a batch of the Polenta Rancheros from Vegan Brunch, and it was a huge hit. Also, the whole thing comes together quite quickly and makes ton.

I also made a big bowl of hummus and a big bowl of guacamole - party classics! For the guacamole, I made a double batch of "The Only Guacamole I Ever Make," from Viva Vegan, and the people were totally freaking on it. Truly, that giant bowl of green goodness (4 avocados!) was decimated long before the evening was over. Long live guacamole!

My delicious dinner: Mom's Farro & Chickpea Salad, some roasted winter squash, crudite and hummus, New Potato & Green Bean Salad, fresh spring rolls, Walnut bread from Tartine (swoon!), and Polenta Rancheros with guac in the middle. Boy, this was a totally amazing dinner. I wish I could eat like this all the time!

ps. I highly recommend throwing a surprise party. Our pal was indeed totally surprised and it was wonderful to celebrate him and his birthday. Surprises can be pretty fun!