Cassie Turned 20!

I no longer have a teen-ager! Cassie is now 20 years old. In one sense, it’s hard for me to believe, but really, it’s hard to remember a time when she wasn’t in my life. Being a young mom also means that in many ways, I grew up with my daughter.

For the first time ever, I didn’t host a birthday party in our home. Cassie invited me to a cook-out she was having at school. Unfortunately we had a surprise rainy day and she wasn’t able to have an outdoor party. So for the first time in I don’t know how many years, I went to a dorm party (on Hoyt 4th no less).

The gathering was actually quite lovely. The room is so much more spacious than last year and we had room to spread out. We arrived around 5:00. My mom, Katie, Chris and I were welcomed sweetly by Cassie and her friends. We had pizza from Romanelli’s and cake from Cold Stone Creamery. Around 9:00 we headed home after a very pleasant evening.

Since originally it was going to be a cook-out, I had prepared some salads:

Mexican Pasta Salad:
Cooked and chilled Penne Pasta tossed with:
Grated cheddar
Cherry Tomatoes
Diced Jalapeño
Black Beans
Olive Oil, Lime Juice, Chili Spice Mix
Served with salsa (I chose Newman’s Own tequila lime salsa)



Spinach Strawberry Salad (slightly out of season, but this was at Cassie’s request)
Baby Spinach
Quartered Strawberries

Sliced Almonds

Sliced Red Onion

Dill, Mango Chili Vinegar (from Trader Joe’s), Canola Oil, Maple Syrup