Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Zacki and Will's Birthday Celebration

Tina Staley, a "sister" of 31 years threw a combined B-day celebration for Nashville Country Hall of Famer, Will McFarlane and myself. Tina and I go way back to meeting in NYC, LA, Chicago, Aspen and now, Durham, NC. Our bash was at her charming Sunflower Cottage in old Trinity Park. Tina is the director of Pathfinders at Duke Oncology (www.cancer.duke.edu/pathfinders) as a liaison between patients and doctors.
 
We served our "Jesus Supper" from foods of the first century: unleavened bread, baba ghannouj (roasted eggplant), lamb, chicken kabobs with a minty honey and raisin sauce on top of Kashi grains of oats, barley and wheat. Part of our “Ancient Mediterranean Meal” was a mixed salad of bitter greens with a pomegranate molasses dressing. Old grape was the main beverage. Sliced melons, grapes, and mango were on the kosher menu until Will and Janet's grand kids marched in with two decadent chocolate birthday cakes and broke "the kosher law."

Will, despite laryngitis, pulled out his guitar and gospel singer, Jennifer's Evan’s lent her angel gospel voice. Everyone joined in the song fest. It was a most enjoyable evening with a close circle of family and friends.