On Turning 30

Well yesterday I was 29 and today I’m 30.  It’s not a big deal really.  More than anything it provides a good milestone to use for reflection as, many friends have said, it’s time to enter the best decade yet.  If that’s true, it’s going to have a lot to live up to.  In my 20s I…

::big breath::

…graduated from college, moved to DC, got engaged to my best friend, moved to Austin, got married to said best friend, bought a house, had a baby — and those are just the major things.  I also…

::big breath::

…ran 13 marathons, qualified for and ran the Boston Marathon, completed an Ironmanand read all five Game of Thrones books.  So my 30s have some big shoes to fill.  But based on how amazing the last 12 weeks of Wesley’s life have been, I’m pretty sure my 30s won’t have any trouble taking the title of top decade.

Turning 30 is also a great excuse to make an extravagant dinner to celebrate our birthdays!  After a great brunch in the morning, we reasoned that we only turn 30 once and had to go big.

birthday brunch

English muffins, smoked salmon, poached eggs, fresh fruit, n’duja, smoked whitefish, and Cuvee iced coffee

We took a family trip down to Whole Foods in search of mussels and thick-cut pork chops.  We left with USDA Prime filet mignon and a lobster tail.  Yea.  And before heading home we swung by a local bakery for dessert!  With my recent infatuation with sous vide cooking, that’s exactly what we did.

Two hours before dinner I got the steaks locked and loaded with a little salt and butter before dropping them into a 135° bath and let them come up to a beautiful medium rare.

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I then took my attention to preparing the lobster by first removing the shell (thanks youtube) and then sealing with butter, lemon zest, and thyme.  This only needs a quick 25 minutes in the water, so I popped it back in the fridge while the steak cooked away.

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So with steak cooking and lobster prepped Ev and I had some time to play with Wes before putting him down for bed.  After his bath and while he was eating, I turned my attention to preparing a side of spinach and getting the lobster into the water.  Now imagine some magical off-screen cooking took place: prepared spinach, seared steaks in cast iron in a pool of thyme-spiked butter, quick-seared the lobster after splitting in half, and plated it all.

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And do to with it we decided a meal of this magnitude required a special bottle of wine that my mom got us four years ago in Napa.  It did not disappoint.  So. Good.

chateau montelena 2003 cab

As for dessert we had some fantastic cupcakes from Capital City Bakery.  I bet you haven’t checked them out yet, and that’s a big life mistake.  Make it a priority.  And whoa buddy, that Peanut Butter Crunch cupcake… amazing.

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And so I’d say Evelyn and I have entered our 30s in style.  I can’t wait to see what’s in store between now and my “ohmygodImturning40” blog post.

Thoughts? Leave a comment!