My birthday last weekend was very relaxed. 
I am truly grateful to the many readers who took the time to send a short greeting or an email… really, thank you very much. Some have mused or directly enquired what “feast” must have been planned for the big day. I didn’t lift a finger. Marketman was on “day off.†I did go to the market because I like doing that. For lunch, my daughter suggested Chilli’s at Greenbelt Mall. While the food is solid family fare one notch up from fast food, I think she was more intent on embarrassing me with the singing waiters bearing a fried tortilla with a scoop of ice cream and a candle. What with a half dozen waiters belting out an “uno, dos, tres, quatro… Happy Birthday to You, Happy…Happy!!!†Yikes… public humiliation! My daughter was sufficiently amused. And their chilli was not bad at all.
For dinner, my wife and daughter took command of the kitchen. 
This is a rare occurrence not because they aren’t good cooks but perhaps I just overwhelm them. For dinner we had a starter of tortellini with homemade tomato sauce. My daughter made the tomato sauce the night before and put it in the fridge. She then threw the tortellini into boiling water, drained it and plated it up and sauced it with her home made sauce. Add a sprig of basil, a sprinkling of grated parmesan and it was brilliant. I hope she continues her interest in food and cooking as she gets older, if not, she will have to come home to eat well…heehee.
Next my wife made a green salad with breaded and 
fried goat cheese with pears, walnuts and a nice vinaigrette. This was sour, salty, crunchy and sweet all in one dish. This was a nice dish that cleared out the taste of tomato, cheese and pasta of the opening salvo. This salad is excellent with a nice slice of warm bread if you are using it as your starter. The goat cheese is what really gives it flavor and character. Alternatively, you can spread goat cheese on slices of French bread and toast them in an oven and serve with the green salad. Yum.
The main event were some brilliantly cooked lamb chops that 
were served on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes. The lamb chops had previously been marinated in garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Seared for just a minute or so on each side, they were perfectly medium-rare. Tender, tasty and terrific. We had a good bottle of wine with dinner. For dessert, we had a Marketman cake that my wife and daughter had designed and ordered from Art Cakes. Overall, a wonderful meal, better than almost any we could have had at a Manila restaurant. Thank you, thank you!
24 Responses
Happy Birthday!
Looks like you got your family well-trained – what a feast!
It’s always great when people cook for you on special occasions, cheers!
With such a culinary background, me wonders why the cake didnt feature a more..uhhmm…gastronomic background.;op
I guess t-shirts and undies can also be related to culinaria…one way or the other.
Glad you had a good one Mr. Marketman. ;o)
Belated happy birthday! I’m sure a lot of your readers will wonder what the t-shirt and Fruit of the Looms shorts are doing on the cake!
The food and pictures look great as ever, your family is ready to conquer gastronomic circles.
Thanks for sharing the family event with us, your online groupies.
Belated happy birthday, MM! Will try those lamb chops this weekend! ;)
…yes, definitely better because it was prepared with love and affection by the 2 people you love most :)
And even if it was not a fancy-schmancy cake, Art Cakes is one of the best birthday cakes in town!
Happy Birthday again!
Happy Birthday MarketMan!
Belated hepi bday! Yum yum yum, what a bday treat indeed!
Sorry, this is a late comment on the Charmin post, just read it yesterday… So it was you who figured in the trailing tissue paper fiasco! Heard that one (the legal community is a small one), thought it was fiction until i read your post… heehee… I applaud your bravado… dont think i could have done that in the middle of direct or cross (which was it anyway?;)) Cheers!
Belated Happy Birthday!
It appears that you had a wonderful birthday dinner. And I totally agree that you couldn’t get a better meal in any of the restaurants.
I’m bookmarking this entry to make one Sunday for my husband and kids. It’s food that they will also enjoy.
Cheers!
MJM
A family that cooks together stays together? :) Belated happy birthday to one of my favorite food blog writers!
Happy Happy Birthday! Your birthday bash dinner looks fabulous. Especially the salad. Cheers man and many more to come
happy belated birthday! your blog’s your year-round gift to everyone!
What a wonderful birthday you had…a little of your favorite activity (marketing!), nice lunch with the requisite embarassing moment (yes, this is a birthday must!), a dinner cooked by those you love best (and what a great dinner it was!), and, of course, a birthday cake with a candle to blow out…perfect! Belated Happy Birthday Marketman!!! Your’s was the first food blog/website I ever read, and the start of all my food blog reading, and now writing :-) Thanks!
Happpy Birthday!
That meal your wife and daughter made for you looks fantastic! I bet it tasted just as fantastic.
Happy Birthday! Oh man, that dinner sounded great. I can taste taste the chops (with the hint of rosemary).
uhm, marketman, was the cake design a clue? is it your preferred culinary uniform, in lieu of toque and coat? are you one of those people who cook in their skivvies? am i asking too many personal questions?
glad to hear you had a great birthday!!!
And naive ol’ me thought it was a chef’s toque! Hmmm…
The dinner must’ve been fantastic! I’d been happy with just the tortellini.
Glad you had a really happy birthday!
Happy Birthday Marketman! Thanks for sharing your birthday dinner with us – it looks great! I am going to feed my family that same menu. The salad looks especially delicious!
Love your blog!!!!!!!
HELLO!!??!! Earth to well-meaning Marketmanila readers. It is a chef’s toque on the cake… not an undershirt and fruit of the loom jockey shorts!!! Heeheehee. Now you all have me and my family rolling on the floor with laughter. On second look, it does look a bit like carconcillo and a tshirt…but really, it was meant to be a chef’s hat or toque. Karen, thank goodness you got that right! The others, a big collective open your mouth and cover with your right hand move is in order…
Yikes! (Laughs out loud!) Me and my skewed culinary sense!
Ha ha ha! marketman, this is one time I am glad I’m a latecomer. I would have been among those who thought it was, well, you know … I even had to get my eyeglasses to take a closer look.
Anyway, I’m sure you enjoyed your “day off”!
belated happy birthday, market man. here’s to a great, long life! thanks for sharing your wealth of good food, good recipes and overall, just fantastically entertaining good read on things desirable!
i should say, your wealth OF INFORMATION on good food. my fantasy right now is to share your wealth of good food on your table! wonder if that’s ever gonna be realized. haha!
marketman, you can’t blame me (us)! after reading your post about the Charmin toilet paper, I was primed to think UNDIES when I got to this post! ROFL