Since we don’t celebrate the traditional gift-giving holidays,  birthdays are pretty important.    Last Tuesday was Marian’s birthday.  In keeping with our desire to live simply, we don’t focus on gifts but on food and wine and candles and flowers and love.

We do give “consumable” gifts such as chocolate and wine….and this year Marian received a bur oak tree which will live in our side yard for decades after we leave Nebraska.  The little tree  is a birthday gift she will pass on to the future generations in our poor neighborhood.

We had a great day – went to  M’s Pub for lunch and took a short walk in Omaha’s Old Market – it was pretty breezy!

After lunch, I took Marian back to work and came home and began cooking. Because we’re focusing on healthy, simple eating,  I made a salad of fresh spinach, roasted yellow and red beets, and sweet potatoes topped with toasted walnuts and a maple sage vinaigrette and lamb chops with a port wine sauce.  For dessert we had double chocolate raspberry and cinnamon pear truffles.  The highlight of dinner for both of us was the bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir we pulled from our cellar.  I’m sure we’ll visit the Bethel Heights Vineyards when we’re in Oregon in 2011.  This was one of the best Pinot Noirs we’ve had in a very long time.

We had a great day, celebrating Marian’s birthday.  Focusing on each other and the simple pleasures of food and wine, rather than piles of presents,

is the way we choose to celebrate each of our years on this earth.  -sc

Happy Birthday, Marian