Quarter-of-a-Century Celebration!

Noah turned 25 this week and we celebrated with the whole fam! We had our first family dinner at our new house in honor of Noah's big day. And when you count his brother, parents, my parents, sister, step-sisters, step-brother and their significant others, it's not a small gathering! It was lots of fun and I think Noah had a great birthday! I wanted to share the presents and menu of the party.

Presents:
I got Noah lots of goodies for this big birthday (after all he is half way to 50)!

The Blackberry "Tour"
I don't know anything about technology. But you know boys, if it's a new gadget, it's cool! He was definitely the envy of the male attendees! I have to give some credit to "Glen" from Verizon. Not only did he push Noah's upgrade up 4 months, he helped me set up his phone an hour before his birthday party so it was all ready for him. I wrapped the phone and called it right after he blew out his candles! No one knew where the ringing was coming from! It was a great surprise.

Our Wedding Book (my favorite gift!)

I used this amazing website called MyPublisher to create a book of photos, invites and letters from our engagement through our wedding. I love it! I would definitely recommend checking out this site. I call it my "scrapless scrapbook" because I scanned our invitations and letters from our friends and family into the book. It is so easy! Here is mine if you want to check it out: A MyPublisher PhotoBook created by Meredith Greenbaum.

Now for the menu:

Hard-Hitting Mac and Cheese
I found this recipe from Noah's ESPN Gameday Gourmet and it was delicious!

Easy and yummy (Although I would recommend adding a little more salt)

Ingredients:

1 box Macaroni (1 pound)

1 T Vegetable oil

1/2 cup + 1 T butter

1/2 cup each of shredded Muenster, mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, Monterrey Jack

1 pint half-and-half

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 pound Velveeta, cut into small cubes

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 1/2 quart baking dish, cook macaroni for 7 minutes, drain and return to pot, melt butter in saucepan and pour over mac, add 1.5 cups shredded cheeses, half-and-half, Velveeta, eggs, salt and pepper. Spoon into baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until bubbly (about 35 minutes).

Krups BeerTender

Noah and I got this as a wedding present from one of his best friends. I have to admit when we received it, I could think of a million things we needed more. However, it is actually really cool and everyone loved it! Thank you Williams-Sonoma!

If you live in Richmond, you can get the 5-liter Draught Kegs at Total Wine.