French Birthday Dinner

Last Wednesday was my mother's 42nd birthday! I gave her the option of being treated to a dinner out at a waterfront restaurant or having a homemade meal: she chose the homemade option. At that point, I began to brainstorm a well rounded menu for the night. These are the items I decided to prepare:

Starter: Roasted Butternut Squash Salad w/ Cider Vinaigrette 

Main Course: Scallops Provencal, Wild Mushroom Risotto

Side Dish: French Green Beans with Shallots

Dessert: Orange and Raspberry Cake

The dinner went off without a hitch. The food tasted fantastic and was prepared at restaurant quality. To establish a rather French mood, I also put much thought into the table decor for the night. 

My color scheme was French-countryside green and lavender purple. The photographs below illustrate how I incorporated these colors. Originally, I wanted to display light purple hydrangea flowers. However, I could not fine the right shade, so I switched to this light blue. I found it to be a great choice because the color of the flower brought in the color of the sky and made it a bright table display. 

Candles add an intimate touch and made the mood of the evening feel warm and inviting. It is important to place the candles a certain distance away from the flowers petals so that the heat of the flame does not crisp one side of the bundle. 

I enjoyed the process of creating this wonderful evening for a mom who works so hard everyday to make my life as comfortable as possible. Enjoy!

Table Decor:

A few sprigs of lavender placed in the ribbon:

Scallops, risotto, and green beans:

Later on in the evening:

The ribbon matched a friend's blouse, coincidentally:

Persian Chai Tea to digest the main course:

Orange and Raspberry Cake on a pink-polka dot cake stand: 

Floral coasters for the white candles, a nice colorful touch: