A couple weeks ago, on a Saturday night, we had a multicultural homage to a friend who was turning the big 6-0. (Which is the new 4-0 BTW). We were in a French chateaux, celebrating a Canadian, with Italian heritage, with a thoroughly SoCal attitude. They had also ordered a wood fired pizza caterer to make the most delicious homemade pies:

• Pepperoni
• Date & Bacon with Arugula (When the caterer ran out of arugula Ashley ran across the street to grab some from the garden)
• Garlic & Cheese
• Sausage & Tomato
• BBQ Chicken with Spicy Jalapenos
• Veggie

They were pretty darn good. But that wasn’t the most impressive part of the evening. Several friends volunteered to bring appetizers, and in typical FP style, they delivered. To carry the Italian theme, we had the most amazing spread of the cheeses, charcuterie, and composed antipasto you have ever seen. And yes, I ate it twice, maybe three times, because it was so nice. The care that went into that antipasto station was second only to the love we all have for this birthday boy. During the evening, we sang happy birthday, the birthday boy thanked everyone for attending, and concluded with “I feel so loved.” You are indeed. Saluti.

Classic Antipasto Checklist

• Savory
  • Cheeses (such as mozzarella, gorgonzola, fontina, parmesan, etc.)
  • Meats (such as prosciutto, capicola, salami, etc.)
  • Vegetables (such as carrots, snap peas, cucumbers, etc.)
• Sweet
  • Fruits (such as dried apricots, dried cranberries, grapes, etc.)
  • Honey
• Crunchy
  • Nuts (such as Marcona Almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, etc.)
  • Pickles (such as green beans, peppers, olives, etc.)
• Crispy
  • Crackers (such as Flat breads, pitas, breadsticks or crackers)
• Decor
  • Fresh herbs
  • Wooden board or box

Antipasto

Oh! And don’t forget something sweet!