Oh Mon Dieu, Poppy’s Two! Poppy’s French Themed Second Birthday Party.

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Poppy’s second birthday was another opportunity for me to host a themed party. It’s just too much fun to pass up. (Don’t be fooled, saying it is fun does not negate the fact that it is equally stressful. Striving for “mom perfection” in getting the details all right can be so fulfilling but also very heavy.) “Oh Mon Dieu”, a common French phrase meaning Oh My God, is a frequently used saying in our family. Once it was discovered that a rhyme could be created, Oh Mon Dieu, Poppy’s Two, a French and Paris themed birthday party was born.

The Outfit. Chic and sophisticated was the vibe I was going for. Even when buying clothing for a special occasion, I try to get items that can be worn multiple times to be economical. This outfit came together so wonderfully and I am so happy with it! The items were purchased from several small business via Etsy: the lined tulle skirt in pale blush from shopVMarie, the oversized black sweater from BellaandBooBoutique, the black hair bow from EmmaBeanBowtique and a black beret for extra festivity from AlyssaFashionCouture.

The Cake. I love to make Poppy’s birthday cakes. I am certainly an amateur baker so cake assembly and decorating is very nerve racking, but when I turns out well it is so exciting! I decided on the Easiest Coconut Banana Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting cake recipe from Half Baked Harvest. The cake is no sugar added which is still something I prefer when possible for Poppy (and for the big people too). The chocolate cream cheese icing does contain sugar. I doubled the batter and made a 3 tier 6″ round cake for Poppy and then an additional 8 x 8″ sheet cake for everyone else.

I also doubled the icing recipe. I iced the sheet cake and topped with light pink pearl sprinkles. I stacked and “dirty iced” the tiered cake and placed it in the refrigerator to cool. (I would have preferred it to go into the freezer but I have a drawer style freezer and of course it is filled with frozen toddler muffins and lots of other food and it would be laughable to think a cake would fit). After the icing was firm, I placed a final thin layer of chocolate icing on top to finish the cake. I topped the cake with pink sugar pearl sprinkles, a rose gold 2 candle and an Eiffel tower cake topper (6″, black) from PoshDeKor from Etsy. I served the cake with “French Vanilla” ice cream from the grocery store.

The Decorations. In addition to the decorations on the cake, we purchased a rose gold glitter custom letter sign from NANApartysimplified on Etsy. We hung it in our kitchen and replaced decor style photos below it with photos from Poppy over the past year.

White and black stripped napkins were placed on the table for use with snacks, dinner and dessert. Finally, white and black streamers (which were left over from last year’s party) were placed around the house with some light pink bows to top it off!

The Food. Dessert first, of course. Macarons were purchased from a local French Bakery to serve in addition to the cake. Neutrals and pink shades were selected to stay on theme. Appetizers included cheese (Brie, Boursin and Gouda), fruit (blackberries and grapes) and crackers (Fig and rosemary, Ritz and Triscuits). For the main course, we had Baked Vegetable Ratatouille. I was inspired by a recipe from Everyday Delicious. I put my own spin on this recipe and here is my version below.

Print Recipe

Baked Vegetable Ratatouille

An easy baked vegetable ratatouille that will please the whole family.

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time55 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Vegetarian

Servings: 4 Dinner Sized Portions

Equipment

• 1 9 x 13 inch Baking Dish Rectangular or Oval
• 1 Oven
• 1 Knife
• 1 Large Pot
• 1 Immersion (Stick) Blender

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Small Yellow Onion
• 1 Large Red Bell Pepper (or 2 Small/Medium Red Bell Peppers)
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Thyme
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Tarragon
• 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1 15 ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1.5-2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar (Dependent on preference for tanginess)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper

Vegetables

• 4 Roma Tomatoes
• 1-2 Egglants Smaller/Thinner in size
• 2 Zucchini Squash Small/Medium
• 2 Yellow Squash Medium
• Olive Oil
• *The goal is for the same diameter size and also quantity size of vegetable
• Dried Thyme
• Dried Basil
• Dried Tarragon
• Dried Oregano
• 6 ounces Gruyere Cheese Grated

Instructions

Sauce

• Chop the onion and red bell pepper. Mince the garlic.
• Heat a large pot on medium heat.
• Place olive oil into pan.
• Once heated (thin and shiny in texture), add onion. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until translucent, approximately 4-5 minutes.
• Add red bell pepper and cook until soft, approximately 4-5 minutes.
• Add garlic and herbs (thyme, tarragon, basil and oregano) and cook, stirring for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
• Add crushed tomatoes and allow to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
• Add balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
• Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. (Alternatively, place sauce into standing blender and carefully blend).
• If completing entire dish in one day, continue to below step. If to be completed at a separate time, store in the refrigerator in an air tight container.

Vegetable Ratatouille

• Wash and Prepare the vegetables. Cut the vegetables into 1/4" rounds , striving for similar sizes across all vegetable types. (*This can be done the day before assembly)
• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Spread the sauce evenly into the pan.
• Begin stacking the vegetables in a repeating pattern. It is easiest to make small stacks of 4 circles, one of each vegetable, and then place those on end in the pan (see photo). Repeat until the pan is full.
• Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables.
• Lightly sprinkle additional seasoning used in the sauce onto the top of the vegetables. Salt, Pepper, Basil, Oregano, Tarragon and Thyme. The thyme should be approximately twice as much in comparison to other herbs (for example thyme 1/4 teaspoon, basil 1/8 teaspoon).
• Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and cover with Gruyere cheese. Return to over for 10-15 minutes until the cheese melts.
• Remove from oven and serve!

Notes

*Consider cutting the vegetables the day prior to construction if time is limited. The sauce can also be made up to 48 hours prior to construction of the Ratatouille.

*This dish is vegetarian. It can easily be made vegan or dairy-free with the substitution of the Gruyere cheese with a dairy free Mozzarella Cheese

*The dish reheats very well and will stay covered in the refrigerator for 5 days.

*French Style Garlic Bread is a great companion for this dish while serving as well as additional Gruyere cheese.

All and all, some aspects were probably a bit cliché, but ultimately Poppy and our family enjoyed the French inspired day and that is all I can ask for. My favorite part of the day without a doubt was when I brought the cake out to finalize the decorations and Poppy’s face lit up. She affectionately said, “Wow, Pretty” and that is the moment that I live for as a mother.

What birthday party themes are your favorites??

Let’s talk soon,
Al