Birthday Chicken & Sausage Stew

OR how to feed a lot of people and still have fun at your birthday party. Curious? Here's the recipe, but if you want more information or a photo tutorial, scroll down.

Last year I turned 65. Whoopee! I was and am truly delighted about it. I threw myself a Medicaid Birthday Party. I wore a purple tutu and danced with friends in a conga line. Why wouldn't you, right?

I kept it basic and simple, enlisting friends and family to help out on the evening of the event. I set out a big Greek Fava Board/table in the garage, had good box wines for people to help themselves and Dewey tended bar in the house. We used rolls of paper towels instead of napkins.

Good bread, good butter, Greek Lentil Soup for my vegan and vegetarian friends and this big hunky-chunky chicken & sausage stew for everyone else. Try this next time you want to host a lot of people. We had about 45. I’d say this will serve about 30. There’s a good bit of prep work, but everything comes together pretty quickly. You can also make it ahead, reheat it before the party and finish it with the garnish before serving. Here's my recipe.

For an easy way to serve everyone, use disposable coffee cups (I did) or use your own coffee mugs (and some that you’ll have to borrow from friends).

This kind of gathering is casual. There’s no way you can seat everyone, so treat it as you would a cocktail party. Make sure that the bread is cut into slices that are easily buttered and carried with a mug of soup. For napkins, use rolls of good paper towels. And there’s nothing wrong with asking everyone to bring a chair for additional seating inside, outside, in the garage…wherever. I did, but people enjoyed standing around.

Take a look at the photos below for a quick tutorial. The recipe is here.