Family Meal for Pisces Birthdays

family meal mediterranean birthday

Family meal is usually simple, but sometimes there’s a reason to make it more elaborate. This week we planned on combining Family Meal with a baby shower for one of our food stylists, Morgan. But sometimes with baby showers, the guest of honor finds it a better idea to stay close to home when she starts to have contractions. That’s what happened in this instance. Luckily, Mory Thomas, Charles Granquist and I are all Pisces, and we all had birthdays within the past couple of weeks, so we stepped in as emergency guests of honor. (If you had to interact with us on a daily basis, you would figure out our Pisces-ness pretty fast).

charred octopus

On to the food: Mediterranean was the theme.  Several people in the kitchens made their favorite dishes, including mousakka, various dips, charred octopus with chickpeas, gigante beans with feta, and phyllo dough stuffed with butternut squash from a recipe we cross-tested the day before.

food network kitchen staff

What was for dessert? We celebrated our birthdays with salted caramel brownies. I wouldn’t call the brownies Mediterranean, but I’m sure somewhere in the Mediterranean someone has made these or at the very least, would like them.  On behalf of Mory, Charlie and myself, we'd like to thank Morgan for the great birthday lunch. We did pack up a feast made of a bit of everything to send to Morgan and her baby, in case you’re wondering.

Next Up

7 Plant-Based Meals the Whole Family Will Be On Board With

Even meat eaters will be excited about these vegan options.

These Handmade Frozen Dumplings Are My Family’s Favorite Meal on the Fly

This impossibly perfect dinner comes together in a matter of minutes.

Chefs' Picks: Family Meal

The pros share their best dishes for breaking bread together before the shift begins.

Family-Style Meals — Meatless Monday

Check out Food Network's rustic, informal dinners for Meatless Monday, including Ina Garten's Mac and Cheese, Giada De Laurentiis' casserole and more.

The Christmas Meal: What's Your Family's Tradition?

Food Network wants to know what you traditionally eat for Christmas dinner.

Make Family Meals a Resolution This Year

Family meal doesn't have to be stressful! Try these tips and recipes!

What's New