Prosciutto Bread Sticks and I'm 30. Yay?

So today I said good bye to my 20's and hello to my 30's. I don't feel terribly different or look like a brand new older version of myself, but today felt like the end of an era. I don't think you can get away with things in your 30's the same way you can in your 20's. Perfect examples of this: drinking to excess (BOO no more parties a 'da club'), making stupid (or if they're really bad, stooooopid) life decisions, and horrible dating faux pas. I mean, let's face it, as much as we all want to be Carrie Bradshaw with an incredible wardrobe and VERY active bedroom scene (although in truth I wanted to be Charlotte - better apartment and always the hopeless romantic), if we actually did all of that crap at her age - our friends would kill us. And drunk 30 year olds look like alcoholics, not woot woot - "I'm having so much fun" party girls. Sorry, but they do.

As a rule I hate celebrating my birthday. I just don't get it. I made it another year so that entitles me to 12 birthday dinners with free dessert... I'm voluptuous already. The last thing I need are 12 free desserts. If it were up to me (and it never is) I would celebrate my birthday with a glass bottle of wine, sitting in my jammie jams, catching up on stuff that has been collecting dust in my DVR. I know. Super exciting. Riveting even.

The thing that I've realized in this very important 30 year moment is that your birthday is never really about YOU, per say. It's about the people that love you that are trying to find a way, DAMMIT, to show you how much they care. The restaurants they've chosen, the gifts they purchased (even though you begged for nothing at all), and all of the other stuff that comes your way on that VERY SPECIAL DAY - is your tribe trying to communicate that you mean something to them. And truth be told, you got to let them get it all out. Every streamer, balloon, candle blowing, off key happy birthday tune, box in a box in a box in a box birthday present, toast in your honor means something - all because for another 365 days, you managed not to kick it. I am majorly clumsy, so maybe it is a little more to celebrate now that I think about it... Because let's get real here, it is much better to have people wanting to do something for you, than no one at all. Right? Right! I'll try to remember that in my 30's. So here's to another year. Hopefully I'll manage not to take a long walk off a short pier. Here's hoping.

In other news, for the past 30 years I have pretty much shared my birthday with my Grandmother. We were born 55 years and 1 day apart, but she is and always has been my rock. She has seen more than most (great depression, mother died at 6 weeks old, step mother was right out of cinderella, death of a son at 20 due to carbon monoxide poisoning, death of a husband 6 months later due to a broken heart and a massive heart attack, death of a grandson due to his own hands, multiple open heart surgeries, knee surgeries, spine surgeries, broken pelvis, loss of feeling in her feet and hands, and that's just what I can think of off the top of my head), but she is one of the most open hearted and kind women that I have ever met. She has never said a single bad word about anyone and is incredibly classy. What an amazing broad she is. I am proud to be her grand daughter and even prouder to know her not only as a grand daughter, but also as a friend. They just don't make people like her anymore.

Last night I made her dinner to celebrate her 85 years on this planet and I made prosciutto bread sticks for her. And they are AMAZING. So easy and they always create a WOW response. Those are the best kind of recipes! People will think you spent hours toiling and really, you poofed it together like magic. BAM.

May I present: 

GRANDMA'S PROSCIUTTO BREAD STICKS

You will need:

1 Package of Puff Pastry Dough from the freezer section - thawed.
1 Small Onion
3 Cloves Garlic
100 grams of Gouda Cheese finely shredded (about a half to 3/4 of a cup or so)
80 grams of Prosciutto (5 slices)
200 grams of Sour Cream - splurge - don't use low fat. You can taste it. (I just used a small container even though it's 227 grams - those extra 27 grams aren't going to ruin anything.)
2 tablespoons of Parsley

Preheat oven to 360 (no that is not a typo - 3. 6. 0.)

1. Dice onions, garlic and prosciutto.
2. Caramelize (fancy word for add butter to a pan, heat it to medium heat and add veggies) onions and garlic until golden brown (about 4 minutes)
3. Add prosciutto to onions and garlic and let it get crispy (about 2 or 3 minutes) Stir frequently so you don't burn onions and garlic. Set aside.
4. Add sour cream, cheese, and parsley to medium sized bowl - mix until well combined.
5. Gently stir in onion mixture to the bowl. Set aside.

Yeah - I numbered wrong. You get my drift. Right? Right.

6. Lay parchment paper down on a counter and unfold both puff pastry rectangles with the creases going top to bottom (not side to side)
7. Spread sour cream mixture on bottom half of both rectangles
8. Fold top to touch bottom
9. Make 9 top to bottom cuts in each rectangle
10. Twist each strip twice and place on greased cookie sheet leaving 1 1/2 inches around each stick.
11. Bake at 360 for 25 minutes.

TA DA!!!!

Enjoy my lovelies and good luck!

Yours Forever,

The Unemployed Diva.