We pulled off the surprise party of the year. A really good friend of mine has had an awful year. Well, she and her husband have had a terrible year. I won’t go into details but you should believe me when I say this was the worst year of their lives. So, some friends and I wanted to throw her a big surprise birthday party. It was actually a party for both of them but it was Terry’s actual birthday. We decided it should be hippie and love themed.

We told everyone to dress up in his or her favorite hippie clothes. Claud and I went to Goodwill, our local thrift shop, and found some amazing clothes. Claud found this incredible silk blouse that was just perfect. I found some bell bottoms. We had the rest of the clothing waiting for us at home. We actually own some hippie things to wear on regular days. I was pretty pleased with our costumes.

Claud and I volunteered to be in charge of the music and to bring a dish to the party. For once, the party was not going to be at our place. I made this commitment months before the party, thinking it would be no problem finding a band when I had so much time. Of course, I procrastinated. About three weeks before the party, I tried finding a sixties style band but had no luck. By the week before the party, I panicked. Luckily, a miracle happened. A friend of a friend owned a talent agency and hooked me up with a DJ. I was so relieved. I didn’t want to show up with the music on my phone and my Bose speaker.

On the day of the party, we arrived a couple of hours early to meet the DJ and help him set up. Robert, our friend who hosted the party, had everything prepared. He had a huge heart shaped wreath with flowers in it. A sign was hung which read, “Terry and Dom’s Love Fest.” He even had sixties style clothes for Terry and Dom to put on when they arrived.

The guests slowly poured in. One attendee was a woman who was in every Cheech and Chong movie. At around eight o’clock, we received the signal that they arrived. We all stayed quiet and hid I the back yard. Once Terry and Dom opened the door, the crowd roared with, “SURPRISE!!” They were legitimately surprised. You could tell. The first song was set to The Beatles, “All You Need Is Love.” Everyone sang this out loud while they went around hugging and kissing everyone. It was beautiful.

The rest of the evening went off without a hitch. We had so much food. We ate ribs, macaroni and cheese, several salads, and grilled vegetables. I made Mediterranean pasta with scallops. This is a delicious pasta dish with baby scallops. I prefer the baby scallops in a pasta dish. The regular scallops seem too big to me. I love how the capers and kalamata olives add saltiness. My favorite part of making this pasta is smashing the tomatoes. I don’t know why but it is just fun to do.

We ate all of the delicious food, drank wine, and danced until our feet hurt. I even tried every line dance that came up, even though I don’t know how to line dance. It was all fun and games until the police showed up. I guess we were too noisy. It didn’t matter, the DJ was scheduled to end at eleven and it was eleven when they arrived. Perfect timing. Nothing could put a damper on all of the love that was happening or all of the happiness I could see across the birthday girl’s face. This party was a groovy success.

Mediterranean Pasta with Scallops:

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4-6

pound baby scallops

1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 package angel hair pasta

large red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

cup kalamata olives, halved

2 tablespoons capers

5 small tomatoes

teaspoon oregano

salt and pepper to taste

cup dry white wine

stick butter (optional)

Place a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Dry the scallops with paper towels. Place the flour into a bowl. Put the scallops into the bowl and cover them with the flour. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Once the oil in the skillet is almost smoking, add the scallops. Let them cook about a minute on each side, until lightly browned. Remove from heat and place scallops into a bowl. Cook the angel hair pasta in boiling water, according to package directions. Cook the pasta al dente. Once it is finished and drained, rinse the pasta with cold water to stop it from cooking further and set aside. Heat the rest of the oil in the skillet. Add the onions and saut until clear. Then, add the garlic. Saut for another two minutes. Add olives, capers, and tomatoes. After about five minutes, smash the tomatoes with a mashed potato smasher. Season with the oregano, salt and pepper. Add the wine and let this simmer for another five minutes. Add the butter and let this melt in (if you are using butter). Put the pasta and the scallops into this sauce and let it heat up for a couple of minutes. Serve.