Paul-aroo Backyard Camping Party!

My partner Paul turned 34 yesterday. And since he just bought an RV on Craigslist that we've not yet had a chance to camp in, I decided that we should "camp" in the backyard for his birthday. Most years, our only big camping trip is at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. So I figured I'd name Paul's camping party "Paul-aroo."

Before the party, I decorated the back yard and set up some chairs. But we asked guests to BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair) to make sure there were enough seats.

We fired up the grill, and I threw on some Tofu & Veggie Kabobs. Sadly, I forgot to photograph them, but they looked something like the kabobs in this old pic from a Labor Day grill-out in 2012.

I wanted to grill hot dogs too, but veggie dogs are expensive, and we were expecting about 15 to 20 people. So instead, I cut veggie dogs into quarters and wrapped them in Pillsbury crescent rolls (yes, they're vegan) for Pigs in Blankets.

I made Black Bean Dip by processing black beans, habanero Ro-Tel, onion powder, and smoked paprika in the food processor.

I got a copy of Tami Noyes and Celine Steen's new Vegan Finger Foods book in the mail last week. So I picked one recipe from that book that I new Paul would like — Portabella BLTs! Guacamole, lettuce, tomato, and portabella bacon on baguette slices. These were really fantastic, and I'll do a full review of the book soon.

I lucked out this year and didn't have to bake a cake! My professional vegan baker friend Stephanie (Swell Baked Goods) offered to make Paul a cake, but he requested her creamy and tangy Key Lime Pie instead. I was so happy there were two leftover slices this morning, so we could have seconds.