Culinary Lessons from a First Birthday Party

1. Chicken marinated and baked in raspberry vinaigrette takes on the unfortunate hue of uncooked meat.
2. Quick grilling helps diminish this unsavory appearance, thereby restoring the sanity of a harried hostess.
3. Raspberries have an astonishingly short shelf life.
4. Moldy raspberries tend to look unappetizing, too.
5. A mom who offers to run off to the organic grocery store 20 minutes before the party begins to fetch fresher raspberries is a godsend.