Happy Birthday Sam!

Sam knows how to celebrate in style.

Other than drooling over Justin Bieber and Yoga Cats, Sam always gains 5 pounds on her birthday every year.

And that was her goal for this year as well. I was more than willing to help.

For her 20th birthday, I made Sam Lemon Meringue Pie. I've never made one before, and I was really happy with the way it turned out.

One of the best parts of making pie was the opportunity to use my brand new food processor, recently dubbed Freddy by me and Sam. Our family friend (whom I refer to as "Fungirl" only) gave it to me for my birthday. Such a wonderful gift.

Lily was also excited to greet the new addition--she hung out with him in the cabinet for a while.

The pie shell was delicious (raw and cooked!) and simple with my new processor. Then it was a bunch of whisking and whipping. And we have lemon meringue pie!

Even the topping looked decent despite my lack of decorating skills.

I think Sam approved as well.

And I had extra pie dough, so I made mini tarts filled with peanut butter and chocolate. Yay calories!

So that was my first act in helping Sam pack on the pounds. I actually made the pie yesterday though. For her actual day of celebration I stepped it up.

French toast with maple syrup and powdered sugar for breakfast. I whisked an egg, about 3/4 cup of milk, a dash of salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and a dash of vanilla together for the batter.

Sam ate this portion and then another. 6 whole pieces finished!

She ate more pie for lunch (with added reeses cups and sugar cookie dough to accompany as side dishes).

For dinner, we had farfalle pasta with artichoke hearts and a buttery sauce. Recipe at the end of the post.

She ate it while drinking an entire bottle of sparkling cider. Glass and cider courtesy of our friend Sarah. (I think the enormity of the glass is some kind of Cougar Town reference).

She's still working on this part currently. Just kidding. Just realized she's eating more pie.

Happy Birthday Sam!

Farfalle with Artichokes and a Garlic-Butter Sauce

Ingredients:
-1 lb pasta (whatever kind you like is fine)
-4 tbsp butter
-4 tbsp olive oil
-3 large garlic cloves, minced
-2 cups marinated artichoke hearts, diced
-1 tsp red pepper flakes
-2 tbsp lemon juice
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.
2. Add the artichoke hearts and garlic and let cook for 7-8 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
3. Cook the pasta for one or two minutes less than the box suggests--it will finish cooking in the pan.
4. Drain the pasta but reserve 1/2 c of the cooking liquid.
5. Add the pasta to the saute pan with the artichoke and garlic.
6. Stir in the reserved pasta water and lemon juice.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
8. Enjoy!

Just Because I Can't Eat It Doesn't Mean I Won't Make It

I recently got my wisdom teeth taken out.

Not only is my face three times its normal size (I'm suffering through innumerable puffy face jokes at work), but I'm also being forced to consume a completely mush-filled diet. Most of my meals take a run through the blender before entering my cartoonish mouth.

However, just because I have a depressing diet doesn't mean that everyone else does.

My friend turned 20 the other day so I knew I had to send a box of goodies along. These potato chip cookies are on their way to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

I used mini chocolate chips instead of pecans because my friend doesn't like nuts. I also did a chocolate coating because I ran out of chips. I hope she likes them!

-Meri

Happy Birthday Bethy!

Monday I completed my list of birthday dinners for this summer. We concluded with my aunt Bethy, whose birthday actually came before both my mom's and my sister's. Oops. I think she liked it just the same.

Like usual, the birthday girl got to choose her menu. Bethy requested pea soup, an asparagus dish, pasta that she could add bacon to, and an assortment of brownies (everything deluxe of course).

Here was the final product:

Green Pea Soup with Cucumber Raita- super yummy, and the raita was a great addition!

Asparagus with Almonds and Yogurt Dressing- it was so good that I made it two weeks in a row

Sourdough Ciabbatta- a recipe from the King Arthur Flour magazine. I'm on my way with my summer bucket list!

Caprese Pasta- I wanted to do something summer-y, and here's what I came up with- recipe posted at the bottom

And finally, the assortment:

Salted Caramel Brownies- probably my favorite. I'll be making that caramel topping quite often I think...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies- need I say more?

Dark Chocolate and Hazelnut Blondies- I topped half with shredded coconut and kept half plain

I made all the bars in muffin tins so that making small batches would be easier (and cuter).

Another birthday success!

Caprese Pasta

-6 tomatoes on the vine
-1 container of Bel Gioiso burrata
-1/4 cup basil
-1 lb fettuccine
-zest and juice of one lemon
-reduced balsamic vinegar
-salt and pepper to taste

1. Set oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut tomatoes into eighths and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast for 3-4 hours until the tomatoes are soft and juicy.
2. Cut the burrata into bite-size pieces and chiffonade the basil. Add the burrata, basil, and tomatoes to the bowl that you will serve the pasta in.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.
4. Drain and add the pasta to the bowl and toss. Add the lemon zest and juice as well as a few tablespoons of reduced balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy warm, room temperature, or cold!

-Meri

Happy Birthday Mama Medoway

This birthday present is coming way late. Like, over a month late.

But you know what? That's how we do it in this family. Why? Because we like for celebrations to last as long as humanly possible. We can stretch a holiday/birthday/anniversary/etc. like no other.

So, despite it being way past my mom's birthday, I still owed her part of her birthday gift: a special dinner with a menu chosen completely by her.

She decided on:

Avocado Vichyssoise

I garnished with parsley instead of cilantro because my mom might have actually blown a fuse if she tasted said herb.

Artichoke Spinach Pizza with White Beans

This was one intense pizza. It had a white bean cream sauce topped with sauteed leeks and spinach, artichoke hearts, white beans, parmesan, mozzarella, and italian herbs.

I chose to do a sourdough crust because I needed to use Oscar, my sourdough starter. Woah. He made a delicious crust. And, I had extra dough so I grilled it for bread sticks (not pictured--eaten too fast--okay, I actually just forgot) and little flat breads with goat cheese, tomatoes, and basil.

Actually, I lied. My mom didn't choose the whole menu. I found this cake recipe a long time ago and knew immediately that I must make it for my mother at some point. It screams Darcia.

And don't skimp on the poppy seeds. It will seem like you are using way too much, but you're not. Just have faith. And bring a toothpick.

Oh, and I made a salad. Not for dessert. But a salad is always a good addition to dinner.

And she loved all of it! Now I just have to make my sister and my aunt's birthday dinner...

-Meri

My Brotha is 23!

My wonderful brother Alex turned 23 on February 21. I wasn't there to celebrate.



BUT, he came to visit me with my mommy today and it was fabulous.

It was also stressful.



I was seeing him only a couple of days after his real birthday. That means I had to have a gift ready.

Not that he would actually care. Alex would be totally fine with a delayed present. But it wouldn't do for my peace of mind.



So, when I realized he was coming at the beginning of this week, my brain got to work. I went through a lot of possibilities that I can't remember now and then ended up with an old standby: food.



Alex seems to like my baked goods so I'm more than happy to provide him with sustenance. However, I had limited time and resources as I didn't have time to shop during the week. I decided on something peanut butter-y (since he was the first Reeses-lover I ever knew, and since I could by the stuff at the food store on campus).



I remembered these goodies that I made last year to bring back to my dorm floor after Thanksgiving break. Being sandwich cookies, they're a little twist on the usual and very decadent-perfect for a birthday gift.



Unfortunately, I couldn't get my hands on any vanilla, so these went without. Hopefully the intense peanut flavor will help Alex forget about the missing extract.



Also, the filling calls for peanut butter and powdered sugar. I made half with this classic filling and then made another batch using Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter. A little variety is always good.



These cookies are gooey and yummy (especially since I totally undercooked one batch-it's a problem I have. I prefer foods that might give you salmonella poisoning). They also give you multiple opportunities for dough-eating. You have the original cookie dough, then the filling (then the other filling if you choose to make it). And you absolutely have to taste each. Quality control people.

Here's the full gift after my beautiful packaging (paper bowls courtesy of Sam). I also got him an American University beer mug, for good measure.



I hope he likes it!

Find the recipe here: http://bromabakery.blogspot.com/2010/12/half-way-to-heaven-peanut-butter.html




-Meri