Jan. 31, 2008
Birthday Week Extravaganza & BREAKFAST BIRTHDAY CAKE
At our house, we celebrate birthdays in a fun way. I believe it was DH who first dubbed them, "Birthday Weekend Extravaganza!!!!" Sometimes it's the weekend when the birthday falls next to a weekend; sometimes its a week if it is in the middle.
Two weeks ago it was my turn to celebrate. My birthday was Wed the 16th, so we decided to make it "a week." We started the Saturday before by me making a new recipe called a Breakfast Birthday Cake. (see recipe below -- it is going to become a birthday breakfast tradition at our house.)
Then that afternoon, we went to a park, did some errands, and then went out to eat at a great Indochina/Vietnamese resteraunt that a friend recommended. It was wonderful. I wish I would of taken my camera, but darling daughter has already requested to go there for her birthday, so I'll have to take some then. It has such a neat feel to it -- lavish, colorful decorations, and beautiful garden seating in nice weather. You felt like you weren't in the city at all, but actually over in Vietnam, etc. (The owner is half Vietnamese, half French.)
On "the real bday day," it was the day before DH left for India, so it was full of getting all the last minute things ready for that. DH brought me home an ice cream cake after work and made Thai food for us. He got candles shaped like a "3" and a "4" for the cake -- Little Man kept reading it from the other side and kept saying, "Mama, you are fffforrrteeee ttthhhrrreeee." (I'm 34.)
BREAKFAST BIRTHDAY CAKE
Ingredients:
Round loaf of bread
3 eggs
2/3 c. milk
1 T. sugar
1 T vanilla
3 c. fresh strawberries
1/2 c. strawberry preserves
1c. whipping cream
4 oz. softened cream cheese
1 T. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1. Cut crust off bottom of bread. Slice bread into 3 parts. Set aside the top for another use.
2. Preheat skillet or griddle to med to med-high heat. Mix together eggs, milk, 1 T. sugar and 1 T. vanilla. Dip bread into egg mixture; let soak 1 minute each side. Melt 1 T butter on griddle and cook soaked bread for about 5 minutes or until golden.
3. Meanwhile (helpers are good here), slice the strawberries and place in large bowl. Melt the preserves on high in microwave for 20-30 seconds; pour over berries and toss to coat. set aside
4. In chilled mixing bowl combine whipping cream, cream cheese, 1T. sugar and 1/2 t. vanilla. Beat until soft peaks form.
5. Place bottom of bread on a serving platter. Top with 1-2 cups of strawberry mixture. Then top with second bread round. Top with remaining strawberries and whipped cream mixture. I dusted ours with powdered sugar. Carefully cut into wedges. Serve immediately. Makes 10 servings.
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