New Year's Eve 2009

We are heading to a potluck New Year's Eve house party tonight.  Fun for all ages!

• Toasts at both East Coast and West Coast time (just in case bedtime is before midnight pacific daylight time)
• Noisemakers, funny hats and confetti
• Good friends and good cheer!

I have developed a reputation as a cake maker among my friends (dunno why :).

So, I whipped up this Pineapple Upside Down Cake (page 661)!

Happy 2010 to you and yours. Wishing you Love, Peace and Hairgrease!

Christmas Breakfast 2009

We actually had this meal for lunch.  Without a youngster in the house, our morning was pretty slow.  Add to that the fact that my Mr. doesn't like a heavy breakfast, and this was definitely a meal on the heavy side.

I hope you had a wonderful day and made the meaning of it that matches your own beliefs.  For me, it was a Merry Christmas.  My best gift was getting to skype with my daughter who is out of the country and away from home for the first time over Christmas.

Enjoy!

Sliced mandarins and persimmons
Oven roasted potatoes and red onions
Eggs benedict

Sparkling grapefruit juice/water

These recipes were all from the mind of Juanita.  If you are interested, email me and I'll send them along to you.

Millissa's birthday cake

It is christmas cookie, cake and dinner season, I know.  I may be making a family recipe cake this weekend.  We'll see how time works out with a few other must-do activities.
 
But about a week ago, I made a cake recipe from Cake Love mastermind Warren Brown.  It was the banana cake featured in his cookbook.  First time attempting with the potato starch.  I don't know if that was the key, but everyone who had the cake said it was my best yet.  And it was Banana of all things!  Well, let me tell you, banana can go upscale from the common banana bread to an awesome light flavored and textured cake.

I made it with the chocolate glaze, also from the Cake Love cookbook, because even I could not fathom using four sticks of butter in the frosting for a 9" round cake.  It would have required too much extra gym time just to think about it much less eat a slice.

Here is Millissa's birthday cake.  Happy Birthday Girlfriend!