My Birthday Bash

Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest-Father Larry Lorenzoni 

Hunger is the best sauce in the world- Cervantes

They say that it’s the most recognized song in the English language.

And no one has ever sung a more famous rendition as Marilyn Monroe did when she sang it to President Kennedy.

The song of course is “Happy Birthday to You”. Probably, it was last sung to you while you were seated in front of a frosted cake blowing out candles on your birthday.

Now, chances are that your birthday is in September.  

Research shows that September is one of the busiest months for birthdays and that September 16 is the most common birthday in the U.S. 

But that not the case in our family. That honor goes to the month of May.

My wife, our daughter and our granddaughter all celebrate birthdays in May.  My dad also celebrated a May birthday. And did I mention?

May 4^th is my big day.

I’m a lucky guy when it comes to birthdays.  Between friends and family, my birthday celebrations spread out over weeks. This year the festivities started in April and culminated this last weekend on a camping trip to the beach.   I did a lot of fine dining along the way. Here are some of our culinary highlights as I ate my way through birthday festivities, in no particular order, because celebrating is not always orderly.

This year I didn’t have traditional cake. We went lemon bars. Courtesy of our good friend Mary, Each bite holds an initial taste of gooey sweetness and tangy lemon tart.  But the signature taste is in the rich butter flavor of the flakey crust.  

And do you know what? 

I didn’t miss the cake.

                                                                                           

Mary’s Butter Crust Lemon Bars

The cookie crust:

2 cups flour

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

The filling: 

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

8 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Grated lemon rind from 1 lemon

4 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1. Preheat oven 350 *

2. Combine 2 cups flour with the butter and confectioners’ sugar and press into a 13" by 9" baking dish.

3. Bake 20-25 minutes until lightly done but not browned.

4. Beat eggs with a mixer.  Add sugar; blend well. Add lemon juice and lemon rind; beat well. 

5. Add the baking powder and 4 Tbs flour and beat well.

6. Pour over hot crust; do not let the crust cool

7. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown

8. When cool, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and cut into squares

The World’s Best Bread

My wife planned a camping trip to celebrate our birthdays at our favorite place; the beach.  Along the way, we stopped at The Village Bakery to buy a couple of loaves of what is arguably the very best bread in the world. If you don’t believe me, stop by and try a loaf for yourself. I’m referring to the Seeded Sourdough bread they bake.

Makes incredible toast and pairs with anything.

The Place: Village Bakery, 7225 Healdsburg Ave, Sebastopol, CA 95472, (707) 829-8101

The Bread: Seeded Sourdough. The seeds are sunflower, poppy, sesame and flax.

The World’s Best Fish and Chips

“Sure, sure”, you say.  But if you are ever on the north coast in California, you have to make a point of stopping here. We’ve tried fish and chips around the world and the Boathouse is one of our favorites. I’m not a big on French fries so I substitute the fries for onion rings.  

This is the only place I have ever had oysters. I tried them here and discovered how great they are.

The Place: The Boathouse; 1445 Highway 1; Bodega Bay, CA 94923; (707) 875 3495

The Fish: Rockfish (3 pieces to an order)

The Batter: Made with Miller Genuine Draft beer; the batter is light, crispy and tasty with a flavor that compliments the fish and not competes with it.

The Tartar Sauce: Made fresh daily with mayonnaise, relish, red onion and a touch of Tabasco sauce.

The Rings: Real onions.

The Oysters: Fresh and cooked to order. Shucked just before they’re barbequed. Served with a tangy sauce.  

The Location: Bodega Bay, California on Highway 1. Need I say more?

Zintillating, Zintastic, Zinfalicious Zinfandel

Did you know that if California were a country, it would rank as the fourth leading wine-producing nation in the world, only behind France, Italy and Spain? We have more than 107 distinct wine grape growing areas in California, driven by the different microclimates that provide the state’s rich diversity. We recently enjoyed an amazing California Zinfandel. In 2009 I was gifted a bottle of Napa wine.  We decided to take it for birthday celebrating on our camping trip this month and what a pleasant surprise we had. The wine was a bottle of Silverado Vineyards 2007 Zinfandel. 

The wine was dark, rich in berry fruit flavor tones and had a smooth finish. I tried to find it retail but found that it is only available directly at the winery or by shipment for members of the Silverado Wine Club. But if you like red wine, I think you might enjoy this Zin.

Paired excellent with our rib eye steaks; pairs excellent with life!

What: Silverado Vineyards Soda Creek Ranch 2007 Zinfandel

Where: 6121 Silverado Trail Napa, CA 94558 | (707) 257-1770

Cost: $35.00

Here’s How Sushi Rolls: Raku Sushi

My wife (whose birthday is the day before mine) and I were treated out to Sushi.  A new to us place located in West Sacramento; one great price for all you can eat. 

Here’s what we had; the Howie Roll (cream cheese and spicy tuna), Volcano Roll (deep fried with tuna, jalapeno and crab salad), Lion King Roll (California and grilled salmon), 49ers Roll (shrimp tempura, salmon and topped with a lemon slice), Salmon Lover's roll (in the shape of a butterfly) and of course their signature roll, the Red Heart (spicy tuna and tuna).
The tempura was served hot and included a variety of shrimp and vegetables.   The fried bananas were fantastic and for dessert, Raku will serve you a hot, freshly made donut. Yum!

Where: Raku Sushi; 2915 West Capitol Ave., West Sacramento, CA 95691, (916) 372-6168

Cost: Dinner - $15.95

Thanks for joining me on this guided tour through some great eats I have enjoyed.  Birthdays are meant to be celebrated. Food will always be part of that celebration. But as Abraham Lincoln said, “And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years”. The true measurement of age will always be the friends and family that celebrate my birthdays with me.

Sorry that I have been a little slow in writing.  Between job searches, interviews, traveling and teaching at a community college, time has been as hard to hold on to as a greased pig.

Well, I’ve still got a couple of phone messages to return. Who knows, maybe I’m not quite done celebrating.

Now go explore!