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 4th 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.
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!
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!
