My Birthday - Better Than Expected + Trifle Recipes

My 50th birthday was on New Year's Eve. Since it was just a short week after my father-in-law's death, none of us were in much of a mood to celebrate. However, my kids and a few friends made sure that it was still a special day - and it was much more fun than I had expected it to be.

The kids made Rio muffins for breakfast. They were fun and silly. (I loved the fact that there was not any fighting.)

We had a leisurely breakfast and more silliness.

Then Natalie and Ben stopped by. I had not even imagined that she would have a birthday present for me since the Silver Tree was the best possible present. However, she had another thoughtful, very Tammy-like, perfect for me, present. Over Thanksgiving break she had been in Chinatown in California and she must have had an extra suitcase since she brought me an entire, wonderfully themed present of things dealing with China. The cups in the tea set are double walled so that you can drink hot tea without burning your hands.

Ben gifted me by taking Remmie outside to play. Since Don has died, we have not made it out to the dog park, yet. It was delightful to see the two of them romping together in the snow. That helped the dog feel more contented than I think he had for some number of days.

Our friend Curt also sent me flowers. And I had literally just been thinking that it would be so nice to have some flowers that I was thinking of buying some for myself.

Later in the day we went to The Source. It is a new place that used to be some sort of factory. Now it houses a bunch of cool, very hipstery shops. A few of my foodie friends told me about it, so I thought it was worth checking out.

We had a fabulous lunch at Comida where they serve food that is Mexican Street food with a Southern twist. It was very tasty!

We started out with Not ‘Yo Nachos (Comida House Chips, blend of cotija, smoked gouda and asadero cheeses, black beans, avocado and tomatillo chile verde & chorizo). I loved the picked red onion on top the best of all. We also had a variety of tacos:

Stella’s Pork Carnitas
Slow cooked pork shoulder in Stella Artois over smoked gouda sweet potato mash with pineapple habañero salsa

Marinated Fish
Daily fish selection marinated in serranos and lime with orange jalapeño slaw and the business

Arrachera
Grilled skirt steak over refritos with roasted onions, pico de gallo, house crema and cotija

Bacon and Jalapeño
with cotija, smoked gouda and asadero

Roasted Chicken Quesadillas
with Comida Salsa with a a blend of cotija, smoked gouda and asadero cheeses. Topped with crema and served with salsa on the side.

Arrachera and Roasted Onion Quesadillas
with a a blend of cotija, smoked gouda and asadero cheeses with Pico de Gallo.

We also checked out some of the lovely shops.

Western Daughters

Beet and Yarrow

Mondo Market

Proper Pour

I had specifically wanted to go to Babbette's, but they had sold all of their loaves of bread before we arrived and thus, closed, so I will have to go back again.

I would have liked to see more, but they were closing early since it was a holiday.

In the evening the kids went their separate ways. Ethan spent the evening with two of his friends at a bar since he was finally old enough to do so. Ellie and Kohlton had a celebration over at Christy's house where they made cheese fondue and two kinds of trifle for dessert.

Larr and I had a quiet evening. We went to bed early, expect that I could not sleep, so I slipped out of bed quietly and sat down stairs looking at my new books by the soft glow of the Silver tree. Near midnight there were small,light sounds of fireworks. Fat, fluffy snowflakes floated down and I was content.

There are big changes ahead and I expect 2015 to be a much less stressful year.




Here are the recipes that Ellie used:

Strawberry and Pound Cake Trifle
via: Sandy Toes and Popsicles

1 pound cake
1 large box instant vanilla pudding, prepared
4 cups of sliced strawberries
whipped cream

Cut the angel food cake into bite sized pieces.

In your trifle dish, place 1/2 of the angel food cake pieces into the bottom. slightly press them down making the first layer even.

Pour 1/2 of the pudding into the center of the dish. then spread it evenly over the angel food cake layer. the key to a trifle is the layering, so be careful not to let the ingredients smear around the sides of the trifle dish.

Next, layer 1/2 of the strawberry slices over the pudding. it makes a nicer display to put the best strawberries against the dish where they will be seen.

Now you will repeat layering the angel food cake, the pudding and the strawberries in the trifle dish making two layers of each.

The final step is topping off the dessert with whipped cream. i prefer to use homemade whip cream as i feel it makes all the difference. just whip a pint of heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form and add powdered sugar to taste.

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Dirt Cake Trifle
via: The Happier Homemaker

1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 8 oz container of Cool Whip
1 package Oreos
2 packages French Vanilla Jello INSTANT Pudding
1 8 oz container Cream Cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
3.5 cups milk

Cream together butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar.

In a separate bowl whisk pudding, milk, and Cool Whip. Add in cream cheese mixture.

Crush Oreos. (I like to put mine in a gallon Ziploc bag and let the boys crush them with a rolling pin, just make sure the bag is all the way closed!)

Layer cookie and pudding mixture and chill! ****Chill at least 2 hours before serving****

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Rainbow Cake Trifle (she did not get to this one since she went out with us. However, I still think it is worth including here.)
via: The Kitchen Magpie


1 box of white cake mix (and ingredients to make it)
Food Coloring
3 cups of Whipped Cream
2 packages of Jello White Chocolate Instant Pudding . prepared according to package instructions.

Whip up one white cake mix according to the package instructions, then divide the batter into 6 cups.

Using any cake gels, food coloring or icing gels, color up the white batter.

You are going to make two cakes, so grease up two 8 inch cake tins.

Pour half of your red batter into the first one, reserving half for the second cake. Do not push it around, just let it move out naturally to the edges.

Pour the orange right in the middle of the red (again, only half of your batter, save half for the second cake) and that’s going to push the red even closer to the edge.

Keep going with the yellow, green, blue and purple, pout half of each into the very middle until you see a cake like below.

You can wiggle the pan side to side very slightly to help the batter move out.

Tap the pan on the table or counter lightly to remove bubbles.

Repeat with your second cake.

Bake the cakes according to the package instructions, cool and remove. You can at this point freeze them if you aren’t making the trifle right away.

The secret to the rainbow stripes is shown in the photos. It’s all about the direction you cut the cake!

Slice your cake exactly as shown in the photos and you will have gorgeous rainbow slices.

Place the best looking center pieces that are full rainbows on the edges like shown in the photos.Fill in the middle of the trifle with the pieces of cake that aren’t full rainbow slices.

To make each layer, place the cake layers down, put a third of the white chocolate pudding on top, then a third of the whipped cream. Then start another cake layer and repeat two more times.

Top the whipped cream with leftover rainbow cake crumbs.
Refrigerate at least 6 hours but it's far better if you make this the day before and refrigerate it overnight.

A Tree Burning in Don's Honor + Meatloaf & Creamy Mashed Potato Recipes

A few nights ago, we had a special family evening. We took down our Christmas tree and Don's Christmas tree so that we could burn them in a ceremonial manner. We invited the neighbors over. Various people wore Don's winter hats and gloves. We cheered, ohhed and ahhed. We toasted him with Jameson's using the fine cut crystal glasses and told stories. It was really very fun.

Ellie made dinner that night. She opted to recreate one of the favorite meals that Grandma Eleanor used to serve us when we would have Sunday dinner at their house. Ellie served meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas. The kids sat in their usual places for dinner. They made the mashed potato and pea volcanos like they did when they were little. It was all very fitting and memorable. Plus, Ellie's food was very tasty!

Here are the recipes she used:

Pioneer Woman's Meatloaf
via: Pioneer Woman

1 cup Whole Milk
6 slices White Bread
2 pounds Ground Beef
1 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
3/4 teaspoons Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/3 cup Minced Flat-leaf Parsley
4 whole Eggs, Beaten
10 slices Thin/regular Bacon
Sauce:
1-1/2 cup Ketchup
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
Tabasco To Taste
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.
Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.
With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)
Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.
Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon.
Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.
Serve with mashed potatoes. Yummy!


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Creamy Mashed Potatoes
via: Pioneer Woman

5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes
3/4 cups Butter
1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened
1/2 cup (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half
1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper
Preparation Instructions
Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.
Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.
Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.
Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.
Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Gifts From My Best Friend

My birthday is on New Year's Eve and when I was a little girl, I had a 4' silver Christmas tree with a rotating color wheel that I would set up in the north western corner of the family room in the basement of our house. I would invite my friends over for a slumber party. We would eat fun food, play pranks on each other, admire the changing colors on the tree and watch, "The Trouble with Angels" starring Haley Mills. I am pretty sure it was the same routine for at least 6 years in a row.

I got older and my celebration changed. Somewhere along the line, my mother lost track of that tree. As an adult I have longed to have another one of those trees, but found that they were both expensive and hard to come by. It was not as easy as just keeping a look out for one at the thrift store. I looked for many years, but sort of gave up on the quest. I've written about it a few different times on my blog. My best friend, Natalie, noticed and when on a quest of her own to find one for me. I had no idea that she was on the trail. I am pretty sure she is always successful. She is like a bloodhound when it comes to things like that.

A few days after Christmas and Don's death, she invited me to lunch at Pietra's, a family owned Italian restaurant. I arrived to find a really lovely package on my seat. (Ellie and Natalie both love to create beautifully packaged gifts. They both share that talent and I am thrilled when I am the recipient of such gifts, though I sometimes hesitate to open them since they are so lovely.) We had a wonderful visit and then she bade me to open the gifts. I carefully removed the blue ribbon and opened the top box. It contained a collection of glass balls from the 1940's-1960's. I went through, admiring and talking about each on in turn. Then I opened the bigger box. I was stunned when I saw that the box was from an silver tree. I wondered where she had happened upon such a wonderful box. I did not dare to hope that the box held a tree as my mother and aunt love to reuse boxes and what the box is for is rarely what is within it. However, after admiring the box, I opened it to find a perfectly stored, authentic silver tree housed within, every single fake branch in its own paper sleeve, the original instructions tucked in the box along with the original paper wrapping. I could not believe my teary eyes. I had not actually expected to have one of those trees again. I thought it would just remain as a nice idea each winter. I was speechless, truly, for a while. Even now, I am not sure that I thanked Natalie enough. I know that it was a trek locate and I suspect that it was an expensive gift. I feel loved, noticed, listened to and important. I wish that I had some equally important, meaningful gift that I could give to her. What a lucky girl am I!

I set it up right away, of course. And then I decorated it. I put clear lights with white cords on the post. I could not figure out a good way to get lights onto the branches without it looking tacky. I also picked up some fun aqua colored bead garland.

I want to keep it up past the New Year, so I adorned the tree with the delicate wooden snowflakes that I love and had not found a place for. The wooden animals from Crate and Barrel helped give personality to the base of the tree.

Last night I enjoyed relaxing by the glow of the tree as I sat reading.

I am inspired by a few display ideas I found on Pinterest.

I think that I love this one the most.




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500 Years of Female Portraits