Birthday Cake, Birthday Dinner and a CONTEST!

I have to say, I really enjoyed my birthday! 

I slept in, and then the morning began with breakfast prepared lovingly by Ross, a pilates session, and picking my Dad up from the shuttle! The shuttle from the airport is so great - and means we didn't have to drive 4 hours round trip, it means my dad didn't have to rent a car, and it means fewer cars on the road!

Since my dad had been up since 5am he took a nap and I got started on making my Birthday Cake. I decided that since I loved baking, and it was my birthday, it was totally acceptable to bake my own cake. So I did. And it was rich, moist, chocolaty, wonderful, ahhhhh... and made Ross sneeze. (He always sneezes when he eats chocolate - it's hilarious.)

You can follow the recipe on the Pioneer Woman's page. I halved the recipe since I was not using a commercial baking sheet, though it turned out to be half cake and half frosting. Ross likes that, but I actually prefer the cake part over and could almost go without frosting. If I make it again, I would quarter the frosting recipe but use the actual cake recipe for a 9 x 13 pan. Or use a square pan.

source

In the evening we headed out to a taste-bud heaven - the Nimbus. Heaven is appropriately used here - it's located in the top floor of one of the tallest buildings in Bellingham! The only thing that could make it better would be if I could ride my Nimbus 2000 to the top floor. I wish I had one.

The father. 

The husband. 

The view.  

The sunset.

At any rate - what did we eat you ask?!?!?! 

BEVERAGES 

 Fish Tale Organic Amber. A fine beer indeed! 

A Cabernet on the happy hour menu. 

APPETIZERS 

Nimbus Slider
Locally Raised Beef Patty, Beet Pickle,
Blue Cheese, Bacon Emulsion

Truffle Fries 

Truffle oil, Garlic, Parmesan 

Mac and Cheese
Sharp White Cheddar, Roasted Apples, Thyme 

Organic Greens Salad
Ginger Vinaigrette, Dried Cranberries, Ginger Candy    

MAIN COURSE 

Parmesan Poached Alaskan Halibut

Seared Polenta, Swiss Chard, Mango, Pine Nuts 

Pan Seared Desire Fish Co. Salmon
Israeli Cous Cous, Swiss Chard, Jerusalem Artichokes, Meyer Lemon Puree 

Whole Roasted Oregon Quail

Fennel-Pancetta Stuffing, Hazelnut Spaetzle, Blood Oranges, Frisee 

DESSERT 

Lime in the Coconut
Passionfruit Curd, Coconut-Lime Ice Cream, Encapsulated Pineapple, Gingersnap, Sassafrass 

Carrot Cake

Frosting, Raisin Coulis, Carrot Powder,

Cinnamon Ice Cream 

Another view. 

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Just for kicks, we are going to have a little contest. The first person who can correctly identify (or most closely) who had what will win homemade cookies (type, organic, vegan, dairy- or gluten-free available upon request for the winner), prepared by yours truly, and sent to you wherever you are. (In the US ONLY that is.)

If there is a tie... let's just say, you won't go without a treat.

Follow this template, which you can post here in the comments or on Facebook, by Saturday night (April 9th) at midnight. Winner will be announced on Sunday, April 10th.

Good luck! 

BEVERAGES (Hint: two people enjoyed the same beverage.) 

Jenn:

Ross:

Dad:

APPETIZERS 

Jenn:

Ross:

Dad:

Shared:

MAIN COURSE

Jenn:

Ross:

Dad:

DESSERT (hint: two people shared one dessert) 

Jenn:

Ross:

Dad: