25th Birthday Lunch

25^th Birthday Celebration

Serita's Birthday  Cake

It seems like just yesterday that this cute bundle of joy arrived in our house.  Everything we got was pink as we had decided we wanted a baby girl…the clothes, the cradle, the blanket, the bottle, and so on.  My mother bought me a blue flask saying “what if…”  and I shushed her up.  That baby girl is now 25 years old and a blessing to everyone around her.  Happy Birthday Serita.  Have a great day. Follow your rainbow and may all your dreams come true.

The Recipes:

The Cake:

1 cup butter; 2 cups caster sugar; 3 cups flour; 4 eggs; 2 tsp vanilla essence; 1 tsp baking powder; a little milk if required.

1 cup whipped cream with sugar or 1 cup cream beaten till stiff with sugar to taste.  Keep in the refrigerator.

Sliced peaches, cherries and mint leaves for decoration.

Sieve the flour and baking powder together three times and keep aside.  Beat the sugar and butter together till pale and fluffy.  Stir in the eggs one by one along with the vanilla essence.  Gently fold in the flour a little at a time.  Divide mixture into two and pour into two greased and lined 8 inch round sandwich pans.  Bake in preheated oven at 150 C for  30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.  Cool overnight.

Next day unmould the cake and spread the whipped cream all over.  Arrange slices of peaches and cherries all over the cake starting from the outside.  Place the mint leaves.  Place the cake back in the freezer until it’s time to cut it.  Serve large slices to all well wishers.

Birthday Salad &  Greek Salad-  Recipe by Asha Elisha

Birthday Salad :

1 bundle asparagus; 100 gm button mushrooms, sliced and stir fried till dry; 25 blueberries; 50 gm white figs, washed & sliced; 1 green pear, washed and cubed.

For Dressing:  Beat together salt & pepper to taste; 1 tbsp mayonnaise & ½ tsp mustard.  Keep aside.
Lettuce leaves for garnish.

Wash and clean asparagus discarding the tough stems.  Immerse in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes till tender.  Plunge into cold water to retain crispness and drain well. 

Place the asparagus, blueberries, figs, pear and mushrooms in a bowl.  Gently mix together.  Pour the dressing over and transfer to glass bowl.  Chill in the refrigerator till required.  Decorate with a crab made out of an apple.

Greek Salad:

50 gm cherry tomatoes washed and sliced; 50 gm plum tomatoes, washed and cubed; 1 medium cucumber washed, remove seeds and cubed;  25 black olives, cut in half; 5 red radishes, washed and sliced very fine.  Shredded mixed salad leaves.

For The Dressing:  Mix 1 tbsp each of olive oil and red wine; 1 tsp white vinegar; salt & pepper to taste; 1 tsp dried oregano together.  Keep aside.

For The Garnish:  50 gms  crumbled Feta cheese. Decorate with a crab made out of an apple.

Mix the vegetables and salad leaves together with the dressing.  Transfer to serving dish.  Sprinkle the feta cheese on top.  Chill in refrigerator until time to serve.

Grilled  Greek Fish Recipe By Anu Elisha

1 medium pomfret, cleaned washed and drained.  Keep the fish whole with head and tail intact.  Score both sides with a knife and marinade overnight in a mixture of  2 tbsp vodka;  2 tbsp crushed garlic; salt and pepper to taste and juice of 1 large lemon.  Insert slices of lemon under the gills. 

Next day grill in preheated oven at 250 C for 15 minutes each side.  Transfer to serving plate and garnish with lemon slices and parsley.  Squeeze lemon juice over fish before serving.


Grilled Prawns - Recipe By Anu Elisha

Grilled Prawns:

25 tiger prawns, washed, deveined shelled with tails retained for decoration;  3 tbsp teriyaki dressing; 2 tbsp vodka; salt & pepper to taste.

8 wooden skewers; a few cherry tomatoes halved.

Sliced cumbers, haled tomatoes and lettuce leaves for garnish.

Marinade prawns overnight for best results.  Next day skewer threee prawns  and half a tomato on each stick and grill at 250 C for 5 minutes each side.  Serve garnished with sliced cucumber and tiny tomatoes on a bed of lettuce.

Coffee Cream Custard - Recipe By Anu Elisha

Coffee Cream Custard:

½ l milk; 4 eggs; sugar to taste; 1 tbsp Nescafe mixed with 2 tbsp hot milk till dissolved.

¼ l cream beaten with sugar to taste till thick.  Keep in refrigerator till desired.

50 gms toasted whole cashewnuts.

Beat eggs and milk till blended.  Dissolve sugar in milk and add to the  eggs.   Add the coffee and make sure it is well mixed.   Transfer to pan and bake in preheated oven at 200 C for 30 minutes.  Cool and pour whipped cream over the surface.  Refrigerate till set.  Use a fork to draw lines on the cream.  Garnish with the toasted cashewnuts. Serve as a dessert at the end of the meal.  This is a very rich delicious.and creamy creation.

Herbalife Mould Konyakku Jelly

Couldn't resist making this jelly which came out of a packet as we had some moulds with the Herbalife logo which we got some time ago.  Buy a packet of konyakku jelly powder and follow the instructions on the packet.  The finished product is very pleasing to look at.  It is a Japanese favourite and popular with all age groups.  Serve as a dessert or starter or in between.

Happy Birthday Serita.!  Wishing You All The Very Best In Life.