Birthday Blues....

So with my birthday coming up, and no plans in sight by DH as to how he plans to make the day memorable, I started having some seriously disturbing visions of past celebrations organized by him to make me feel really "special".

An early one that comes to mind immediately is one where I got up on a lazy Sunday and went towards the kitchen to grab my morning caffeine fix. Only to be greeted enthusiastically by 4 of our friends with a yummy store bought cake (we were in Minneapolis at the time). I don't know about you, but, I DO NOT look my best when I wake up. AND, we have pictures to remind me of that beautiful "surprise" where everyone other than the birthday girl (that would be me) is looking like a rockstar!!

Oh, here is another gem. So, we had just moved to Bangalore and I had mentioned in passing that I was craving a designer clutch. Seriously, what is it with women and clutches? I mean, wasn't having a purse, hobo, satchel, sling bag wardrobe plentiful that we had to add clutches to the mix! Also, is it just me, who can NEVER find a clutch to match my outfit when I am stepping out, even after owning quite a few of them!! Okay, coming back to my saga.....the clutch was waiting for me in its lovely logoed bag and box and suede cover....and as I pulled it out of the bag, I saw that it was the right brand, the right style and miracle of miracles, even the right size. But, (you knew there was a "but" there!) it was an (hold your breath) ELECTRIC BLUE colored one!! Now tell me please, how many formal outfits will you be able to match an electric blue clutch with? Of course, I made all the right noises and sent pictures to all and sundry while complimenting DH on his excellent taste. All the while thinking - God I wish I would have specified the color as well!!

Then there was the time when he decided to take me shopping on my birthday - for clothes! Yes, not the best idea to go shopping with a spouse who has know you for almost two decades. You see, they have no hesitation in letting you know that the dress is "too young" for you, or "do you think you need a size larger than the one you have on?" or "the color is not the best for you". Let's just say that we left that store without any packages and a very guilty looking DH.

Okay, so maybe it is just the paranoia of having a potentially boring birthday that is making me feel overwhelmed. I truly have to admit that for all the booboos committed by DH, there have been many, many fantastic celebrations organized by him. A custom vineyard tour with friends comes to mind, a surprise bowling party followed by pizzas at my favorite eatery is another memorable one, getting tons of pampering, shopping, vacations, and delicious meals are also very prevalent. A ton of custom cakes with my favorite ingredients- caramel, raspberry, chocolates and nuts etc. (though there was that one occasion where he requested that all the above be combined into one cake!!) also feature.

Talking about cakes, you MUST try this carrot cake recipe that is a requirement for each person's birthday in our house -except my own of course. Why? Refer to my list above :). So, the cake features tons of carrots, pecans, some pineapple, apple sauce and fragrant spices. You get to enjoy making it, baking it and then eating it, thanks to its wonderful aromas!!

The recipe is a modified version of one from "allrecipes.com". I made it into cupcakes as an after school snack for the kids, so the pictures feature the cake as cupcakes, but, it comes out amazing in either form!

Carrot Cake

For the cake/cupcake batter

2 eggs

1/4 cup oil plus 1 tbsp

1/4 cup apple sauce

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup finely chopped pineapple (can or boiled) with juice removed

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1.5 tsp cinnamon powder

1/8 tsp nutmeg powder

1.5 cups grated carrots

1/2 cup chopped pecan roasted

For the icing (optional)

1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1.25 cups icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup cream cheese

Preheat oven to 175 degree Celsius and grease and line the baking dish with a parchment paper/or keep your cupcake containers ready. In a bowl, beat the eggs, and add the sugars, oil, apple sauce, vanilla essence, sifted flour with the baking soda and powder and stir them all together. Add the pineapple pieces and the cinnamon, salt, nutmeg as well.   

Add a large dose of health and taste by combing the grated carrot (I used a large grater so the carrots did not become mushy) in the batter.

Stir in the roasted and chopped pecan. You can use walnuts as a substitute as well.

Place in the baking pan or the cupcake containers (fill only half way up to avoid spillage as the cake rises) and bake in the preheated oven. The cake will need 30-35 minutes and the cupcakes around 15 minutes. Oven temperatures vary, so please check regularly and take out the cake/cupcake when a skewer placed near the center of the cake comes out clean. Let it cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before upturning.

Combine all the ingredients for the icing in a bowl and whisk well. The cream cheese lends a little touch of tartness and creaminess to this dressing which is a perfect compliment to the nutty cake!

Squeeze the icing from a piping bag on the cooled cake/cupcake and allow yourself a slow deep breath before you.....

....unwrap the cupcake from its cover (or slice the cake) and take your first bite of honest-to-God-goodness deliciousness!!

Truly, nobody can predict what another person wants. The one thing we have going for us is the ability to communicate our thoughts and feel comfortable stating our wishlists. So, for this year, each of my friends have been given a specific task - to make my day special.

In case you are wondering what communication did I do with DH.....are you kidding me? He needs to figure it out himself! After all, he has known me for almost two decades ;)

Is it too early to start thinking of Valentine's Day?

This topic may be off-putting for most of you . After all, why would I, a woman in her mid-thirties be talking about Valentine's Day in January? What is wrong with me? Don't I know that Valentine's Day is a money churning idea, which was created and (obviously) successfully marketed by Hallmark? And, considering my age/experience, don't I know any better? Or my favorite one - Why do I need "1" day in a year to express my love for my spouse, after all, every day should be Valentine's Day?

Can I just say that the last one really cracks me up!! I mean, if you have been married for anywhere over 10+ years, and have children, you know that the possibility of "celebrating" your love for one another has been tossed out of the window somewhere between the birth of the first and second child. Forget about celebrating your love on Feb 14th.....you will possibly not be celebrating it till your 25th wedding anniversary and at that time too - it will be because you too, Hallmark style, would have succumbed to peer pressure.
 
Anyways, the true topic of discussion today was really how I find that being married to someone for 14 years has resulted in a weird osmosis of sorts. Suddenly, the apple pie/crisps that I somewhat detested when I first got married, have become my dessert of choice. The carrot cake that I termed "too healthy", is the first pick for me (the waistline may have something to do with this one - I admit) nowadays. I had read somewhere that if you have been married for too long, you start looking like each other (God forbid, if that comes true for either of us!), but, this change in my "tastes" is really surprising - more so because it seemed to have crept up on me and I only realized it after my dear husband (DH) pointed it out to me.

The recipe I am sharing below is a divine combination of warm apples that was simultaneously sweet and tart, a salted caramel sauce full of gooey goodness and a crispy, crusty, cobbler topping. Here, the apples and the cobbler bits are more for my DH, and the salted caramel sauce is truly dedicated to me. This apple cobbler, has to be eaten to be believed.....

Rustic Caramel Apple Cobbler

(Serves 6)

 

For the apple mixture -

3 Granny Smith apples

3 Gala Apples

1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg powder

1 tbsp. flour

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

 

For the caramel sauce -

1/2 cup salted butter

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup cream

 

For the cobbler topping -

1 cup flour

3/4 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup +2 tbsp. pecans (you can try walnuts instead or skip these, if unavailable)

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

 

Roast the pecans in an oven at temperature of 180 degree Celsius for 3-4 mins till they get toasty, but not browned. Chop roughly after cooling and set aside.

 

Make the caramel sauce by adding the sugar, butter and cream to a thick bottomed pot over medium heat.  Allow the sauce to come together by letting it cook for at least another 2-3 minutes after it comes to a boil. This will result in an even sauce. Put aside.

In the meanwhile, peel, core, and slice the apples 1 cm wide (mix the gala and the granny smith together). Put in a bowl and add the lemon juice, the cinnamon and nutmeg powder, the  sugar and the flour. Mix well. Then add to a thick bottomed buttered baking dish.

 

Preheat the oven to 175 degree Celsius

Pour the caramel sauce over the apples and set a little bit aside for serving

Mix the flour, sugar, oatmeal, cinnamon powder and pecans together. Add cold, cubed butter to the mixture. Using your fingers, mix in the butter to the dry mixture till the topping becomes crumbly.

Top the apple and caramel mixture well with the crumb topping, keeping in mind that it will settle down after baking

Bake for 35-45 minutes in the oven and enjoy your rustic caramel apple cobbler while it is still hot with a nice dollop of vanilla ice cream and some of the caramel sauce on the side. The caramel sauce in the cobbler will be bubbly and very hot, so be cautious.

 

All I can add here is that sometimes, the "osmosis" can be good and blending your loved one's favorite ingredients with yours can create a true sense of solidarity and enjoyed comfort as you sit together to watch the latest episode of Sherlock Holmes on TV (more on that later :).