My Birthday Fare Part I: Oysters and Chicken and Cupcakes, oh my!

So while I still have a bunch of Aruba food fun to share with you, today I'm taking a little break to tell you a little about my recent birthday fun and food. As it turned out, work sent me to Atlanta over my birthday, so I quietly celebrated a few days later with Shaun and my family in a backyard barbecue.

Early dinner began with oysters and jumbo shrimp, items that Shaun and I purchased while down the Jersey Shore earlier that morning. I'll admit here and now: I had never tasted oysters before. A bit put off by its raw and slimey nature, I recalled Tony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential and his sermon on the heavenliness of oysters and how his first taste at age 8 changed his culinary, food-loving life forever. So with a plate of cold oysters shucked by none other that Shaun himself, I closed my eyes and went for it. The result? Resounding sweet success. Sweet and salty doused with a few drops of fresh lemon and a dollop of homemade cocktail sauce, I finally understand what the whole hoopla is over them. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking some up.

Next up was the main course of barbecued chicken wings, grilled yams and cauliflower salad. With her very own marinade, my mom cooked up enough chicken for an entire block party. Juicy and charred by the grill, I went with all drumsticks (rather than the other wings) and they did not disappoint. For the yams, we cut them into wedges, coated them with olive oil, salt and pepper and then grilled them up on a tray placed atop the grill. Mom also put her very own twist on traditional picnic potato salad by substituting cauliflower for the potatoes. Not a bad way to put a healthy twist on an old fave.

Last up was dessert and oh how my family knows my taste to a T. Moist and rich chocolate cupcakes frosted with traditional buttercream hit the mark and I'll admit to even enjoying them for a few days following the party.

So there it is. A tale of my homemade birthday feast and the first time I ever ate oysters. What is your ultimate birthday meal? Have you ever went out on a limb and tried something that semi-terrified you?

Moka's Red Velvet Cake

A couple of weeks ago, Shaun and I embarked on the Cannon family vacation 2010, annually spent at our favorite spot in Aruba with my parents, sisters and family friends (and in case you didn't know, it was also the home of our 2008 beach wedding). Known for year-round fabulous weather, tradewinds, and signature slanted Divi trees, Aruba is also famous for its abundance of delectable restaurants. Though much of the week was spent swimming in blue water, laying under a palapa and cheering on Holland in the World Cup, we also found time to indulge in the local culinary delights that the island had to offer. I know what you're thinking, how did we manage to fit all of that in, day after day.

While I'll be telling you about my favorite local spots, there's something you should know about the Cannons. We love our dessert. So while last year we indulged in fried Oreo's at Smokey Joe's, this year, we stumbled upon a life-altering confection. Yup...I just said life-altering. The only thing sadder than having to wait another year to sunbathe on this One Happy Island is knowing that it's also another year before I get to have Moka's Red Velvet Cake again. It's that good. Multiple layers? Check. Ample sweet frosting? Check. Sprinkles? Check.

Located in the Paseo Harencia, an outdoor mall in the heart of Palm Beach (across from the Holiday Inn), Moka's is a small coffee shop offering gourmet coffees along with homemade desserts displayed in glass-topped cake stands. After all, is there anything else more inviting than beautifully displayed layer cakes?

Instead of the usual cream cheese frosting (of which I can never have enough), this red velvet confection was topped with standard vanilla buttercream, a refreshing and unexpected change from the typical red velvet. Oh, and the three layers of cake with buttercream filling between each didn't hurt either.

Moist and decadent to boot, this cake was even a bit pink and yellow at the edges, a sure sign of its imperfect, yet wonderfully homemade nature.

So there you have it. A pretty fabulous dessert that, admittedly, I may or may not have indulged in multiple times following nightly dinner. Have you ever had a cake or dessert that you just can't get out of your head? Share the goods!

Psst...itching for more Aruba-inspired fun? Check out Aruba tidbits here, here and here. And for more cake fun, try Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes, Pink Coconut Cupcakes, Baba Booey's Peanutastic Cupcake, Butter Lane Cupcakes, Key Lime in the Coconut Cupcakes, and Baked by Melissa's Mini Cupcakes.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars

Last week I rang in the Fourth of July with Shaun at my cousin Greg's annual barbecue. Since the main course and sides are always in abundance, I decided to whip up a fun dessert that didn't necessarily scream red, white and blue, but one that was all-American and decadent to boot. And does it get more down home patriotic than peanut butter and jelly? And I'll be darned if you ever find a better flavor combo. When I stumbled upon Ina Garten's peanut butter and jelly bars, I knew it was meant to be.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars
*Adapted from Ina Garten
2 sticks (1/2 lb) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 C sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 C creamy peanut butter (unfortunately, this is just a bit more than your average jar)
3 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 C jam of your choosing (I went with Four Fruits)
2/3 C salted peanuts, coarsely chopped, if desired
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour a 13" X 9" baking pan.* In a stand mixer, cream the room temperature butter and sugar on medium speed until thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, vanilla and peanut butter, mixing until completely combined. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, sift the flour, salt and baking powder together. With the mixer on low, slowly and carefully add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture without spraying your kitchen white. Mix this just until it's combined and you have a doughy mass. Next, using a spatula or your own two paws, spread about two-thirds of your mixture into the bottom of your greased, floured and papered baking pan. It might require some elbow grease to get 'er done, but have faith. Now would be the time where, if you are me and thought that a full jar of Polaner All Fruit would be plenty but were oh-so-wrong, you run out to the nearest store to pick up yet another jar of jam to properly cover the bars. Trust me, unless you want stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth bars, you'll want plenty of jam to balance the super peanut butteryness of the bars base. With another spatula, cover with the jam, spreading evenly, but not all the way to the edges.** Using a spoon and your (clean) fingers, dollop pieces of the remaining peanut butter dough evenly on top of the jam. As you can see from mine, it doesn't have to be total, perfect coverage. I actually prefer seeing a little jam through the top so guests can tell what's in them.

If using peanuts, add them on top (I didn't use them on mine - it's just personal preference). Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown. Mine were done in about 40 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut into squares using a sharp seraded knife and remove from pan with a spatula (a basic plastic one worked just fine for me and helped eliminate scratches on the bottom of my non-stick Calphalon). And since presentation is everything, serve on a pretty (or in my case pretty-yet-disposable) platter and dust with confectioners' sugar.

*The original recipe calls for greasing the pan, then lining with parchment paper, followed by a generous greasing and flouring. I did some poor planning and went ahead sans parchment paper since I realized I had none only after I started baking (and yes, this was quite nervy of me since I remembered Kimberly's birthday cake incident all too well). My bars came out without a problem by only greasing and flouring the pan...but to be on the safe side, I recommend the parchment paper.

**I made the mistake of spreading the jam all the way to the edges without allowing any spreading room during the baking process. While I adored the delicious bits of sticky jam adhered to the sides of the pan (yummm), it made for a difficult dismount in terms of getting the bars out of the pan.

So there you have it. A super Fourth of July recipe that, in my opinion, deliciously rang in the holiday. What did you do for Independence Day? What did you dine on?