Sunday, September 18, 2011

PJ's Birthday Bash - Day One



IT’S MY BIRTHDAY AND I’LL PARTY IF I WANT TO



My birthday is this week and it’s a big one - a really big one - the kind that’s worthy of a really big celebration. I had thought of throwing a blog party on Tuesday (the official day) but then I thought, what the heck, this birthday is worth at least two days of partying! But then, two really isn’t all that special is it? Why not three? Three’s a good number! So three it is. A three-day celebration of ME! *grin*

Once I’d established the duration of the celebration I could move on to the other important items on my list (I always have a list. At my age, it’s the only way I remember anything! LOL!)

1) Where to hold the party? That one’s easy. We have the perfect party spot right here at The Romance Dish!

2) Who to invite? Good thing we have all that room here at TRD. This list could get very long!

3) What to serve? Well, cake and ice cream are givens for the Big Day but I’ll need drinks and snacks for the other two days.

4) Presents! It’s my birthday. Of course, there have to be presents! ;-) But, since it’s my birthday, I get to say who gets those presents and guess what, lucky party guests? Instead of you bringing presents for me, I’m going to give presents to you! Doesn't that sound like fun?  (See the end of the blog for details)

Ding! Dong!

There’s the doorbell! Excuse me while I greet our first guests to arrive. It's Cathy Maxwell and Robyn Carr!  Welcome to my party! Don't you look fabulous!  And look!  They've brought presents!

Come on in and get comfy. Help yourself to some snacks and please tell one of our handsome young waiters what you’d like to drink.

PJ settles in for a cozy chat with a few of her guests…

PJ:  You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about birthdays lately, seeing as how I’m having a Big One this week. How do y’all celebrate birthdays in your family? Do you have any special traditions?

Cathy: I do exactly what I want on my birthday! I answer to no one. Heaven! When I was growing up, my mother always served us breakfast in bed . . . but I didn't follow that tradition when I had children. I switched the specialness of the day to the evening. A sensible decision from my point of view.

PJ:  Sounds like a good plan to me. 

Robyn: No special traditions -- it's the birthday person's whimsy for the day.  

PJ;  What fun!  Letting each person choose keeps it fresh and new each year and, really, that is a tradition of sorts, no?   

Ding!  Dong! 

More guests!  It's Vanessa Kelly and Maggie Robinson!  Welcome! 

PJ:  Sean, could we have some drinks over here, please and some of those crab cakes would be lovely.  Sean is an absolute genius in the kitchen! 
 
We were just talking about birthday traditions with Cathy and Robyn when you arrived.  Anything special y'all do to celebrate?

Maggie:  One daughter's birthday falls around Thanksgiving every year, so besides the pies we usually have chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, a Robinson birthday staple, and sing around the turkey carcass. Since she's gone gluten-free she may just have to do with sweet potatoes.

PJ:  LOL!  I'm having a great time envisioning the Robinsons singing around the turkey carcass! 


Vanessa: No special traditions, unless you include lots of eating (and drinking!). When I was growing up, each person celebrating a birthday got to pick his or her favorite meal. Since my mother was a spectacular cook we all looked forward to our birthdays. It was usually an Italian dish - my mom's killer veal or eggplant parmagiana or lasagna. She made a great fried chicken, too - especially for an Italian - so that often figured on the menu. So my mom covered off the Italian part with great food, and my dad's Irish side of the family covered off the drinks! Not that anyone got too polluted - we were too busy enjoying the food! 

Another tradition in my family involved my brothers, when we all got a little older. They always took the opportunity to tell very off-color jokes at the dinner table. The hilarious part was not the jokes themselves, but watching the reactions of my very dignified Italian aunts. They were always shocked and appalled but could never manage to stop from laughing at the jokes, despite themselves. It was great fun.  

PJ:  Oh, what fun!  I want to come celebrate my birthday with your family, Vanessa! 



Everyone having a good time?  Have you tried the margarita fountain yet?  Oh, and look at the delicious appetizers.  I've got my eye on those three-cheese stuffed mushrooms.  Yum!





Speaking of yummy food, birthday cakes are always a topic of lively discussion in my family. Everyone has their favorite (mine’s German Chocolate). What’s your favorite flavor birthday cake? Are you a cake purist or do you prefer a side of ice cream with it?

Robyn:  Eveyone's favorite at our house seems to be ice cream cake!  

Cathy:  Forget cake! Bread pudding is my birthday treat of choice. Hot and melty and custardy and full of white chocolate and cinnamon. Luscious. :o) 

PJ:  LOL!  I might have known Cathy would be the rebel in the group!   






Vanessa:  Chocolate cake with chocolate fudge icing. Yum! When I was a kid, though, I usually opted for vanilla with vanilla icing. Talk about doing a complete turnabout! But I actually had a very non-traditional favorite when I was younger - lemon bisque. It was a very light lemon mousse-type pie with a graham cracker crust and crumble topping. It was absolutely delicious, and I often insisted my mom make that instead of birthday cake. Fortunately, everyone in the family loved it, so there was never a dissenting voice when it came to lemon bisque. (I have the recipe, if anyone wants it - it's awesome!) 

PJ:  Oh, yum!  That sounds delicious.  I'd love the recipe! (Vanessa has kindly shared her recipe for lemon bisque with us.  It's posted below.)

Okay, ladies. Just between us, how do you really feel about milestone birthdays? Do you dread them, tolerate them with stoic acceptance or approach them with enthusiasm for the adventures that await you? (And if you haven’t hit a milestone yet, just humor us “old folks.”

Cathy:  The older I grow, the happier I am with birthdays because I'm happier with myself. I am so over wasting energy over the small stuff.

PJ:  Amen.

Maggie: I'm stoic. I'd rather be old than dead. Inside I still feel like I'm 17, but the outside needs some spackle. 

PJ  ROFL!  Love it!  This is my new motto, Maggie.  I'm printing it out and taping it over my desk.

Robyn:  I love getting older! Any day on this side of the dirt is a good day - and yes, I've had a number of milestones, I'm grateful for each one. 

PJ:  Yes!  That is exactly how I feel!

Vanessa:  I tend to be a big believer in celebrating large when it comes to milestone birthdays. For my last big milestone, I convinced my entire family to fly into the old New Jersey homestead. Hubby and I came from Ottawa, my sister came in from California, my dad and stepmom came from Florida, and a few friends from Canada also made the trip down. We congregated at my brother's house and had a big family blowout. That's really the best part of birthdays for me - having an opportunity to celebrate life with the people I most care about. I'm now at the point where I try not to think too hard about the actual number applied to the milestone. After all, 50 is now the new 40, right? 

PJ:  Right! :)
 
Okay, you all know my big news is my birthday but what’s been going on in your lives? Any new books, upcoming books or other projects you’d like to share?

Robyn:  It's a very big fall -- I have a very special Virgin River Christmas book being released Oct. 25 -- Bring Me Home For Christmas. There will be lots of fun promotions that feature honoring our men and women who serve and their families. Watch my site for details, contests, etc -- www.robyncarr.com And soon after the holidays, three new Virgin River Novels for 2012.





Maggie:  I've been on a perpetual blog tour for some time now talking about Mistress by Marriage and Improper Gentlemen, and my alter ego Margaret Rowe has a short story of in Agony/Ecstasy in December. I'll give away a copy of Improper Gentlemen (the guy on the cover is virtually wearing his birthday suit) to celebrate PJ's birthday, and my own which is coming up October 8. We're also waiting for a new grandson in January!








Cathy:  September sees the release of my book THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL. It's the last book of the Scandal and Seductions series and also one of the books of the K.I.S.S. and Teal promotion. 







Vanessa:  I'm finishing up the last book in my Stanton Family series. It's a Christmas book, which is a really fun way to wrap things up. That book will be out from Kensington Publishing in the fall of 2012. Next up will be a digital Regency novella which I'll be releasing in the spring of 2012, and I've also got a few V.K. Sykes contemporary romances that I'm working on with hubby. We just released one this past July. It's called Hardball, and you can find out all about it on either of my websites. 



PJ:  Thanks for the lovely chat, ladies but I need to get back to my other guests now. I hope you’ll stay a while and enjoy the party!

It's a cool crisp day here in the southeastern U.S. and I'm in the mood for some birthday party comfort food.  Tell me, dear readers, what are your favorite comfort foods?  Any recipes you'd like to share?  Any September babies celebrating birthdays with me this month?  What's your favorite cake?  I have lots of presents to give away today so let's get those comments rolling in!  Who's ready to party?

~PJ



Lemon Bisque
1 - 3 oz. package of  lemon jello
1-1/2 cups of boiling water
1 scant cup of sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
3-4 Tbl. of lemon juice
1 lemon rind - grated
1 can of cold evaporated milk (standard size can)
2 cups of vanilla wafer crumbs
1 stick of butter, melted

Dissolve jello in the boiling water. Add sugar, salt, lemon juice and rind. Beat evaporated milk until stiff. When jello is lightly congealed, slowly add it into the milk. Crush the wafers into crumbs and mix with melted butter. Pat crumbs into a pyrex or glass dish (a longer one rather than 8 inch square), reserving several TB. of crumbs. Bake crust for 8 - 10 minutes at 375 degrees, or until lightly toasted. Pour jello mix onto crumb crust, and sprinkle reserved crumbs on top. Refrigerate until firm. (To give the dish an extra boost, finely chop several pecans or walnuts and sprinkle on top with the crumb crust)

Today's Giveaways:  (Many thanks to our visiting authors for their generosity!)

In The Highlander's Bed by Cathy Maxwell (3 copies)
One "Take Me Home to Virgin River" duffel bag from Robyn Carr
My Favorite Countess by Vanessa Kelly (1 copy)
Hardball (digital copy) by VK Sykes (1 copy)
Improper Gentlemen (an anthology including "To Match a Thief" by Maggie Robinson) (1 copy)

A package of books and goodies from PJ's RWA National Conference stash.

Winners will be chosen at random. 

134 comments:

  1. Whooo hoooo, P.J.!! Happy birthday. You're, what, twenty-nine????

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  2. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! May all your birthday wishes come true.

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  3. Happy birthday to you,
    Happy birthday to you,
    Happy birthday, dear PJ,
    Happy birthday to you!

    Ding dong!

    Psst! I heard that "someone" was playing HARDBALL with IMPROPER GENTLEMEN (tsk, tsk), all because MY FAVORITE COUNTESS was IN THE HIGHLANDER'S BED, singing (poorly, I might add), John Denver's hit song, TAKE ME HOME ... TO VIRGIN RIVER? Jeesh. I think that "someone" should just chill out and settle back with the gang here instead!

    You know, I actually made a batch of brownies tonight and I'll share them all with you guys. Wanna know the recipe? Easy schmeezy. Take a name brand of brownie mix (any Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker one will do). Take a generic store brand of brownie mix (anything cheap). Stir the two together in a huge bowl, complete with whatever eggs, oil, and water they recommend in total (and it doesn't matter if either or both of the mixes make 8x8 or 13x9 trays). Bake 38 minutes at 350 degrees in a 13x9 glass pan (with Pam sprayed on the bottom first). OMG, they don't even need icing! I find the expensive ones too rich and the cheap ones too bland, but mixing them together makes them thicker and tastier (to me). In fact, I'll just munch on one while we visit. Hope ya don't mind. They're sitting here if you want some! Come and get it!

    And all the best on your three-day birthday. Any birthday is a good birthday. To paraphrase what you said, it beats the alternative.

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  4. Happy Birthday PJ! You managed to invite all my favorite authors to join you tonight. (Hi everyone!)

    My birthday is on November 22 so we always combine it into one big celebration on Thanksgiving. I love to cook and my husband's Italian so we always have turkey PLUS his Italian favorite (veal or eggplant parmagiana and then a secret family receipe of Cherry covered cheesecake! It's the only day of the year that I really go all out cheating on my diet!

    Have a great birthday and feel free to invite me earlier next year and I'll even bake that special cheesecake for all of you!

    Remember you don't get older but instead like a fine wine you just get better!

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  5. Happy Birthday!
    My favorite comfort foods are anything with cheese, including pizza, and anything with pumpkin, especially pumpkin pie. When it's my birthday, I always have pumpkin pie instead of cake. If I'm going to have cake, it would be something very chocolatey, like german chocolate cake.

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  6. mm those recipes sound so yummy my fav comfy snack food is sugar cookies with strawberry swirl icecream in the middle its soo yummy then of course home made chips also yummo

    Happy birthday you cnat be a day over 21 and holding!

    mortalsinn@yahoo.com

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  7. Happy Birthday, PJ. I've usually get a Carvel ice cream cake for my birthday. My favorite comfort foods include fried foods(fries, chips, donuts), cookies and fried noodles.

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  8. Happy Birthday week PJ!! :D
    My favorite comfort food is mac n cheese, but the real stuff not from the box and powder. And I never had cake always a cherry pie for my bdays but I gotta say, bread pudding sounds even better! With rum sauce, mmmmm.....yep, Im switching to that lol

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  9. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PJ!!!! Have an awesome 3 day bash!

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  10. Happy Birthday, PJ!!

    When I was growing up, birthday cakes were always ice cream cakes. Then no one would let the cake soften enough and my father would end up breaking a knife trying to cut the cake. Ah, good times...

    When the weather starts to turn toward winter, I crave carbs. The most recent craving is mac & cheese. I'd start with a box recipe and then add heavy cream instead of milk and much better cheese than the powdered yellow stuff - gouda, cheddar, port salut, basically any semi-soft cheese. Yum.....

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  11. Happy Birthday!!!
    My favorite comfort foods are meatloaf and mac-n-cheese. I love cake, but usually for my birthday I have a key lime pie instead.

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  12. Milestone birthdays are such fun. I hope you really enjoy yours. As kids we got to choose a cake, usually a devil's food cake for us. We have let our kids choose what they wanted to do for their birthday. If they wanted a party, they got to choose what to do. There seemed to be two favorites at our house: make your own pizza and decorate your own cake and sometimes a combination of the two if I felt ambitious. I would make pizza dough and form little personal pizza crusts for each child. I could get two or three to a cookie sheet. I would have bowls of sauces, toppings, and cheese. Everyone got to fix their own pizza with the toppings they wanted. It was a great activity and took care of the food. When they were old enough, I would bake small cakes. I have several shaped pans with one that makes 4 mound shape cakes. I had doll heads & torsos so the girls could decorate the cake like the skirt of a dress and make doll cakes. Those same shapes could be used for teepees. I would let them take the cakes home and have a decorated one to eat at the party. When they were older, it was a choice of where to go to eat or to take one friend somewhere special.
    One favorite they had for parties, was pizza fondue.
    It is easy and fun.
    PIZZA FONDUE
    1 jar pizza sauce
    1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
    1/4 cup parmesan cheese
    1/2 TSP each oregano and italian seasoning.
    combine and keep heated in a fondue pot.
    For dipping, cut up italian bread and pepperoni. I would also have green peppers, black olives, mushrooms, ham chunks, pineapple chunks and whatever else I had to throw in.

    Hope you have a great new year!

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  13. Tanti auguri di buon compleanno! Happy birthday wishes from Italy!
    I want to wish you a new year in your life, that is filled with health, happiness & creativity.

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  14. Whooo hoooo, P.J.!! Happy birthday. You're, what, twenty-nine????

    Thanks, Jo! Twenty-nine? Sure! That works! :)

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  15. Thanks, Laney! OMG! Love your song! That's hilarious!

    Yum on the brownie recipe! I believe I'll try one. They sound soooooo good!

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  16. Happy Birthday PJ! You managed to invite all my favorite authors to join you tonight. (Hi everyone!)

    Thanks, Jeanne! Be sure to stop by tomorrow and Tuesday too. We have lots more surprise guests waiting in the wings!

    Special homemade cheesecake? Consider yourself invited every year!

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  17. BarbaraE said, When it's my birthday, I always have pumpkin pie instead of cake. If I'm going to have cake, it would be something very chocolatey, like german chocolate cake.

    I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin pie. Now, pumpkin cheesecake? That's a different story. Put one of those babies in front of me and I just may eat the whole thing! :)

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  18. Happy Birthday PJ!

    All of my favourites include chocolate but for a special birthday I think it's got to be Black Forest Gateau, Yum.

    Enjoy your party

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  19. fav comfy snack food is sugar cookies with strawberry swirl icecream in the middle its soo yummy then of course home made chips also yummo

    SiNn, I make great lemony sugar cookies but I never thought to put ice cream in the middle. Sounds very good. I do make ice cream sandwiches with chocolate chip cookies though. A favorite summer snack!

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  20. Jane said, Happy Birthday, PJ. I've usually get a Carvel ice cream cake for my birthday.

    Thanks, Jane! I haven't had a Carvel ice cream cake in years!

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  21. Happy, Happy Birthday PJ. May all your dreams come true. :)And we get the prizes. Thank you. :) Loving the Authors today. Please count me in for anything other then an e-book. Can't download them. :( But my comfort foods are Breyer's Banana Split ice cream and any pie ala mode with ice cream. Thanks for the opportunity. And the recipe Vanessa.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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  22. Happy Birthday! I hope your celebration week is a great one. I think lasagna is one of my favorite comfort foods but I also like homemade chicken noodle soup too. My favorite cake is chocolate cheesecake.

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  23. Happy Birthday Week, PJ! Congrats on the milestone--it's an achievement, not a bad thing!

    I'm with you--my new tradition is too drag out the festivities. I like to keep the celebration going! Family day, a day with my girlfriends, a dinner out, etc. and my favorite comfort meal is one I don't have to cook! :-)

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  24. Yay it's your B-Day!!!! Hope you're having an awesome time PJ!!!!

    With loads of thoughtfulness from those you love. So that you'll end up with fantastic memories to add to your collection.

    I have a fall birthday myself and like to make a comforting savory pumpkin pie & hot chicken salad for dinner. Yes it's become a tradtional meal. But if you love it, you love it right.

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  25. Happy Birthday PJ!!! I hope you have an awesome celebration!

    My favorite cake has to be chocolate truffle cake. There's a woman in my hometown who has a bakery of sorts and she makes the best stuff. It's a pity that all her recipes are a secret. I also like tiramisu.

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  26. Bella said, My favorite comfort food is mac n cheese, but the real stuff not from the box and powder.

    Bella, there are some fine Southern ladies in my church who make the "just can't get enough" real mac and cheese - the kind with the crusty top. I could eat the whole pan! *grin*

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  27. Happy Birthday PJ!!!! What a rockin' bash this is!!!!

    I love reading about all the birthday traditions. At our house we go out to dinner to celebrate birthdays and the birthday boy/girl gets to choose the restaurant. It is always a lot of fun.

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  28. Thank you, Sonali! Be sure to stop by Monday and Tuesday (my actual birthday) too for more surprise guests and terrific presents!

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  29. Sheree said, When I was growing up, birthday cakes were always ice cream cakes. Then no one would let the cake soften enough and my father would end up breaking a knife trying to cut the cake. Ah, good times...

    LOL! Sounds like something my dad would have done. :)

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  30. throuthehaze said, Happy Birthday!!!
    My favorite comfort foods are meatloaf and mac-n-cheese. I love cake, but usually for my birthday I have a key lime pie instead.


    Meatloaf! I haven't had that in ages. What to make for tonight's dinner may have just been solved. ;-)

    I like key lime pie but lemon meringue beats it by a mile in my house. My mom made the best lemon meringue pie. I could have eaten it everyday and never tired of it.

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  31. Hi Pat! Sounds like you really know how to put the fun in a birthday celebration! We've had plenty "make your own" pizzas around here with kids, grandkids, nieces, nephew and neighbor kids. They all love to do that. We also do "make and decorate your own giant cookie". Sure, it takes a week to clean the kitchen (grin) but it's worth it to see those happy smiles! :)

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  32. Oh, and thanks to librarypat for the pizza fondue recipe! I may be making that one this week!

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  33. Natalija said, Tanti auguri di buon compleanno!

    Grazie mille!

    Thank you for the birthday wishes and for stopping by from Italy, my very favorite country to visit!

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  34. Beebs said, All of my favourites include chocolate but for a special birthday I think it's got to be Black Forest Gateau, Yum.

    Hi Beebs! Excuse me a minute while I finish wiping the drool off my keyboard. *grin*

    Just the thought of Black Forest Gateau has my taste buds dancing! :)

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  35. Hi Carol! I've never tried that banana split ice cream but it sounds yummy. My favorite is Mayfield Moose Tracks. It's a rich, creamy vanilla ice cream swirled with dark Denali fudge and dotted with mini peanut butter cups. I have plenty of it over at the ice cream bar if you'd like a cyber-taste.

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  36. Maureen said, I think lasagna is one of my favorite comfort foods but I also like homemade chicken noodle soup too. My favorite cake is chocolate cheesecake.

    Those are all on my list of favorites! Also, chicken and dumplings. Yum!

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  37. Deb Marlowe said, Happy Birthday Week, PJ! Congrats on the milestone--it's an achievement, not a bad thing!

    I choose to view it that way too, Deb. I'm just delighted to be here to celebrate it! :)

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  38. Jo's Daughter said, Yay it's your B-Day!!!! Hope you're having an awesome time PJ!!!!

    Thank you so much! I'm having a wonderful time. Two of my brothers arrived yesterday and more family is coming into town on Tuesday (my actual birthday). It will be so great to celebrate this week with them!

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  39. My favorite cake has to be chocolate truffle cake. There's a woman in my hometown who has a bakery of sorts and she makes the best stuff. It's a pity that all her recipes are a secret. I also like tiramisu.

    Thank you, Antonia! I've never had a chocolate truffle cake but as much as I adore chocolate truffles I'm sure I'd love the cake as well. :)

    We have an Amish bakery in town that makes fabulous cakes and pies and the mother of a friend makes the best cheesecakes I've had outside of New York City. If I could only figure out how to remove the calories I'd be in business! lol!

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  40. Buffie said, At our house we go out to dinner to celebrate birthdays and the birthday boy/girl gets to choose the restaurant. It is always a lot of fun.

    We did that when I was a kid, Buffie. I always chose the same restaurant because they served peppermint stick ice cream for dessert. Man, I loved that ice cream! :)

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  41. Happy Birthday, P.J. I don't know about you, but as I age (and boy am I doing that!), I find that I don't care who knows how old I am. I'm proud to say that I'm 65! For my 65th, my hubby and I took a cruise to the Caribbean and had a ball. It was just the two of us and so romantic. His 70th birthday is around the corner and we're heading to Key West to celebrate. We love that place and just because we are the ages we are, we can "party down" with the best of them! I hope you have a wonderful birthday, Dear Lady, and we will toast you next month when we're in Sloppy Joe's. Have a wonderful birthday!

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  42. I love birthday parties!! What fun! P.J., I hope you have a glorious day filled with friends, family, great food, and lots of love. And presents, of course, which I hope includes a ton of books!

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  43. Many, many happy wishes to you on your birthday! May you have twice as many blessings as you have years to celebrate.

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  44. Happy Birthday PJ, hope we celebrate many, many more.

    Birthday for me was dinner at my Aunt Tressie's house, she would fix whatever I wanted. Mother would bake my cake, chocolate chip pound cake. I have tried several times and it just isn't the same. Mother baked it with love. My daughter was just talking the other day about Aunt Tressie's salmon cakes. That is what she would ask for on her birthday. Something else I have never been able to duplicate.
    Here is the recipie for a very simple cheese ball that I brought for your party.

    16 ounces cream cheese
    1 package ranch salad dressing, dry
    1 bunch green onions
    8 slices cooked ham, smoked
    seasoned pepper
    Cut up onion, and 6 pieces of ham very fine. Blend cream cheese, onion, ham and ranch dressing all together. Roll into a ball then roll in the seasoned pepper. Place one piece of ham in bottom of serving bowl and wrap another piece on top. Chill.
    Serving Size: 20.

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  45. Best wishes, PJ. Happy to be invited to your virtual bday party. No September bdays here, but a few in the winter. My favorite comfort food is also macaroni and cheese, but homemade--by my husband who has a gift for delicious but fattening cooking.

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  46. Happy Birthday PJ! May your special day be filled with great and wonderful things! :)

    For my milestone birthday this year (30!!), my wonderful husband surprised me with a trip to my favorite place....Key West! We went over Labor Day weekend and I was able to visit Hemingways house (delightful and electric as always) and of course, enjoy the Florida sun!

    Normally we each celebrate our birthday with a cake from our local bakery, The Flour Shop. Dark chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream icing...it's utterly divine! Of course the birthday girl (or guy) has to watch out, because it is traditio for the rose to be smashed in your face when it is least expected! :)

    ~ Rebecca aka @Rebecca_romance on twitter

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  47. I don't know about you, but as I age (and boy am I doing that!), I find that I don't care who knows how old I am. I'm proud to say that I'm 65!

    I feel the same way, Connie! I'm proud of my age!

    His 70th birthday is around the corner and we're heading to Key West to celebrate.

    One of my favorite places! Hope you have a wonderful time!

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  48. Hi Vanessa! Thank you so much for participating in Day One of my Birthday Bash! It's shaping up to be a great birthday week around my house. Almost all of my family is coming into town to celebrate with me. Only my youngest brother (couldn't get off work), one of my nieces (lives in Japan) and my nephew (child in school) won't be here but we'll loop them into the celebration via skype.

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  49. Happy Birthday PJ! :) Thank you so much for having us all here to celebrate with you!

    I'm staring down a milestone birthday in a few years,and thanks to you, PJ, and the other lovely party guests, will now face this milestone with a postivie attitude and proper spirit. :)


    I love greentea cheesecake and have a slice every year for my birthday. I also love shrimp and fried chicken, so that's been my traditional birthday meal for years. I still remember one year when we were having my birthday dinner, and we never even got to the cake because I instigated a cake fight, and we spent like 15 minutes running around flinging/smearing cake at each other and screaming like fools-ah good times good times. :)

    As for comfort foods? The foods I grew up with, but especially fried rice. I think I could eat that every day.

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  50. Happy B-Day PJ!!! I'm with you -- celebrate big. my b-day arround thanksgiving so I would celebrate for almost a week (wknd before w/ freinds through thanksgiving w/ the whole family). :) Mom use to make 7 minute icing (it was cooked on the stove & sort like marshmallow) when I was a kid as a special treat for the birthday cake. few years ago the b-day was on thanksgiving & we celebrated at my sisters house. She made a choc layer cake w/ 7-min icing for me but the top layer broke & part of it slid off the bottom layer -- looked a mess, but tasted great! I just thought it was the most sweetest b-day gift to go to that trouble for me :) Hope you enjoy your party & thanks for sharing the fun with us. :D

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  51. I love birthdays!! and parties!! so congrats on both!! In our family, like so many, the birthday person got their favorite meal & dessert! Now, because I really hate to cook -- they get to pick the restaurant!! Which has gotten more pricey as they grew!! MickyD's in the old days -- now it's a whole lot fancier!! And Thanks for the receipe!! As soon as it was mentioned -- I wanted it!!

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  52. Lisa said, I'm staring down a milestone birthday in a few years,and thanks to you, PJ, and the other lovely party guests, will now face this milestone with a postivie attitude and proper spirit. :)

    Yay! My mission is accomplished. :)

    I love greentea cheesecake and have a slice every year for my birthday.

    That sounds very intriguing. I love green tea and I love cheesecake but never thought of combining the two. Wonder if I can find a recipe...

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  53. Margay said, Many, many happy wishes to you on your birthday! May you have twice as many blessings as you have years to celebrate.

    Thank you for that lovely thought!

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  54. Happy Birthday PJ, hope we celebrate many, many more.

    Me too, Dianna! :)

    Thanks for the cheese ball recipe! I love anything with cream cheese and ranch dressing mix in it. Yum!

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  55. Thanks for the birthday wishes, Txdee! We're happy to have you join us!

    You said, My favorite comfort food is also macaroni and cheese, but homemade--by my husband who has a gift for delicious but fattening cooking.

    That's a handy husband to have around the kitchen! :)

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  56. For my milestone birthday this year (30!!), my wonderful husband surprised me with a trip to my favorite place....Key West!

    Happy 30th, Rebecca Ann! Sounds like you enjoyed a wonderful celebration!

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  57. Gamistress, that was so sweet of your sister to make your childhood favorite for you!

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  58. Hi girlygirlHoosier! Love your name! :)

    I hear you on the expensive restaurants! One of the reasons we enjoy cooking at home so much. ;-)

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  59. P.J., isn't Skype great for family celebrations? DH's son is recently married to a Japanese girl and living in Japan. Her family is hosting a big party in November. We can't be there, but they're going to bring us in via Sykpe. Should be lots of fun!

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  60. Feliz cumpleaños, PJ! I hope you have a fabulous birthday! I think I like Vanessa's birthday celebrations the best - lots of food and drink!

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  61. Happy birthday!! Mine is on the September 29th. Whoo hooo. It's a great month, doncha think?

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  62. Wow, PJ! What a way to start your birthday bash!!! Happy Early Birthday!

    My favorite birthday cake is either a Carvel ice cream cake or a layered coconut cake! Ohhh, I think I want some coconut cake, it's been so long since I've had any!! Lol!!!

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  63. PJ -
    I'll definately be there next year! Remember you need other things besides desserts like my homemade cheesecake!

    I make an awesome 8-layer hot Mexican dip as well (because everyone thinks our last name is Mexican instead of Italian I decided why fight fate and love to bake awesome Mexican meals and treats as well!).

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  64. PJ, you don't look a day over 29!! I think a three day celebration is a wonderful idea---you know how I love a party!

    We went out for a belated birthday dinner for my hubby last night, and I had the the most fabulous dessert---bourbon and caramel bread pudding with a crushed nut topping and chantilly cream. YUM!!!!

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  65. Vanessa, Skype is a wonder, isn't it?! It's the next best thing to being there. *g*

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  66. Betty, we're glad you're here for PJ's party. :-)

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  67. I think I like Vanessa's birthday celebrations the best - lots of food and drink!

    RebeLovesBooks, I like the sound of that, too. :-)

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  68. TJ, looks like September is quite a birthday month. My husband and my oldest son are both September babies. Party time!

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  69. I make an awesome 8-layer hot Mexican dip as well (because everyone thinks our last name is Mexican instead of Italian I decided why fight fate and love to bake awesome Mexican meals and treats as well!).

    Jeanne M, that sounds yummy!

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  70. First--HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PJ!!!!!!!

    Second--those three cheese stuffed mushrooms look SO GOOD!!! I need to find a recipe...

    PJ, I wish you all the happiness in the world and can't wait to give you a big birthday hug in less than a couple weeks!!!

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  71. Yay, PJ!Happy, happy birthday!

    Next weekend the Robinsons are having a blowout birthday/anniversary weekend. One granddaughter turns 4, I will be not-quite-something-four, and 2 of my daughters have wedding anniversaries.Want to come? Fall leaves, etc.Don't know what comfort food we're serving yet...I'll have to steal some ideas from the Dishes!

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  72. We have something in common! German Chocolate is also my fave flavor of cake .Happy Birthday!

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  73. Happy, Happy Birthday, PJ!

    Hope you party all week.
    My favorite comfort food is anything chocolate. It always makes me happy.

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  75. PJ, Happy Birthday, my friend! You are one special lady!!

    Funny thing is...I was thinking of making pumpkin bars or muffins today, so I'll bring those to Day 1 of The Party. Hmmm, maybe even some pumpkin spice cappuccino, too.

    My fave meal for birthdays is my mom's fried chicken/mashed potatoes! CANNOT beat Mother's homecooking.

    HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!

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  76. Happy birthday, P.J.

    My favorite b-day cake is a simple chocolate box mix with homemade frosting like a thick ganache. In my family, we started a tradition when the kids got to be teenagers. The b-day person got the remainder of the cake after dinner was over, it was usually about 1/2. I love morning after b-day cake. You had to eat it fast or hide it, cause it would disappear in 1/2" segments if left unattended. (Keep in mind, this was a box mix, not a 1/2 sheet two layer or larger bakery cake.....not that that would have been a problem for me.)

    Anne

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  77. Happy Birthday, PJ !! You deserve a three-day party you are SUCH a doll!

    I'm on the phone hiring the Chippendale dancers for your party. They should be over later! LOL

    My birthday is four days after Christmas which can be a real bummer as nobody wants more cake or another party. BUT, I can often persuade my MOM to make my favorite - her made from scratch chicken and dumplings. YUM !!

    And I can usually get a batch or two of her potato chip cookies, her pineapple casserole and her chocolate pie.

    And, of course, my brothers compete to see which of them can find the most insulting card about my age (I'm the oldest) to send to me every year.

    Have a wonderful birthday, my dear!

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  78. Happy Birthday. Lovely post. Wishing you all the best.

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  79. Happy Birthday Suit Day! Hope it's an awesome one. :) Thanks for lol-tastic birthday festivities.

    Mac and cheese is my favorite comfort food. All that cheesy goodness. Mmm... I love this time of year where fun holiday themed books are released, friend's birthdays abound and the weather gets cooler. Welcome to what I like to call, the JOYathon. :)

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  80. Happy pre-birthday, PJ! I hope your special week is filled with love, laughter, good food, and good times, and that the year that follows overflows with blessings too numerous to count.

    A joyous birthday celebration to Maggie and her adorable granddaughter too!

    I love today's celebration with some of my favorite authors. I hope some of the stuffed mushrooms are left. They look so-o-o good.

    My favorite comfort food is chicken and dumplings fom my grandmother's recipe. My favorite birthday cake uses her recipe too--stawberry shortcake with old-fashioned pound cake as the base. Yum!

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  81. Happy Birthday! We definitely need to celebrate. Cake and champagne all around. My favorite birthday cake is chocolate, with whipped cream filling and chocolate fudge frosting.

    Since we have to eat more than cake, I'll offer a recipe for my favorite (and oh so easy) dip:

    Crab Dip

    Ingredients:
    1 lb crabmeat
    8 oz cream cheese
    1 stick of butter
    Worcestershire sauce
    Cayenne pepper

    Melt cream cheese and butter in the top of a double boiler. Carefully pick all shells out of crabmeat. Add crabmeat to cheese mixture; stir till blended. Season with dashes of Worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper, to taste. Serve with crackers.

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  82. Happy Birthday P.J.!! Thanks for letting us celebrate with you! Hope you have a fantastic day/week/year! My birthday falls in Oct. Celebrating a milestone last year was fun I asked everyone to celebrate Halloween w/me everyone dressed up & had a blast. I like to remember as I get older that I'm still young at heart and that's what counts!

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  83. Well Happy Birthday to you!!!!!
    OH HAPPY DAY!!!

    I love parties and birthday cake with ice cream. My favorite cake is white cake and white icing from the Burkes Bakery down town, they are awsome. I do love the ice cream cakes from Dairy Queen and Bask and Robins also.

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  84. As we say it in Russian, "S dnyom rozhdeniya!" - Happy birthday, PJ! =) Have a great day and many more all the year around!
    My favorite cake is cheesecake with lilikoi (passion fruit) sauce - wish I could share it with you ;)

    tatiana_lwg(at) yahoo.com

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  85. Happy birthday P.J.!

    My favorite comfort foods would probably be either Italian (Pastas or Pizza) or a burger and fries. As far as cake, I always preferred for my mom to make me peanut butter fudge for my birthday when I was younger.

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  86. Happy Birthday, many blessing upon you! Awesome authors you have as guests. I pretty much like any cake, my sister is a baker by profession, she is the cake-baker for any special events we have and she does a VERY, VERY good job at flavor and presentation. So I really don't have a special flavor, anything she does is YUMMO!

    Eva
    evitap67(at)gmail(dot)com

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  87. Happy Birthday, PJ. Did you get everything you wished for?

    I like a cake that's half vanilla and half chocolate with custard filling and whipped cream icing. Comfort food would probably be a grilled cheese sandwich with a side of french fries.

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  88. Ooooh! Thanks for the recipe for your crab dip, LSUReader!! I'm going to make it. And since my husband is allergic to shellfish, it'll be all mine!!! Mwahahaha!

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  89. PJ, I forgot to tell you (but you probably already know) that my favorite cake is RED VELVET!! I love me some cream cheese icing. Yum!

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  90. Hi! I'm working this afternoon but will be back to party with you tonight!

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  91. Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday PJ!!
    Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful week. In my household there are no special traditions but there is one requirement. Great food! What we eat depends, but I have a soft spot for babrbecue food and ice cream cake :)

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  92. Happy Birthday... Interesting recipe.. I'll have to try baking next weekend.... :)

    Thanks for the recipe and the books!

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  93. Happy birthday! I have no recipes, not a good cook. Comfort foods are grilled cheese and toasted bagels with peanut butter and cream cheese. Favorite cake... lots of chocolate, rich fudgy frosting, and ice cream.


    Robin D
    robindpdx (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  94. Hey PJ!!! WOOOT!! Let the birthday party ROCK ON!!!

    I know I'm late to the party, but you know, it's now 5 pm here on the East Coast.

    REALLY Party TIME!!!

    (Plus, there's FOOOOOOTBALLLLL!)

    PJ, how are your teams doing today??

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  95. Happy Birthday PJ!

    I enjoy the comfort food of Tuna casserole, Chicken pot pie or Tater Tot hotdish. Brownies or rhubarb crisp are my comfort desserts.

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  96. Happy, happy, happy birthday, P.J.!!!!! Three days of celebration is a very medieval way to think about it, and I completely approve of your approach to partying. :)

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  97. Happy Birthday PJ!!!!!!!!

    Wow, this is some party and it's only day 1!!!

    My favorite Bday cake is chocolate with chocolate icing. Bandita Donna made me one a couple of years back...sniff...it was GOOD!

    As to your present from me...I'm still trying to "catch" it. I'll give you a hint though it stars with a B and ends with a inky :D

    Until then, I give you Demetrius for the whole of tomorrow. He likes to be scratched behind the ears.

    Now, off to the margharita fountain!

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  98. HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
    Have a fantabulous celebration!!

    Awesome post, you have some great author guest with you today!

    I have a chocolate fountain with loads of strawberries for all to share on this special day, hope you don't mind.

    I am a big fan of ANY cake! LOL!! As long as there are sweets around I'm in heaven!

    Thank you for all the delicious recipes, I plan on making them, I do enjoy my time in the kitchen.

    Congratulations on your three day party, enjoy!!

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  99. Great party. Happy, happy birthday!!
    My mother just turned 89 on September 1st!! My birthday is also around Thanksgiving (the 29th) and I've had pumpkin pie many a time but that's okay - I like pumpkin pie lol. Summer isn't over quite yet so I'm bringing Margaritas to the party lol.

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  100. Even though I just had dinner---fondue, yummy!---all of this talk of cake is making me hungry.

    I love ice cream cake, but probably my all time favorite cake is Hummingbird Cake. Southern Living says it is still there most requested recipe.

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  101. Happy Happy Happy Birthday!!!!!

    The food looks great. Am copying down all the recipes. Can't wait to try them out.

    My birthday is Wednesday!!! very, very cool. Great month. ;)

    Hope you have a very nice week and I plan to stop by often!

    Love your guests.

    Tami

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  102. Next weekend the Robinsons are having a blowout birthday/anniversary weekend. One granddaughter turns 4, I will be not-quite-something-four, and 2 of my daughters have wedding anniversaries.

    Sounds like quite a bash, Maggie. :-)

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  103. Carey, I love German chocolate cake, too. My husband's grandmother used to make a divine one.

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  104. My favorite comfort food is anything chocolate. It always makes me happy.

    runner10, you can never go wrong with chocolate. ;-)

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  105. My fave meal for birthdays is my mom's fried chicken/mashed potatoes! CANNOT beat Mother's homecooking.

    Deb, that's the truth!

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  106. I love morning after b-day cake.

    acm05, I do, too!!

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  107. Louisa, I'm salivating over your birthday menu. :-)

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  108. traveler, we're glad you joined the party!

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  109. Kati R, there's just something about mac and cheese. In many ways, it's the ultimate comfort food.

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  110. Janga, chicken and dumplings is a favorite in our house, too. :-)

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  111. LSUReader, thanks for the crab dip recipe. Yummo!

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  112. I like to remember as I get older that I'm still young at heart and that's what counts!

    Jessika, that's the way I feel, too. *g*

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  113. Hi PJ! I just cannot wait until Tuesday to wish you......
    Feliz Cumpleanos,
    Bonne Anniversaire,
    יום הולדת שמח!
    And
    Happy Birthday!!

    Hugs,

    Flora

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  114. Happy Birthday to You!
    I'm a Virgo Too!
    Great guests and you gave us a yummy recipe - Thanks so much!
    Hope you had a Great Day - sounds like you probably did.

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  115. Hi All! Finally home from work. Long day. Thanks for coming to my party and for all the early birthday wishes. I don't have to work tomorrow so I'll have more time to party with you! :)

    Off to polish Day Two of my Birthday Bash!

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  116. Tami, wishing you an early Happy Birthday!

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  117. My birthday was earlier this month (The 7th). We really do not do much for the day. My mom always sends a card with money and calls to wish me a happy birthday. This year she left a note on my facebook wall. Plus my brothers and two cousins wished me a happy birthday but what made it excellent was the authors that wished me happy birthday on the wall

    So here's hoping yours is way better than mine was!!

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  118. Happy Birthday PJ!:) sorry, i'm kindda late to your party..

    one of ma favorite recipe is :

    Cheesecake Marbled Brownies

    (Adapted from Gourmet a la Smitten Kitchen)
    Yields 16 2-inch square, thick brownies

    Ingredients:
    1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
    3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
    1 cup sugar
    2 large eggs
    1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    2/3 cup all-purpose flour

    Cheesecake batter
    8 ounces cream cheese, well softened
    1/3 cup sugar
    1 large egg yolk
    1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

    Directions:
    Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Heat butter and chocolate in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, whisking occasionally, just until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan.

    Make cheesecake batter: Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula.

    Bake brownie until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes. Allow brownies to cool for at least 15-20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container, these brownies will last for 3 days.

    nom..nom..nom :)

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  119. I'm a bit late to the party.. Happy Birthday!!
    My comfort food is either chocolate chip cookies or cardamom crumb cake.
    Here's the recipe for the crumb cake. It's sooo easy to make and delicious!

    Ingredients:
    3 cups all-purpose flour
    2 cups sugar
    1 tablespoon baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
    3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
    2/3 cup milk
    2 large eggs, lightly beaten
    1/3 cup sour cream
    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

    Directions:
    1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With a fork or dough cutter, cut in butter until crumbs form. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture.

    2.Whisk milk, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, cardamom, and lemon zest into remaining crumb mixture until combined. Pour batter into pan and sprinkle reserved crumb mixture on top. Bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack, 30 minutes.

    Yum!

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  120. Happy Birthday *\^^/*

    A birthday must have is ice cream cake. This little Mennonite creamery around here makes one to die for.

    Melissa

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  121. Happy Birthday PJ! My birthday comfort food is roast chicken with lots of potatoes. Cake? A toss up between sour cream pecan cake and chocolate fudge. Both, I think!
    Enjoy your three days of celebration, you deserve every minute!

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  122. Love this bday party.
    Hope you are having a great 60th.

    Would love that RWA stash.

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  123. Great idea! Love the birthday party and the cake recipe sounds yummy!

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  124. Hope you have a wonderful birthday.

    My favorite cake is our family's birthday tradition chocolate angel food with chocolate whipped cream frosting. YUMMY!

    Comfort foods ice cream especially Heath Bar and mint chocolate chip double fudge brownie hits the spot too.

    Hot out of the oven chocolate chip cookies ...delicious!
    johns lake at usa dot com

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  125. Happy Birthday! Great party!
    My favourite comfort food is shortbread cookies.

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  126. Happy Birthday week, PJ! You are having a great party this week! You must be turning the big 20 this week!

    My favorite comfort foods are spaghetti, lasagna, ice cream, and popcorn.

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  127. Happy Birthday!
    marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  128. Mariska and Mariee, thank you for those recipes. They both sound delicious!

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  129. Happy Birthday to You!!
    My favorite birthday cake is "Lemon Supreme". I love it!!

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  130. Happy Birthday, PJ!

    I just celebrated mine on the 6th, sister baked me a chocolate cake. I love German Chocolate Cake, too.

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  131. Happy Birthday. Not really good with recipes, but love chocolate cake, any kind of chocolate cake. Used to make a cake called Heavenly Hash all the time, and then Mississippi Mud was a favorite. Now it is rare I make a cake. But I still love chocolate. We have lots of December birthdays in our family, both myself and hubby, my brother, my sister is end of November, we have 6 neices and nephews all in December. Not a good month for birthdays generally. lisagk(at)yahoo(dot)com

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