Tonight at Barosa

 Barosa (http://www.barosas.com/) is one of our favorite restaurants in Queens.  Vinny the host is always cordial and our waiter Charles is exceptional.  Water glasses refilled, bread basket replenished, dishes cleared appropriately.

Tonight we were there for Jill's 49th birthday.  We went with Jill and Lenny and Steve and Sue.  We shared:   Two Chopped salads - lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pimientos, black and green olives, salami and provolone; Calamari Barosa - Calamari in red sauce baked in a bread bowl; Seafood salad in half an avocado; Two carafes of house Montepulciano, Margaritas; Ketel one on ice; Captain Morgan with diet coke.  Dinner was:  Chilean Sea Bass Oreganata; Shrimp Oreganata; Chicken Scarpariello; Veal chop parmigiana; Seafood risotto.

Dessert was:  My homemade Carrot Cake, which everyone liked, even those in the kitchen!  Coffee and Sambuca rounded out the evening.

Happy Birthday Jill!

Carrot Cake for Jilly

Yesterday was Jill's  birthday and I made her a carrot cake, as it is her favorite.  I have made this cake only on Thanksgiving in the past, but it was fun to do on a rainy Thursday.  We will share the cake with Jill, Lenny, Steve and Sue tonight after eating/celebrating at Barosa.  I use the recipe from Silver Palate and it is outstanding (if I do say so myself):

Butter, for greasing the pan
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1-1⁄2 cups corn oil
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups shelled walnuts, chopped
1-1/2 cups shredded coconut
1-1/3 cups puréed cooked carrots
3/4 cup drained crushed pineapple

Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch springform pans.

2. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add the oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in the walnuts, coconut, carrots, and pineapple.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Set on the center rack of the oven and bake until the edges have pulled away from the sides and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 minutes.

4. Cool on a cake rack for 3 hours. Fill and frost the cake with the cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)

1. Cream together the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl.

2. Slowly sift in the confectioners' sugar and continue beating until fully incorporated. The mixture should be free of lumps.

3. Stir in the vanilla, and lemon juice if desired.

Frosting for a 2-layer cake

Thanksgiving Menu

Our Thanksgiving Dinner menu will include a 15 pound all natural fresh turkey roasted with herbs, lemon and butter. A mixture of finely chopped herbs along with softened butter will be distributed on the entire bird between the skin and the meat (Chrysalis and I do this together, gagging all the way, on Thursday morning).

Accompanying the obligatory bird will be: Baked whipped sweet potatoes with cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, butter and orange juice topped with mini marshmallows. Also, creamed fresh spinach with onions and butter. Along with homemade whole berry cranberry sauce (and a sliced can of Ocean Spray jellied sauce too), herbed stuffing with celery, carrots, onions, turkey broth and butter, fresh gravy made from turkey broth, carrots, celery, onions and butter.

We begin dinner with corn chowder made with creamed corn, bacon, onions, potatoes, peppers and heavy cream.

Antipasti will include: Mixed olives, pepperdew peppers, mozzarella, parmigiano-reggiano, aged Gouda, french bread, raisin pumpernickel bread and center cut, thinly sliced salmon marinated in olive oil, fennel and celery.

Dessert is carrot cake and chocolate chip cookies. (We have ice cream too-Ben & Jerry's).

All homemade, baked and prepped on Wednesday, cooked on Thursday and eaten for a week.

With our family down from Ithaca and our boy home from college this will be a very special Thanksgiving.

We are thankful for our friends and loved ones everyday of the year! Have a great holiday!