Birthday Wishes

There must be a breeding season that I am unaware of. Let me give birthday wishes to Brent, Beckie, Daire, my dad, my stepdad, my brother, Suraj, Luv, Mike Cobb and Thom and Sharanya (all three missed Feb by just a few days), Mike Meyers, Larry and Samatha, Amy, Sharon, Ethan, Jodi, Kris, and Shefali. Happy Birthdays! I got you all this beautiful, gourmet, virtual birthday cake:

It looks delicious and the best part of it – it’s dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free and no calories! Here are your candles, blow hard:

Giving gifts can be tricky (and expensive if I’m going to get everyone something). I have thought a lot about what giving means, but I’ll save that for the next post. In the mean time, I hope you enjoy your recyclable and sustainable presents.

For my step-dad, my dad and my brother, I got you this link: https://www.google.com/search?q=heavy+equipment&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=vIs6T9zZBIKOigLu2PSSDA&biw=1280&bih=920&sei=wIs6T7bwHevTiALtj6WTDA It’s eye-candy for you.

For Sharanya, Jodi, Amy and Shefali, I got you this pic. You can set it as wall paper on your computer:

For Mike Cobb, Mike Meyers, Larry, Ethan, Brent and Kris, I got you this amazingly cool virtual bike:

I hope you virtually have fun riding it in your imagination.

For Sharon, Luv, Samatha and Thom, I got you this lovely, down-loadable copy of the Dubliners, by James Joyce. It is virtually a first edition: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2814

For Beckie and Daire, I got you this fun link: http://www.youtube.com/user/MyHarto/featured

AND this neat, down-loadable picture that you can print, cut out, and stick on or iron on your favorite thing:

And, last, but not least, for Suraj…I got you a date with this woman:

Just kidding. I do have a nice, real book for you as a consolation birthday gift though.

For the rest of you out there who have birthday’s this month here is a great recipe from cooks.com and a little hint – boil your pasta in chicken broth or veggie bullion.

Pasta with Shrimp and Scallops

• 2 tbsp. green pepper, diced (optional)
• 6 oz. spaghettini
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 lb. raw shrimp, peeled
• 1/3 lb. sea scallops
• 1/4 c. bottled clam juice
• 1/3 c. sun dried tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced
• Peel from 1 lemon, julienne
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Cook pasta until just tender, drain and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Suggest that this be ready when starting next step. Meanwhile, melt butter with remaining olive oil in large, heavy skillet (or Wok) over low heat. Add garlic, green pepper and red pepper flakes and saute 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium. Add shrimp and scallops and saute until shrimp turn pink and scallops are almost cooked (2 minutes). Add clam juice and pasta. Increase heat to high. Cook until pasta has absorbed almost all liquid and mixture is heated through, tossing mixture with tongs (3 minutes). Add tomatoes, parsley and lemon peel and toss gently. Serves 2. Serve with tossed salad and Italian bread. Double for four people.