Birthday Bonfire Bonanza

Cape Cod at sunset right before the bonfire started.

I am an old fashioned girl. I like pretty things, vintage kitsch, yummy delights, tradition and Cape Cod a la Patty Paige. My parents purchased a very sweet cottage on Cape Cod in a little Village the year I was born - ahem 1992 - and while we have moved to another home since then, that is less like camping, the Cape has been in my blood since the womb. I have managed to get myself there - my most favorite place on earth - for almost every birthday I have ever had. Of course there were a few summer stock years that I couldn't get there, but in those cases my momma would come to me.

It has become tradition that my mother and I go thrift shopping on the actual day - see I do love pretty vintage things, then we have lunch somewhere (usually Chatham Bars Inn), followed by a bonfire on the beach on the bay side where the sunset is truly spectacular. It really is glorious and every year it is a little different.

Growing up it was tough to plan birthday parties because my birthday is the second to last day in August. Everyone on the Cape would pack up and head home for school well before that. All my winter friends would forget cause I wasn't around - who can blame them really? So often there was something small. However there was that surprise party for my 16th birthday which was particularly memorable: strep throat, kidnapping by friends, a party outside a winnebago, and card made with foam core and glow tape...ah those were the days.

The plan this year was just a quiet weekend with my parents and some cousins that live on the Cape and perhaps a bonfire. The day before I left New York for Cabo Cod I started to hear rumblings that Seth (the friend who I made the vegan chocolate birthday cake for in June) was going to be there, then Brent, then Sandra, then Gina! OMG! This is a party. These kids have been my friends for upwards of 20 years and our friendships are magical to say the least. Then my bestie Ron decided at the last minute he was going to take the trek with me. WHAT!?!? This birthday was going to rock. Lucky for everyone I made a ridic cake that was going to knock them off their feet.

Lemon Layer cake. White cake with lemon curd and old-fashioned 7- minute icing. TO DIE FOR!

I woke up on my birthday to some delightful melt-a-ways that are made at this one bakery in Harwichport - Bonatt's - and are FAMOUS and DELICIOUS. They are like a cross between donuts, brioche, and a danish. I can't explain them really, except that they are amazing. Yum. It was overcast, but undaunted my mother and I set off on our thrift shopping escapade that also included a stop at at a new chocolatier where we were lucky enough to do a tasting - btws food allergies be damned on my birthday! - a couple of antique shops and a little visit to my 94 year old great aunt who was a vaudeville dancer and headlined in the circuit. Some of her openers: Frank Sinatra, Lawrence Welch, and Dean Martin. Whenever I see her she asks me if I have gone to the William Morris Agency and asked for her agent - yep, she rocks.

After that we met up with papi chulo and headed to one of my favorite places on the Cape: Chatham Bars Inn. This is a super old FANTASTIC Inn that is on the water in Chatham. You can order lunch and drinks on the veranda and just look out at the ocean. It is so serene and spectacular. That day there were two weddings going on. Busy, busy. Lunch was fantasmic. My mother and I had these tasty roasted veggie wraps and my father had a Cuban sandwich - ftr he had his first one in the city 3 years ago and still raves about it! At this point it was raining. Dammit. No bonfire. My dream of a super fun, relaxed, and silly evening was gone. Over. Kaput.

But if you know the Cape you know that one town's weather is different than other's and every place we drove the weather changed. So we decided what the hell, let's do it. A couple bags of junk food or as my father calls them "instant pick me ups," some wine, some beer, and some wood and we had ourselves a party. What was intended to be low key ended up being a group of almost 20 people. It was a total blast. We cooked hot dogs, roasted marshmallows, and Seth even brought all of the fixin's for margaritas on the beach - he is legendary for being over the top.













A little later in the evening I decided it was time to unveil the cake. Yep, I wanted to make something DELICIOUS after all it was for my birthday and my mother's - only a week before - so it had to be good. I made a white cake with lemon curd filling and old fashioned seven minute frosting. At this point the cake had been on a million trains, buses, and automobiles. While the cake stayed in one piece the frosting didn't fair as well. The best parts of presenting the cake were when Ron lit the candles and everyone sang happy birthday as the candles were blown out by the wind and after the entire cake was served there was a very small piece left and Ron asked if Gina, Seth, and I wanted to share it with him. Gina said, "if by sharing you mean eating the frosting I am in." Then Ron and Seth and I dug back in. This cake was GLORIOUS. I can't even explain how delicious it was. I could hear people rumbling about the taste and the texture and how well it all went together. Then I look over and Ron is basically licking the cake round. I mean that is how good this cake was.

The presentation of the cake. While it did not travel well it tasted like HEAVEN!

Post cake the fam left and it was just me and my friends and my cousin Lauren. We looked out into the ocean and we saw it sparkling. Like there were fireflies in the water. Seth ran to the edge and reminded us of a story when we were 15 at the beach and we saw dinoflagellates in the water and how we decided skinny dipping. In about 5 minutes flat we were all bounding toward the water screaming with excitement and anticipation of hitting that infamously freezing cold water. It was worth being in ice cube temperature water because every time you moved in it, it was like Tinkerbell was swimming around you and above there was a meteor shower. It was incredible. I mean that is what movies are made of.

After we got out and dried off we headed to the parking lot where a dance party ensued followed by the cops coming and not so subtly escorting us off the beach.

Ah yes, the parking lot dance party. Some things never get old...

What a magical and memorable day. Delicious food, delicious friends, and a new delicious recipe. Thank you to my friends and family for such a incredible birthday.

LA -er Santa Barbara - Baby! Part Tres - The Bachelor

Tuscany? Nope, just Santa Barbara

The rest of the vacation was spent in Santa Barbara. It is so gorgeous there. There is this surf town called Summerland which is so great. My sister and I have a good friend who was on the WB series and we thought it was just a clever name for a TV show, but no it actually is a town and it rocks.

We spent one whole day driving through the mountains on our way to lunch with Mr. Andrew Firestone. It was a gorgeous and treacherous ride. It reminded me of when my girlfriends and I were driving to the walled cities in Tuscany, except there weren't cars zooming past us on hair pin turns. The little towns we were passing through were so quaint and seemed like they were out of a John Wayne movie. One, Solveng, is like a Norwegian Village smack dab in the mountains of Southern California. The oddest and most interesting thing I have seen in some time.

On our way to lunch we were both kind of dreading the idea of having to hang with the Bachelor. We thought it was going to be the low point of the trip, but as we approached Curtis we knew we had to make the best of it. First of all, Andrew Firestone is WAY cuter in person than on TV or in People, US Weekly, In Touch, or the Enquirer. He was also extremely knowledgeable about wine and the wine making process and took us on a full tour of his winery and then brought us out for a tasting. He was so enthusiastic about his product and explained everything so clearly that is was totally pleasurable to actually learn about wine. After the tasting we had lunch on the grounds and it was lovely. He told us about his wedding, he freaked out when I told him I was an opera singer and launched into a story about how his father sings for the Santa Barbara Chorale and will be so disappointed that he missed the opportunity of meeting me, and we shared our love of baked good while eating mondo cookies that were amazing. What we thought was going to be kind of a nightmare ended up being one of the best parts of our trip!

My vacation was a much needed getaway and pick me up for the craziness that is my life in New York. I didn't get discovered and I didn't meet - sigh - E. but I did have an amazing time with my sister and got to try some great baked goods. Thanks Jenna for a fab and much needed birthday vacation.

LA Baby! Part Deux Sprinkles - Yum.

Our last day in LA Jenna and I were headed out for brunch at some sceney bar where they had an infinite amount of delicious looking baked goods that looked stolen from Magnolia, a stroll on Robertson with a quick gander at the folks at the Ivy, then off to Beverly Hills 90210 to get me a cupcake at Sprinkles. I was excited to try Sprinkles cupcakes because I have heard so so much about them, but I was even more interested in their operation. They ship and box and cater and, and... so I thought it would be great to go and see. The store front is TEENY. It is a well oiled machine in there. They have a menu that shows you what they have on which day, there is an army of people there to wait on you - it is NOT self serve - and you can take as may cupcakes as you want at one time unlike many of the places here in the city. They are also really well branded. EVERYTHING has the Sprinkles logo on it. I guess that is why a cupcake costs $3.25 - WHAT!?!

I had trouble deciding what kind of cupcake I wanted. There were so many to choose from - almost too many - so I narrowed it down to 3 flavors that I have mastered to compare: carrot, coconut, and lemon.

http://www.sprinklescupcakes.com/flavors.html

Since I had a coconut pie the night before I went with the lemon. I ordered it from the helpful little man behind the counter, got my cupcake to go in a fab little wax paper bag, and went outside to partake the in the legendary cupcake. So many times places like this disappoint because well they have a lot to live up to. Let me tell you something folks, this was the best store bought cupcake I have ever had. EVER. The cake was moist and delicious. It was resilient and spongy, but dense. The frosting was buttery and sweet, but not too sweet. It complimented the cake so beautifully. If I were to say one bad thing about the cupcake it would be that it needed to have more lemon flavor. It was like a vanilla cupcake with a hint of lemon and if I am eating a lemon cake I want to be hit over the head with lemon flavor. But I mean that is all I can say about it that was bad. The cupcake taste and texture - barring the lack of a strong lemon flavor - was perfection. Huzzah to Sprinkles!

What to Choose?

LA Baby! Part 1 Margarita Bus and the House of Pies

Yes folks I was in the great state of California. The land of the grapes, Steinbeck, surfer dudes, the MA (model/actress), Ed Hardy cheese bag clothing, and of course Arnold and Maria. Before I left I was in a FRENZY. I had friends in and out of town, life changing events, one of those acting classes when you ask what is it all for, and an impending birthday. I was ready for a vacation and who knows, maybe I would meet E or Ari on the margarita bus and never come back. I mean anything is possible.

My sister and I travel VERY well together. I mean so well that we have considered, more than once, auditioning for the Amazing Race. I am the driver and she is the navigator. My sister can read a map like a champ. It is awesome really. I look at a map and I have to turn it to face the same way I am and then I STILL go the wrong way. The only thing that holds us back is that I am vegetarian and she is vegan. Not a good combo when you have to eat a 1/2 lb of caviar in order to proceed to the next rest stop.

This trip was going to be great on so many levels: 1. It is the first vacation I have been on in 2 years - disgusting I know. 2. I was going to really see LA. 3. I was going to get to go to the FAMOSO Sprinkles Bakery. AND 4. I was going to have LUNCH with Andrew Firestone. Yes, the Bachelor Season 3. This was also a pre-birthday celebration and my sister planned a vintage dress shopping trip - AMAZING - and a day on the margarita bus (7 years running). This bus is organized by one of our good childhood friends and a bunch of my sister's college friends. It is no joke. There is a dj and margaritas on the bus and then you go to 5 different Mexican dive bars throughout LA. But here is the best part: You are on a double decker bus and you go on the freeway. I mean it was hysterical. The most incredible moment was when we drove past this furniture store and this man looked up and said "dios mio" in what looked like slow motion. It was a fantastic way for me to see LA and it was so hilarious. After our rousing day of the margarita bus a few of us rallied - 2 a.m. east coast time - and went for dinner at the subpar and very trendy restaurant Ketchup. Following Ketchup, we went to the most AMAZING place ever: The Rainbow Room.

In New York the Rainbow room is what legends are made of: super chic, super exclusive, super fab. Well in LA it is also what legends are made of - 1980's hair band legends. Now don't get me wrong I loved me some hair bands - Guns n' Roses, Warrant, Cinderella, White Snake, Def Leopard, Skid Row, the list goes on... We walked into something I have never experienced in my life. I actually think that I got my picture taken with Rob Z'nuff who was playing a show earlier that night across the street. RIDIC!

Rob Z'nuff Anyone?

In the mornings I would wake up early and head to the local Equinox to work out and there I saw Bradley Cooper, David Cook, and a couple other no name model actresses. Then I would head back to our super exclusive resort across from the Chateau Marmonte - LiLo anyone - and think this is LA - SCENE.

My sister and I did a lot of adventure seeking and spent a lovely afternoon at the Getty. In the evening we went to Los Feliz where Mike D - with your bad self runnin' things - and Gwen Stefani live. Apparently it is the hipster part of town so duh we had to go. I mean we - and by we I mean more my sister than me - are hipsters from way back. It was a small strip of trendy restaurants and some cute shops that were closed and we walked into this diner for dinner and got looks from the tattoo clad customers. Of course the menu was all organic and yummy, and there was a sandwich named after Mike D. so we knew we were in the right place, but when I was done I needed more. I needed something to put me over the top. That is when I saw it... The House of Pies! Yep. It is a huge Pie shop and that was where we were headed. Jenna, Kevin, and I headed over to the House of Pies and I was bound and determined to taste me some good pie.

Now I am not a big pie eater. I enjoy my apple pie at Thanksgiving and that is about it so when it came to picking a flavor I was at a loss. I didn't think that I would like peach pie or or pineapple and since there were so many - as you can see from the menu below I deferred to the waitress. She suggested the coconut creme.

My father is the ONLY person in my family that is a pudding fan, but I figured that I was on vacation and why the hell not? Kevin got the Key lime and Jenna, since she is vegan, just watched. The pieces of pies were the size of Texas and while I was worried about not liking the pie it still called to me. Come to me my angel of music... The pie was AMAZING. AMAZING. It was light and fluffy. Not too sweet and had a really clear toasted coconut flavor. The crust was crispy and delicious. I suddenly became a believer in pies. The key lime was okay, but the coconut creme? Forget it. I will forever remember House of Pies and how it introduced me to the fluffy goodness of the Coconut creme pie.

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