Birthday Dinner Surprise!

Yesterday was my birthday & I was out of town for the weekend. I came home in the evening and my mom surprised me with a wonderful meal including some of my favorite foods. I'm making an exception & sharing the recipes on here even though I didn't make them myself because they were just too good!

First, we had a butternut squash bisque with salad. The recipe was originally introduced to me by my roommate Carolyn & we made it a few times together in college. My family grows butternut squash in our garden & we save seeds each year for next year's crop.

The second course consisted of rice cakes with asparagus. Rice cakes are something my nonna used to make & they are deceptively delicious for how simple they are to make! I cannot express how much I love rice cakes, and this was the most perfect birthday surprise.

The best food, of course, was dessert. I smelled it as soon as I came in through the door & was immediately overjoyed by the tower of cinnamon buns before me. Another guilty pleasure--one I don't often indulge in.

The recipe for butternut squash bisque is linked above, and I follow it almost exactly as it's listed. I only make 2 changes to the recipe: I omit the cream (it's very tasty without it) and I roast the squash first. To do this, preheat the oven to 375 F and cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds & place each half in a glass baking dish cut side down. Fill with 1-2 inches of water (enough so it won't evaporate while it's baking) and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes.  It's done when the squash is soft, usually when the skin is browning.

Follow the rest of the directions for making the soup, & puree in a blender. Season with nutmeg, salt, & pepper while you are blending, & sprinkle more spices on when you serve.

Butternut Squash Bisque

A quick video I made while eating the soup

To make rice cakes you simply cook some risotto, add cheese, egg, nutmeg, cover in breadcrumbs, & bake until browned.

Ingredients:

1 c arborio rice (or similar)

vegetable/chicken stock, warmed (about 2 c) plus more boiled water if you need it

1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, plus more cut into chunks

nutmeg

1 egg

salt & pepper, to taste

1 T olive oil

1/2 c breadcrumbs

Preheat olive oil in a pan, add rice & some stock. Add more as the rice absorbs it. Cook about 20 mins, until done but still has a bite (al dente). Add shredded mozzarella cheese to the pot & stir. Let cool.

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

When the rice is cooled, add the egg & sprinkle nutmeg (about 1 pinch). Pour breadcrumbs in a wide, shallow bowl & gather 1/2 handful of rice in one hand. Flatten the rice, place 1 chunk of cheese in the middle, cover with more rice, form a ball, & roll in the breadcrumbs until covered. Place on a baking dish. Repeat until all of the rice is used up. Bake 30 minutes, until browned.

Rice Cakes

Finally the recipe for cinnamon buns is one we have never made before. This is a healthy version of cinnamon buns, as my mom omitted the icing drizzle off the top, but I'll include the recipe here so you can make it if you choose. This recipe comes from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook.

Ingredients:

1 T yeast

4 1/2 c flour (my mom used whole wheat pastry flour)

1 c lukewarm milk

3/4 c sugar

1 t salt

1 T cinnamon

2 eggs

2 T butter

milk, to brush

*optional 1/2 c raisins

*optional cinnamon sugar mix--use if not making the icing

Ingredients for the icing:

3/4 c confectioners sugar

4 t warm water

1 t vanilla

First, start the yeast in 1/4 c warm water & let stand 5 minutes, until bubbling. Add milk & 3 c flour & mix. Let rise until light.

Add sugar, salt, cinnamon, eggs, butter, & 3/4 c flour & blend. Turn out onto a floured board & knead in the remaining 3/4 c flour until the dough can be easily handled. Knead in the raisins. Here, my mom let the dough rise again before shaping, though the recipe says to continue on & shape them.

Pull off pieces of the dough (about the size of M lemons), and roll until they're ~ 8'' long. Wind each one into a coil & arrange on a buttered 9'' cake pan. Cover & let rise until doubled. Brush tops with milk & sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if not making icing.

Preheat the oven to 375 F & bake 25 minutes, until browned. While the rolls are baking, whisk together the icing ingredients in a small bowl. Spread a thin layer over the buns as soon as they come out of the oven.

Cinnamon Rolls