Ryan's Birthday Dinner & Cake (OH! What a Cake!)

Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate.
~Sandra Boynton

Ryan's birthday! Same dinner every year, at his request - corned beef hash. The eggs have been added in recent years and are optional.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
1/2 c vegetable oil
3 cups frozen has brown potatoes
1 tin corned beef
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/2 c milk
Eggs 1-2 /serving
Preparation:
Heat the vegetable oil in large pan over medium-high heat
Add frozen hash browns
Cook for about 15 minutes, turning once or twice for even browning
Add corned beef
Add mustard and allspice
Mix thoroughly and reduce heat to medium
Stir in milk
Let cook for a few more minutes browning the hash lightly on one side
Crack eggs over the top of the hash, cover and let the eggs cook to desired consistency

Served with broccoli and biscuits. Everyone likes ketchup on the their hash.

For DESSERT:
We saw this recipe on the Ultimate Recipe Showdown on the Food Channel, and Ryan said right then: "I want that cake for my birthday." So...
The recipe is here

If you ever make this cake, be prepared. It will be the sweetest thing you have ever tasted. You will only be able to eat a small piece, and it might put you into a sugar induced coma. I made a half recipe, and even that was a lot of cake. But tasty? Oh yeah...mmmmmm...

New Years Eve is Fondue Night!

Among the side dishes was a generous fondue, from which the prelate served himself without stint. But, oh surprise! Not recognizing its appearance and believing it to be a crème, he ate it with his spoon instead of using his fork, which from time immemorial had been the custom with this dish. All the guests, astonished by this peculiar behavior, looked sideways at one another, with imperceptible smiles.
~Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin


Fondue is our New Years Eve tradition. It's such good food, and so accessible that everyone can graze all evening.

We have a lot of fondue pots - I practically collect them. So, when I do fondue, it becomes a meal, not just an appetizer. In addition to the fondue dips detailed below, I have a Mongolian hot pot for hot oil so thin strips of beef can be fried and dipped.

Ingredients for dipping:
French bread cubes
Ham cubes
Fresh veggies (broccoli florets, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, celery)
Fresh fruits (bananas, apples, strawberries)
Black and green olives
Pretzel rods
Marshmallows
Pound cake cubes

The Fondue Recipes

Cheddar Cheese Fondue:
¾ cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoons ground dry mustard
1 tbsp flour
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
Heat milk, worcestershire sauce, mustard and flour in a saucepan over medium heat until almost boiling. Gradually stir in Cheddar cheese. Continue heating until all the cheese has melted. Rub the inside of a warm fondue pot with garlic clove and pour mixture in. (Save the garlic clove - you'll be rubbing more pots with it.)

Swiss cheese fondue:
8 oz shredded swiss cheese
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup dry white wine
Pinch white pepper
1 clove garlic

Heat wine in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cheese and cook until melted, stirring frequently. Add the corn starchand pepper. Continue to cook until thick and smooth, stirring frequently. Rub the inside of a warm fondue pot with garlic clove and pour mixture in.

Israeli Fondue:
1 avocado halved and stoned
1 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
8 ounces grated Edam cheese
1 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp sour cream

Mash the avocado with lemon juice. Heat wine in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cheese and cook until melted, stirring frequently. Add the corn starch, sour cream, and avocado mixture. Continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes until thick and smooth, stirring frequently. Rub the inside of a warm fondue pot with garlic clove and pour mixture in.

Chocolate Fondue:
1 cup heavy cream
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until hot, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chocolate and stir until it is just melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla. Transfer to a warm ceramic fondue pot - we put this in our Hershey Kiss fondue pot.