Birthday Bliss!

Nicole and Bryan collaborated in making my birthday dinner J

In the afternoon, I blew out the candles on the delicious pie Nicole made.

Fudge Brownie Frangelico Custard Cream Pie  (it’s great for breakfast, too J)

For dinner, Bryan made Brioche Hamburger buns while Nicole ground steak and bacon to make absolutely fabulous burgers.  She also grilled okra (I love okra!) and green beans to make a wonderful salad.

Perfect gifts from Nicole, James, and Kepler . . .

We visited the Pumpkin Patch in the morning.

Guess what I found in The Russian Tea Room Cookbook  . . . Nalistniki stuffed with ground chicken and veal!

Nalisniki are on our family repeat list.  In July, I served these ones, stuffed with cottage cheese, alongside tiny Champagne Grapes.

In its early days, The Russian Tea Room in New York “was intended as a kind of hangout for the émigré White Russians, refugees from the Soviet Revolution” . . .

The Russian Tea Room Cookbook by Faith Stewart-Gordon and Nika Hazelton presents “traditional and classical Russian recipes from The Russian Tea Room kitchens”.

This is “not a quick-preparation cookbook” but it has recipes I have been dying to find . . . like the one for meat-filled Pelmeny.

And listen to this . . . secondhand copies of The Russian Tea Room Cookbook are available online for one penny!!!!