Big Birthday Bang & Monthly Mingle 12




The month of June - in my opinion the best month to be celebrating a birthday. It's been a sweet month on WFLH so far too ;-)
This mingle is certainly dedicated to all those June Gemini babies. I know a few of my blogger buddies are June babies. She certainly is one, so is she, she and she. So you see I am in pretty good company.

The company even gets better as you all come over with all your incredible creations. I said Birthday PARTY and you went and made cakes, ice-creams, puddings and tarts. Some of you thought cleverly and brought along a few wonderful savory dishes too.
Before we all indulge lets take a deep breath and blow out the candles to all those Birthday Babes in June.

Happy Birthday, gorgeous!!




July Monthly Mingle Theme
Before we do get into the roundup let me quickly announce the theme for the next mingle.

July is HOT. Temperatures rise and many of us are on summer break. It's a great month to kick back, relax and chill with a refreshing bowl of something cool. Cool, creamy, smooth, rich and straight out of the freezer. Some say there are only "31 flavors", but I believe you all can prove that theory wrong! This is what I want for the next mingle: your perfect ice-cream creation. Be creative, be imaginative most of all be cool. Pair flavors never dared, make floats, sundaes or sorbets - whatever you do I want you all to scream for ICE-CREAM!

Here's how it works:
  1. Create a dish that fits this theme. Blog about it anytime from now till July 4th, 2007.
  2. Email your entry with
    • your name
    • the name of your blog
    • name of dish
    • your permalink
    by July 4th, 2007.
  3. In your post please include a link to this post and/or the MM logo, so your readers get a chance to mingle with us.
  4. Please send only one entry per blog. If you do not have a blog, simply email your entry, with a picture (if you would like me to add a picture) to blogmeeta@gmail.com.
  5. Although it's great to get entries from all over the world I have to insist that they be in English. If you have a Blog in another language I would kindly like to request you to post your entries in English as well.


I'd like to remind those taking part to please check these guideline carefully and when you send your emails to make sure all the required details are included. Also please check the permalinks you are sending and take a note of the deadline. You will find a comprehensive guideline and event etiquettes for event participation here.

Ready to party?



Should You Eat That - Hummingbird Cake
I had the honor to share Tara's mum's birthday cake!
...I decided to make Hummingbird cake. I read about it a while ago when the name caught my eye, I remember thinking 'what a weird name for a cake!', maybe somebody could tell me the origins of the name? Mum loves hummingbirds, almost as much as butterflies and dragonflies, she even has tattoos of them ...


Jugalbandi - The Essence of Orange Marmelade
Jai and Bee make the ultimate "orangy" Orange Marmelade
Our aim was to make this marmalade as ‘orangy’ as possible. Our ingredient list reads: Oranges, one lemon, orange juice, orange blossom honey, orange liqueur. The end result is a flavour that can best be described as ‘essence of orange’.


Tastes Like Home - Parmesan Chips
Lovely and crispy, Cynthia brings along some cheesy chips.
You will not believe how easy these crisps are to make and you can see how attractive they are!


An Italian in the US - Torta al limone e uvetta con crema al whiskey!
Marta likes to serve traditional cakes for birthday events. Glad she made this lovely Italian Lemon and raisin cake with whiskey cream for me! Oh? You want some too?
know I am a traditionalist, but if it's someone's birthday, I want to give them a cake! So this is a piece of cake for you, Meeta!


Green Gourmet Giraffe - Hot Milk Cupcakes
Johanna make lovely cupcakes drizzled in chocolaty icing.
We had them hot out of the oven for dessert with warm notella and cream. They were light and melting. Both of us gave them high praise.


Rasa Malaysia - Mini Portuguese Egg Tarts
RM makes the cutest mini tarts for the birthday party.
Somehow the mini egg tarts tasted even better than the regular ones I made months ago.


Aroma! - Strwaberry Yogurt Pie
Asha makes a Finnish pie, fruity and moist, I am glad she decided to bake this one!
Strawberry yogurt Pie, also called "Mustikkaiiras" in Finnish, is a very delicious, not so sweet and not so fatty pie you will love


Vanille & Chocolat - Birthday Sweets
Inne lives up to her Belgian roots and makes some delectable sweets.
Of course there had to be something chocolate-y – I do have my Belgian-ness to live up to after all – so I decided on truffles.


Wishing on Clovers - Leaning Tower of Chocolate Raspberry Cake
A dessert after my own heart combining chocolate and raspberries.
Chocolate and Raspberries just seem to go together for me. The luscious richness of dark chocolate compliments the tartness in a raspberry, finishing in a flavor combination that is settling to the palate.



Jumbo Empanadas - Banana Cake
This is NOT the ordinary banana cake you and I know. This is decadent and well BANANAS!
...this banana cake, (Lots-of-Ways Banana cake, page 204) is presented as a versatile recipe that can be dressed up or dressed down depending on the occasion. Since this was a special occasion, I was certainly going to dress it up and I actually went a step further than the suggestions and turned it into a three layer cake, with a fourth layer crumbled on top.


Cooking The Books - Date, Rum and Pecan Ice Cream
What a lovely combination ... hic!
There was no question in my mind of which ice cream to make first – date, rum and pecan ice cream just the name hit all the right buttons for me, and so I made it. It was absolutely perfect!


Hot N' Sweet Bowl - Daisy World Cake
A gorgeously decorated summer type cake.
This is my first fondant cake. Before I have made cakes with butter cream icing which was done in my class


Feeding My Enthusiasms - Birthday Turnovers
Especially for me, Elle makes the most incredible turnovers. Lovely puff pastry wrapped around a savory filling of salmon, rice and mushrooms.
Since I'm confident that there will be lots of birthday cake, I decided to make you an appetizer for early in the Mingle.


The Singing Chef - Chewy Chocolate Walnut Brownies
Luscious brownies using a Hershey's chocolate bar.
I discovered a recipe that I modified that afternoon to make an amazing batch of brownies.


Salt & Pepper - Angel Hair Pasta with Basil Rosewater Pesto
Gini celebrates with roses in her garden and roses in her dish!
When summer comes, the roses in our garden steal the show. We have a climbing rose that blooms with a vengeance.


Teczcape - Chocolate Mousse Ice-Cream
Tigerfish uses the last of her chocolate block and makes a lovely dessert.
This is a mousse recipe found in the inside of the chocolate wrapper. I only made minor modifications by adding some vanilla almond shredded oats , as the topping for the chocolate mousse.


Add Flavor - Shrikhand
GVBarve makes a delightful Indian sweet dish.
In our house, some Indian traditional sweets will be done for birthdays and occasions.


Fusion Food - Green Trifle
Dumela uses avocado and kiwi fruits to make a very green summery trifle.
Usually I stick to a colour theme, and throw in fruits of the same colour. Sometimes seasonal fruits determine the colour of the trifle! Like when mangoes are in season, its Trifle yellow, and for peaches it Trifle orange and Trifle Pink with strawberries, and when there's no fruit around, then its chocolate all the way!! This time I decided to try green with avacado and kiwi...


Homesick Texan - Texas Sheet Cake
Lisa cannot celebrate a birthday without this lovely looking cake. Moist and rich.
And growing up, it wasn’t my birthday unless I was eating a certain chocolate cake known as Texas sheet cake.


Saffron Trail - Mango Coconut Ice-Cream
Nandita catches on to the summer trend and makes ice-cream for the first time. Hope she gives it one more go for the next mingle too!
This is my first ever attempt at making ice cream at home. With Natural Ice Cream's main outlet a stone's throw away from home, I really can't be blamed right?


Spicyandhra - Chocolate Fudge Cake
If this is not a luscious looking chocolate cake. Dark, rich and decadent.
I decided to try something very rich and something with chocolate as for me no birthday is complete without a chocolate cake.


Eating the Right Stuff - Jasmine Chocolate Pavlova with Berries
Abby celebrates just day before I do so, she treats us to a chocolaty meringue with a fruity topping.
this pavlova was a bit special. the chocolate meringue was flavoured using rococo jasmine chocolate, which was gift from toby’s wife julia. i also used valsamica instead of normal vinegar. both the jasmine and vanilla flavours added depth and complexity to the chocolateyness.


Tartelette - Lemon Mascarpone Charlottes
Helene is the sweetest. She makes gorgeous little treats with mascarpone and lady fingers all flavored with elegant lemon. My kinda birthday treat.
I imagined these Lemon Mascarpone Charlottes, I really found them fit for the event. Just like I envision Meeta, they stand tall with confidence, soft and strong in flavor and yet playful at the same time.


Food-N-More - An Absolute First
Anupama decorates her first cake with lovely icing and dedicates it to me. I say that is the icing on the cake Anu!!
Believe me I was nervous. I mean I do not have the right kind of instruments needed (like a palette knife to smoothen the icing or even a proper icing bag) and secondly I had bought so many precious ingredients that I would have been devastated had something gone wrong.


Sunita's World - Mini Chocolate Rolls
Lovely little chocolate treats.
It was one of those things that I made in a jiffy and was all gone in the blink of an eye.


Akshayapaatram - Dulche De Leche
Priya makes her favorite ice-cream at home and brings it for all of us to dig in!
This is the recipe for the most sinfully good ice cream.


Taste And Tell - Perfect Party Cake
Deborah goes into therapy by baking a gorgeous cake for us.
I do have to say, there is something really therapeutic about baking - especially the step when you rub the sugar and the lemon zest together with your fingers. I stood there, fingers covered in sugar, just inhaling the wonderful scent of the lemon sugar.


Yambalya - Mousse A L'Orange
Incredible Isis makes a lovely, fluffy and light mousse - an after dessert dessert.
I bring in my piece de resistance, my desert I haven't made in years, but specially for this party I tried it again .... my mousse a l'orange.
I serve it in my Mexican hand blown glasses, with some mint and some Swedish jam for decoration



All Things Edible - Orange Cranberry Biscotti
Pairing orange and cranberry in a wonderful crunchy biscotti is ingenious. Perfect for dipping in coffee.
To me the unusual part of this cookie is the cornmeal - it gave it an extra crunchy texture. Perhaps if I had had fine cornmeal instead of medium it wouldn't have been so obvious to the texture of the cookie.

Ammalu's Kitchen - Cool Whip Pineapple Dessert
A quick and easy dessert whipped up in minutes. Perfect for a big party.
The dessert I decided for the birthday bash is simple and only requires mixing and freezing and can be made in large batches and the best part is .. It cant go wrong! No way!


Nook & Pantry - Pork Picadillo Empanadas
Amy puts away her pancakes and makes moist and crispy empanadas instead. I would have taken both. They look incredibly good!
I definitely couldn't share a dish I wasn't proud of for Meeta's event so I wanted to make something else. Since the Monthly Mingle is a party theme, I finally went with some savory empanadas for an snack/appetizer.


Fresh Kitchen - Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate, Coconut & Cointreau
Dhana makes intoxicating cute little cakes with a killer combination in flavors.
I made quite a few of these cupcakes, and sent them off with R to be taken to work. All I know is he had some VERY happy (hic!) employees all day long ;)


Saapadu Thayaar! - Torte del Cielo
A "slice of heaven" indeed!
At the birthday girl's request to make some party grub for her, I put on my thinking hat and wondered what to make. After scratching my scalp away, the bulb went off in my head - I could make my world-famous (ish!) Mexican almond cake.


Writing At The Kitchen Table - Bourekia
Stuffed with mushroom, spinach and feta Freya brings some delightful Greek pastry.
I made a Greek inspired pastry or, I suppose you could call it a pasty, a sort of Bourekia if you will, stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, feta cheese, truffle paste and spring onions.


Janet Is Hungry - Omm Ali
My all time fave Arabic dessert, that is what Janet made for my party. Looks soo droolworthy!
The king of bread pudding. No, the Pharoah of bread pudding. I'm not sure I will ever post another Bread Pudding, because I just don't think this one can be topped.


Ms. Adventures In Italy - Fresh Pasta with Basil, Tomatoes and Burrata
Lovely light and completely scrumptious. Using Burrata, this recipe becomes so elegant.
Burrata is made by taking mozzarella “threads” or pasta and then stuffing it with cream and closing it up like a little ball. The mozzarella doesn’t form a rind, but the outer layer is harder/denser than the creamy inside.


FoodBlogga - Strawberry-Rhubarb Sponge Pudding
Susan combines two summertime favorite fruits to make a wonderfully spongy pudding.
You can’t eat rhubarb without strawberries. Sorry. That’s just the way it is. I don’t make the rules; somebody else does.


Boxcar Kitchen - Semolina Cake Ă  la fleur d'oranger
Esther makes decadent little cakes using lovely orange flower to flavor them.
The cakes were so much better plain and fresh from the oven. The semolina flour added a nice crunch to the outside and the inside was dense, steamy and perfumed by the orange flower water.


Technicolor Kitchen - Walnut camafeus
Patricia makes traditional Brazilian sweets for the party. They are the cutest things I have seen.
Camafeus are bite-sized sweets served in parties here, especially weddings - it is a Portuguese candy that has become part of our cooking traditions.


A Mad Tea Party - Whole Wheat Potato Bread
Nothing more lovelier then having fresh bread spread with some butter.
And I had a fine and dandy bread. Much much softer; three hours of cooling was not enough to get great looking slices. We finished an entire loaf for dinner (4 servings). Only next morning, after overnight refrigeration, was I able to slice it properly. I couldn’t tell any difference in taste, but it made for a much softer crumb.


Kitchen Delights - Goat Cheese Pinenut and Cherry Tomato Tarts
Tarts with all these beautiful ingredients are always welcome to any party. This is my kind of food.
The wonderful thing about this particular dish, is that it is light and tasty, and what's more you will have plenty of room left to sample something that everyone else has made. Crafty me!


Swad - Jalebis
Jalebis are beautiful, sweet, crispy Indian sweets and Swapna makes a wonderful batch for us.
...jalebis have been my all time favorite since quite some time. I don’t have a sweet tooth, but jalebis and gulab jamuns are two exceptions.


AkshayaPatra - Mango Pie
For someone who shyed away from making pies, Chandrika makes an incredible lush looking mango pie.


Paulchen's Food Blog - Raspberry-Yoghurt-Peppermint Hearts
Can you believe something so wonderful looking can be so easy to make? This is a fantastic party dessert.
It’s not highly sophisticated. No it’s quick and easy to make and yet very delicious - to my mind.


Ahaar! Ragal Cookies
Mandira makes cookies fit for kings and queens!
Celebrating a tradition we don't follow so often anymore, she had a tea party under a cherry tree in her garden. The choices were delectable - scones, cookies, salad, samosas and different kinds of tea and ofcourse interesting conversations.


Autres Delices - Fennel Biscuits
Lovely light biscuits flavored with fennel seeds and a hint of vanilla
I'll bring these cookies we can have with coffee.


And finally my own offering to my party - Raspberry Chocolate Tiramisu
To friendship and to sentimental birthdays!

So I hope I managed to round them all up. If you find your entry is missing, please accept my apology, send me an email informing me about this mishap and I'll update the post. For those who sent me your entries after the deadline and I had to turn down, why don't you add a link to the comments section of this post? This way you can still be a part of the event.

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23 comments:

  1. Lovely round up. My mouth is watering. :-) Glad to see you had a great birthday bang! :)

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  2. I'm a June baby but I'm a Cancer :P

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  3. Meeta, you amazing woman. You have done it again, a smashing party and a great round up. I sincerely admire you :-)
    hugs

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  4. Great round up again Meeta.Glad so many took part.Hope you had a great fun B'day.You are getting younger and younger my friend!:)
    Great theme for July.I just bought a Cuisinart Ice Cream maker!Now I have to find some space in my freezer to freeze that bowl!! ;D

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  5. Great round up - so many lovely party dishes :)

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  6. Wonderful birthday party! I left my 'goody bag' and paper hat at yours, would you mind sending them on please.

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  7. Happy birthday, my fellow Gemini! You sure do know how to throw a party. So many decadent treats, I don't know where to start--what an incredibly delicous round up!

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  8. That was a really mouthwatering roundup...goodness I feel bloated what with all those goodies...great job...that was one smashing party...thanks for hosting.

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  9. Wow, what a fab roundup - and I do have a bunch of Birthday cakes to bake this month! Happy birthday again!

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  10. Great round-up Meeta!
    You threw another big and wonderful party.So many mouthwatering entries ;o)

    Just wanted to say thank you!

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  11. Whoa !!!! You are a Gemini toooo !!!!! Happpy Birthday Meeta. I can only send these flowers your way.

    http://www.orugallu.net/vinDu/?p=116

    I hope you like 'em.

    Cheers,
    Mythili

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  12. I can't walk, I can't talk, just roll me over. I am so full. :) Great party Meeta!

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  13. Great round up! Hope you enjoyed all your goodies!

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  14. What a spectacular bday bang and great round up! I love the theme for next month's mingle. I'm so excited, I can't wait.

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  15. What a fantastic round up Meeta. I could every single thing. Will get my thinking cap on for ice cream. Amanda

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  16. Your monthly mingles never cease to amaze me!
    Happy birthday month to you!

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  17. You've even made my dodgy cake look good! Amazing!

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  18. Meetta, I have finally posted a little birthday sweet for you - I don't mind that the mingle is over.

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  19. What a wonderful round-up, Meeta!
    I'm so glad to be a part of this mingle.

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  20. what a liplicking, no drool worthy delicious and fab round up meeta. You throw great parties ;)

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  21. Meeta, I like your choice to include a quote from each entry. This is quite a festive round-up. Happy birthday to all of you June babies!

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  22. Wonderful round-up! I love the 'stream of pictures'. :) And wow, my mouth is watering too!

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  23. Mouth watering one ....Great round up too....Ice cream for july ..This sounds great ....Can u take my gulab jamun and ice cream entry for this one ..I shall prepare something else too .....

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Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hugs
Meeta