Anniversary/Birthday Cake/Salad

So today is my dad's birthday, yesterday was my parents 36th wedding anniversary, and on Tuesday is my brother and his wife's 1st wedding anniversary. The family, sans my sister, who's in college, is getting together on Wednesday evening for some home cooked grub at their place.

I know for sure I am going to make a Coconut Layer Cake that I once sampled at a friend's bridal shower in Connecticut. The cake was bought from the Sono Baking Company. The guy who started the bakery, John Barricelli, used to work at Martha Stewart Living Productions in Westport, CT. Martha Stewart Productions produces the magazine Everyday Food and the show on PBS called Everyday Baking. The Sono Baking Company is going to be sold at bookstores March 9th!! I'm super excited to get a look at what else is inside!! After putting two and two together we got our hands on this recipe, see link above. I've never seen a group of ladies eat a whole cake at a bridal shower and actually enjoy it and leaving wanting more. I think I thought about that cake for several weeks after the shower, and I'll tell you this...I wasn't the only crazy one still salivating at the thought of this cake.

I'm also going to make this salad, I saw the recipe on another blog I follow called, Big Girls, Small Kitchen: A Guide to Quarter-Life Cooking. What I liked about it was the dressing, because really what's a salad with no dressing?? Not much! I love that the recipe calls for avocado and lots of vibrant flavored herbs such as basil and parsley. P.S. I SUGGEST NEVER USE CURLY PARSLEY. Not even sure why markets even bother selling it. Have you ever seen a recipe that specifically calls for curly parsley over the flat leaf kind?!!?!? I thought so.

Green Goddess Dressing

½ medium avocado 3 tbsp white wine vinegar 1 garlic clove 1/2 lemon, juiced 1 tbsp mayonnaise 2 tbsp parsley, chopped 2 tbsp basil, chopped 2-3 scallions, chopped ½ - ¾ cup olive oil ½ tsp salt and pepper (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine. Stream in the olive oil gradually and blend until the mixture becomes light and frothy. Taste for seasoning. Toss with your leaves of choice.

So as an edible gift to my parents, brother, and his wife I'd like to bake this cake. I will definitely photograph the meal and all the food that's served. And maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to capture a snapshot of my family, surely a shot not to be missed! Be sure to stay tuned, this could get interesting!