Melissa’s Birthday Dinner

My birthday gift to Melissa, (besides a hand-me-down novel) was dinner and a cake. I made her my favorite chocolate cake recipe from Ina Garden’s cookbook, since after all she has been my best friend since sophomore year of high school - even though we’re as different as night and day.

The last time I made this recipe I put the chocolate chips inside the cake batter, but this time I forgot!! So I dumped them on top of a still warm cake and topped it with the other, making a chocolate chip-chocolate cake sandwich.

Though I still think I prefer them in the cake, this method was very delicious. Per Melissa’s request, I made cream cheese frosting.

cream cheese frosting:
8 oz cream cheese
1 stick butter
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract


I made a light dinner of tortellini salad and fresh fruit. Thank goodness it was light, because my house was literally 85 degrees. The hardships of living without central AC!

The tortellini salad was comprised of:
1 box cheese tortellini (Trader Joes)
1 tomato, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 ear of white corn, cut off the cob
handful fresh basil, chopped
few mint sprigs, chopped
1-2 tbsp olive oil
salt, pepper and lemon juice