A Little Birthday-Beast Dinner Party

Aging is never fun, especially when it's happening to you. Luckily it's happening to my plus-one and not me. I won't say how old he's turning today, but I will say it's older than me. Birthdays are the one day of the year each person (unless you're a Jehovah's Witness) has all to themselves. To quote everyone else, "treat yourself!" I like to spend the day reflecting, maybe browsing my favorite shops with newly acquired Birthday loot and I always get my haircut. I'll never understand the people who want to spend their special day getting trashed in a bar wearing a tiara or drinking out of a penis straw at Roscoe's, for instance. You get one of those in your life and that is the year you turn 21. In this edition of Little Dinner Party, I'll be showing you how to host the perfect grown-up Birthday dinner for your plus-one and friends. I'll even show you how to make a festive gift for less than the I-forgot-today-was-your-Birthday dirty magazine and lottery tickets you were going to pick up on your way home.

When hosting a dinner party in honor of someone else, it's always best to serve their favorite dish. Incidentally this is also one of my cat's favorites. This little number I stole from my mom and tweaked a bit. I decided it does not photograph as great as it tastes. Instead, here's an intimate look inside my recipe box. 

Yesterday's Catch Tuna Casserole

2 cans tuna (in water)

1/2 box macaroni (boiled and drained)

1 can cream of celery soup

1/2 stick butter

1 small can of peas and carrots

A splash of milk 

salt & pepper

1 can French's onion rings

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together. Top with French's onions. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

Making a Gift

Let's make a gift because we just had Christmas and I'm still broke. This little add-on to the predictable DVDs or slippers you've once again gotten your loved one makes a unique and practical addition to any home. If you're anything like me, you're an alcoholic. And again speaking of the holidays, you may still have a bunch of old bottles hanging around. Instead of waiting until after dark to tote out your empties, make gifts out of them!

Wine Bottle Hurricane Candle Lantern

You Will Need the Following: 

A wine bottle (dark bottles provide better light)

A glass cutter 

A cake pan

tape

a candle plate ($1 at Pier 1 Imports)

sandpaper 

a candle (votives work best)

Step 1: Tape glass cutter (teeth down) into cake pan. Line up wine bottle with cutter. Mark on the bottle where you began scoring, don't go past this line again (you can only score once). Begin forcibly turning the bottle against the cutter.    

Step 2: Pour a kettle of scalding hot water over the score line. Quickly put bottle under running cold water and the bottom of the bottle will fall off. Discard bottom, and sand the rough edges. (Safety: use protective eye and hand wear as this part involves broken glass and scalding water). 

Place over the candle plate and light it up! Voila! 

Birthdays Are About Cake

That wine bottle thing was kinda hard right? Well let's take it easy and make a boxed cake, a boxed cake with a twist. I'll be honest, this is my favorite Birthday cake, but it seems to be pretty popular with everyone else too. The best part is that it all costs less than $7.00, assuming you accidently toss the orange extract into your bag at self-checkout. 

Quarter-Life Crisis Birthday Cake

1 box dark chocolate cake mix (any brand will do)

1 container dark chocolate frosting

1.5 t-spoons orange extract (added into frosting)

2 t-spoons orange extract (added into mixed batter)

1 can drained mandarin oranges

eggs, oil and water, as necessary

Bake and frost cake as directed. (For a smaller layer cake, use all of batter in one round pan and cut with floss.)