So, it is party time again, folks!

[wiseheart]

Each year this time, we launch my virtual birthday party, which starts on October 1 and ends on October 9 at midnight, sharp. The goals of the party are to post as many comments and collapse as many threads as possible, on as many new pages as we can. It is always great fun, as you can see if you check out the similar entries of the last few years.

This year, I'll also throw the real party at mid-time - and post the recipes of all the food that will be there for you, so that you can all participate if you want to. Virtual food has no calories.

Fandom-related discussions are as welcome as the ones about coffee or chocolate (just to name a few favourites from previous years), and, of course, pictures and recipes of birthday cakes. ;)

So, drop by, tell your story, post your pics or silly poems, ask questions you always wanted to ask and have a good time!

Soledad, in excited expectation




Oh, and by the way, to provide birthday gifts hobbit-style, I've got a revived story and a Kansas 2 update for you.

Enjoy!

Comments

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Sooo, on with the food discussion, I proudly present... Mum's famous aubergine paste
(or is that a creme???)

In any case, she bakes two medium-sized aubergies on an iron plate on the hearth. Once they've cooled, she peels them, purees the fruit flesh and mixes it with chopped onions. Or with onion paste, lately. Then she adds some sunflower oil until the whole thing is smooth, thick and creamy, and seasons it with a pinch of salt and either with lemon juice or with vinegar.

Usually, she just eats it as a bread spread, but when she prepares it for guests, she fills it into small, hollowed tomatoes.

Me, I hate the thing like the plague, I can't even stand the stench of it, but everyone else who gives it a try gets positively ecstatic, so I thought I'd share the recipe. *g*

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on aubergine -- can't abide it!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

For me, it has merely decorative purposes. The colour is amazing, but I don't think it should count as food at all.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

The texture & taste are horrid, and most people seem to prepare it with lots of salt, to draw out the moisture, which makes it even worse.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I saw someone grilling slices of aubergine on tv once - not in a real grill but in a grilling pan. They used oil in it. I tried to copy the method, hoping I'd like it that way (I was trying to eat more veggies at that time), but it turned out horribly sloppy and dripping with oil. I almost got sick.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

My mother used to do that -- urgh! I think there are some flavours that combine well with them (figs, goat's cheese) but I can't get over the slimy consistency. I dimly recall I once had some aubergine crisps (crispy, brittle) but how that effect was achieved I know not.

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

I am going to have to disagree with your here; I love aubergine, in many different forms! Your Mum's aubergine paste sounds delicious! One of my favourite things to get in the Lebanese restaurant, that I used to live near in London, was baba ganoush. All I know about it, is that it is made with mashed (cooked in some way; I think smoked) aubergine and it is yummy! Much better than hummus any day.

Say 'hi' to your Mum from me!

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

Sometimes paste is nicer than the vegetable -- I've found I love beetroot paste when I dislike beetroot. Smoking does improve the taste of a lot of foods.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

As I said: all our friends are mad about Mum's aubergine dish, so she has to make it every time we have guests. I usually go out of the house while she's doing it. *g*

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

At least it means there's more of the real food for you!

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

I have never heard of beetroot paste; is this something one can buy, or did you or someone else make it? I very much dislike beetroot, so I am not at all sure I would buy it if I saw it, but I love the colour of it so if it really tastes very different to the vegetable I might give it a try. Having said that though, I have had borscht and very much didn't like that either, so maybe I wouldn't...

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

It's a bought paste, which tastes utterly delicious despite having some beetroot flavour. The main ingredients, aside from beetroot, are borlotti beans (which one can't taste at all), yoghurt, sour cream & tahini, and it does taste a lot of sesame, which might explain why I like it so much. I've taken to it with rice cakes & low-fat Greek yoghurt as a relatively low-calorie snack.

I'm not fond of borscht, either.

[solanpolarn.livejournal.com]

I shall have to keep an eye out then! I do generally like sesame, and everything I have tried so far made with tahini, so it sounds promising. Low-calorie snacks are definitely something I need more of...

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

There are so few snacks that are genuinely healthy and low calorie -- so many of them have salt to bulk up the taste.