UnBirthday Party

MAD HATTER:
Now, statistics prove, prove that you've one birthday

MARCH HARE:
Imagine, just one birthday every year

MAD HATTER:
Ah, but there are three hundred and sixty four unbirthdays!

MARCH HARE:
Precisely why we're gathered here to cheer

BOTH:
A very merry unbirthday to you, to you

I love that movie!  It's actually my favorite Disney movie.  Sleeping Beauty and Princess and the Frog come in a VERY close second and third though. 

Why am I quoting Alice in Wonderland and talking about unbirthdays?  Because Sunny realized the other day that we have been talking about her and her sisters' birthdays and what kind of party they wanted but, I never have a party;.  (Honestly I haven't had a party in the last 19 years)

I simply explained that I don't have friends in the area so I can't have a party.  (I didn't bother to tell her that our vacation every year actually IS my "party" and the only friends I need are my family)

Her response?  "I'm sorry.  You should have an unbirthday party."  And that's what we did.

The UnBirthday Spread.  Fancy Tablecloth and "wine"

I made 4 different types of tea sandwiches; cucumber with dill cream cheese,  tuna, peanut butter and jelly, and cheese with caramelized onions.  I put out fresh fruit and veggies with a ranch dip for the vegetables.  

For dessert I made planned on making a chocolate sweetpotato cake.  But, because I'm an idiot, I mixed up 2 recipes and the cake turned out like a lava cake.  It was actually delicious and the girls loved it.

Recipe Redux members are among the first to be introduced to California sweetpotatoes! Sweetpotatoes are not in fact a “sweet potato”- they are a different vegetable entirely. Sweetpotatoes will now be known as one word to emphasize to consumers that they are quite different from the white potato and other sweet potatoes out there.

What’s unique about California sweetpotatoes is that they are grown in soft sand and are hand sorted during harvest to minimize scarring and scratching. The result is a visually, higher quality (i.e., more attractive) sweetpotato. California sweetpotatoes are a “nutrition bang for the calorie buck” with 4 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, a good source of vitamin C and more than a day’s worth of vitamin A, all for 105 calories per serving (1 medium size, cooked). Plus, they are available year-round.

Consumers often mistakenly think that sweetpotatoes are yams. The California Sweetpotato Council also wants to set the record straight to clear up this confusion and shift the vernacular. Sweetpotatoes are sweet and moist, while yams are dry and starchy and not readily available in the U.S. Part of the confusion comes from the fact that there are varieties of sweetpotatoes called yams. Sweetpotatoes with orange interiors have a higher beta-carotene content than true yams. Sweetpotatoes are grown in the United States, while yams are imported from the Caribbean. (The scientific name of sweetpotato is Ipomoea batatas and it's a member of the morning glory family. A yam on the other hand belongs to the Yam plant family.)

I received three different types of sweetpotatos to sample.  I chose the O'Henry variety because according to description paper that was included "this tater's white flesh is sweet, [and] creamy."  It sounded like the perfect  variety for my cake.

Oh and before I forget, the legal stuff: I received free samples of California sweetpotatoes mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the California Sweetpotato Council and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

Sweetpotato Lava Cake


1.25 cups white Flour (you can also use whole wheat)
.25 cup cocoa powder
1.5 t baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mashed California sweetpotato
1 cup cinnamon applesauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Stir together dry ingredients
3. Mix in wet
4. Spray a 9 inch cake pan with pan spray and pour in batter
5. Bake 30-40 minutes until the top is set and center has a pudding-like consistancy
6. Serve warm

Normally the girls aren't big sweet potato fans but, the loved this!  It's fairly healthy and if you switch the sugar for sugar free maple syrup this recipe is healthy enough to eat for breakfast.

What's your favorite Disney movie?   


   

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