It would seem that I am predisposed to enjoying high maintenance birthday treats. Never a connoisseur of yucky whipped Safeway cake frosting, DQ ice cream cakes, or store bought cakes with my name scrawled across the top in pink letters, I was ruined at a young age. My first birthday cake was a labour of homemade love with fresh squeezed oranges and lemons in the cake and in the sweet delicious icing. That perfect first birthday orange chiffon cake set the standard and I have never gone back.

My mom threw birthday parties on a budget like have never been thrown before. Being a summer baby, the backyard was often transformed in the month of August into whatever had been dreamed up for the big birthday event. Rolls of newsprint turned into water colour painting stations along the fence, paper across the garage door transformed into an old fashioned fishing game with prizes, water stations, sand stations, family friends dressed as hippy love clowns, and an old refrigerator box decorated, cut, and transformed into a puppet stage to name a few. These were just the beginnings of what would develop into my love a throwing a great party.

Over the years I have planned more than a few elaborate parties from a James Bond scavenger hunt that culminated at the shooting range, to a white trash birthday party that involved fake tattoos, po’ boy sandwiches, and karaoke at the Rosslyn Hotel. And this year the party was a backyard drive-in movie screening of The Breakfast Club that included dressing up as the characters, Captain Crunch, ham and cheese, sushi, and pixie sticks. We endured the humid post-rain mist in the backyard as the weather did not cooperate, and enjoyed the athlete, the princess, the brain, the criminal, and the basket case just the same. With John Hughes’ tragic and coincidental passing less than a week after the party, it was a fitting tribute. I “fake bobbed” my red locks, put on my biggest fake diamond studs, brown skirt, pink top, knee high boots, and fancied myself the red head heroine of my youth, Miss Molly Ringwald…aka “the princess” Claire.

With “Breakfast Club informed treats”, and mandatory truffle popcorn on the menu, the only big decision left to make was the birthday confection. Despite the yawn factor of cupcakes shops on every corner, I have in years gone by established a bit of a cupcake queen reputation. My usual recipes are one of two…NYC’s Magnolia Bakery’s Traditional Vanilla Birthday Cake with Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting or Ina Garten’s Coconut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

With a desire to try something new, I tracked down a highly rated recipe that covered cream cheese frosting, citrus notes, rich carrot cake, chocolate and coconut requirements. All the elements of the perfect “old man dessert” standards that I love best… Carrot Coconut Cupcakes with White Chocolate Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting!

The cakes were moist and tender, and the creamy frosting, though bordering on a glaze with my addition of a teaspoon of lemon juice and an extra cup of icing sugar, set well in the fridge and was delicious and delicate. A sugary maraschino cherry on top for the brain “Brian Johnson” who is NOT a cherry, and may or may not have motioned to Claire, was the perfect addition. After all, love is in the details.

When the sun starts to shine on a more regular basis here in Alberta, my food cravings shift from the comfort foods of colder days, to crisp fresh goodies. With Farmer’s Markets in full swing, tomatoes that taste like tomatoes again, farm fresh carrots, and sweet mint poking up in my garden despite my lack of the proverbial green thumb, I start thinking BBQ and fresh salads.

With fresh on the mind, last weekend launched our BBQ season for the year and set the bar high. Perfectly grilled salmon with a Moroccan Chermoula that could make anything delectable. Admittedly, salmon is never my first choice of fish. I prefer the meatiness of halibut, they delicate taste of basa, or the simplicity of pan fried trout, but this preparation boosts a simple fresh piece of salmon to a crave worthy treat. Add to that two fresh and simple salads, one beetroot salad with arugula, snap peas, and fresh oranges, and one carrot, feta, and mint salad (both from Simply Bill by Bill Granger), and there was no doubt that my days of summer had begun.

These dishes are the kind you will return to again and again, when the days grow longer and the sun starts peaking through the long cold days to finally warm your skin.

Chermoula Grilled Salmon

fresh salmon fillet or fish of your choice

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup sesame seeds

4 cloves of minced garlic

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp chili flakes

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

Using a food processor or mortar and pestle, chop/pound cilantro, sesame seeds, and garlic. Slowly add oil to mixture. stir in paprika, chilies, salt, and lemon juice.

Place salmon on foil lined with parchment. Spoon mixture over the top of the fish generously. (This recipe usually makes more marinade than I require and I freeze the extra for future use.) Fold parchment/foil over fish to form a sealed packet that will be placed directly on the BBQ. Let marinate in the fridge for up to one hour prior to grilling. Heat BBQ to medium heat and grill for approximately 10-15 minutes depending on the size of the fish.

Beetroot Salad

18 baby beets

baby arugula

handful of snap peas, trimmed and blanched

2 blood oranges, peeled and sliced (I couldn’t find blood oranges and substitued with a regular orange)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp chopped fresh oregano

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Trim beets and cook in boiling salted water for 30-40 minutes, or until tender.Rinse under running water and peel away the skin.

Arrange arugula, sliced beets, snap peas and blood oranges on a platter. Mix together olive oil, white wine vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper and drizzle over salad.

Carrot, Feta and Mint Salad

1 kg carrots, peeled, halved, and sliced

2 garlic cloves crushed

3 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup feta cheese

1/4 cup pitted black olives (I like the dried at the Italian Centre for this recipe, or kalamata)

small handful of fresh mint leaves

Cook the carrots in boiling salted water for 1 minute. Drain and refresh in iced water. Stir together garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Arrange carrots on a serving platter. Top with crumbled feta, mint, and olives, and drizzle with the dressing.

Add a crisp chilled buttery viognier and soak up the sun!