E's bday weekend (Seattle & Victoria BC)

For E's birthday this year we went to Victoria, BC.  We stopped at Dad and V's to have birthday brunch.

Such a great help I am...

I guess I was too busy eating.

After brunch, we took the clipper to Victoria, BC to meet up with sis, Cam, Tlell, Rex and baby.

Saturday night we had E's celebration with the most amazing special Canadian kinder bueno cake!

The next several pictures we taken very early in the morning but who could fault that little cute face. The only frown came when sis and I started singing.

In the morning sis made banana pancakes and again I did not help.

We walked downtown for lunch at the ReBar

Cam + Melissa

Filleting a Salmon

Pineapple Upside-down Cake

I used the cake recipe from Smitten Kitchen and the topping from Simply Recipes.


Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Topping:


1 cup of firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 can (20 oz) of pineapple slices


Batter:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
2 tablespoons dark rum for sprinkling over cake


Special equipment: 9″ cake pan 


Preheat oven to 350°F.


Make topping: Melt butter in skillet. Add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, four minutes. Remove from heat. Arrange pineapple on top of sugar mixture in concentric circles, overlapping pieces slightly.


Make batter: Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in granulated sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and rum. Add half of flour mixture and beat on low speed just until blended. Beat in pineapple juice, then add remaining flour mixture, beating just until blended. (Batter may appear slightly curdled.)


Spoon batter over pineapple topping and spread evenly. Bake cake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cake stand in skillet five minutes. Invert a plate over skillet and invert cake onto plate (keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together). Replace any pineapple stuck to bottom of skillet. Sprinkle rum over cake and cool on plate on a rack.


Serve cake just warm or at room temperature.

Kentucky Derby weekend

Thursday we went for a bike ride and drink at Fifth Quadrant.

Saturday we went to the PSU Farmers Market, to the cigar shop and to watch the kentucky derby and have some mint juleps!