Birthday Eats

24 long years ago, on a dark and stormy September night, I was born. OK, so maybe I'm over-dramatizing a little bit, but point is, I just celebrated my 24th birthday! If you know me, I get VERY excited about my birthday. I mean, it is the best day of the year ;).

What did I do to make the most of my special day? Well, Ann Arbor is known for having many birthday deals (summarized on the "city wiki" here), so I tried to hit up as many of these as possible, summarized below:

Northside Grill: A cute little breakfast/lunch spot nearby to where I live, they give you a free entree on your birthday. So I started my day there with the Cajun Skillet - complete with spice and andouille sausage. A delicious way to clear my sinuses first thing in the morning!

Breakfast of a (24-year-old) champion.

Lab Lunch: OK, so obviously this is not a restaurant, but it was a happy surprise that Kate, one of the post-docs in lab, made me pumpkin squares complete with homemade ice cream! They were so delicious, I begged for the recipe to make and share (with permission, of course!). See below. The squares were so gooey and perfect with a buttery crust that I ate TWO portions for my lunch. Because that's what you do on your birthday.

The whole platter is for me, right?

Zingerman's, Iorio's, and Cupcake Station: After ducking out of lab early (it was my birthday), I headed over to get my 15% discount at Zingerman's deli - I got 2 loaves of bread, fresh mozzarella, and a couple of their delicious brownies all for $26! Then over to Iorio's for my free small gelato - this time I had Riesling sorbet + dark chocolate ginger. They don't go together, but they were amazing of course. Finally, I wrapped up by heading to get my free mini cupcake at Cupcake Station - red velvet of course. NOM!

Mani Osteria: To top off a delicious day, I went to my favorite Italian restaurant in A2 - Mani Osteria. Recently named one of Travel and Leisure's top Italian restaurants in the nation, I made sure to finish my favorite day of the year by eating some of my favorite pizza. Mario Batali even likes their food, and was spotted here a couple weeks ago! My choices? Rosemary and pistachio, and a clam pie. Other favorites include sausage and peppers (for a little spice), and balsamic and burrata (with fresh mozzarella on top). Hungry just thinking about it...

Pizza pizza, everywhere!

Pickled tomato app - VERY recommended!

...of course they sang to me...

To everyone who made my birthday fun (and delicious) - THANKS so much, I had a great time :). Couldn't ask for more.

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Pumpkin Squares
Adapted from Dr. Kate
Makes a 9 x 13 pan

Crust
1 package yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter (or margarine)

Filling
3 cups (1 lb 14 oz) Libby's canned pumpkin pie mix (NOT just pumpkin)
2 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
5 oz evaporated milk

Topping
1 cup reserved cake mixed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter (or margarine), softened
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine all crust ingredients, reserving 1 cup of the dry cake mix for the topping. Press into greased 9 x 13 pan. Combine all filling ingredients with an electric mixer, blend until smooth. Pour over crust. Combine all topping ingredients, sprinkle over the filling.

Bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Serve warm, with whipped cream or ice cream on top.