No, silly, not Thanksgiving or even Christmas, but....(drum roll please!) my 38th birthday.

I'm actually feeling a little depressed about it. Don't know why. It's not a milestone or anything. Maybe it's that to me 38 sounds pretty old.

Anyway, in a feeble attempt to bring this blog back into the realm of Russian adoption I thought I'd tell you what Russian people do on their birthdays. As far as I can tell they typically have a party and then they eat birthday pie.

Hmm. As someone whose birthday occurs on Thanksgiving day every 7 years I can tell you emphatically: birthday pie is no fun at all. But then again, I'm not Russian.

I searched "recipes Russian birthday" through Google and I found some funny things:

-a recipe for an "8th birthday drink" that involves Vodka, Chambord, raspberry liqeur, milk, and creme de cacao. Hmm. 8 year olds sure can't drink that in this country!

-several of my old posts about Russian recipes. Yawn.

-several mentions of the wonderful cookbook, A Year of Russian Feasts which has a chapter about a friend's birthday

-an astonishing recipe for "Russian cake," or Creole trifle, which was supposedly invented in 1872 when a Grand Duke Alexis of Russia visited New Orleans.

-a recipe for "Black Russian Truffles," which I would eat as a substitute for cake on my birthday. Strictly speaking I don't think I should consider a "Black Russian" Russian, but I'm no stickler for details when it comes to birthday treats. This is from the howstuffworks.com:

Ingredients

8 ounces premium bittersweet chocolate, broken into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter
3-1/2 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur
1-1/2 tablespoons vodka
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts*

*To toast walnuts, spread in single layer on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350°F oven 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.


Preparation


1) Place chocolate in food processor; process until chocolate is chopped.

2) Combine cream and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on HIGH 1-1/2 minutes or until butter is melted and cream begins to boil.

3) With food processor running, pour hot cream mixture through feed tube; process until chocolate melts. Add liqueur and vodka; process until blended. Pour chocolate mixture into medium bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

4) Shape chocolate mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll in walnuts. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature 2 to 3 hours before serving.

Brandy Truffles: Substitute 3-1/2 tablespoons brandy for offee-flavored liqueur and vodka; add to chocolate mixture in Step 3. In place of walnuts, roll truffles in 1 cup powdered sugar.
Hazelnut Truffles: Substitute 3-1/2 tablespoons hazelnut-flavored liqueur and 1-1/2 tablespoons gold tequila for offee-flavored liqueur and vodka; add to chocolate mixture in Step 3. In place of walnuts, roll truffles in 1 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts.
Gift Idea: Place these truffles in petit fours or paper candy cups and stack them in decorative coffee, tea or espresso cups. Wrap each cup in cellophane and arrange in a basket with a bag of gourmet coffee and a bottle of liqueur.