Today was my 40th birthday party. We had a lot of unusual treats, and I promised to explain them.

dessert sushi

I took a Sarah Lee pound cake and cut it into small pieces. I also got the closest thing to green fruit by the foot- "Yogos Roll ups" in fruit punch flavor. I hate fruit punch, but they were green, and the idea was to pretend they were seaweed holding the "fish" on the bed of rice. The pound cake was the rice. The "fish" were octopi, clown fish, and swedish fish. Then I used cinnamon imperials for the large roe, and pop rocks for the tiny roe, and there is also raspberry candies which texturally in the mouth taste more like the roe sushi. I kept them gently chilled in our mud room. I am glad I only made one tray, because there was a lot left over. Originally, I was planning on making some with pound cake and some with rice krispy treats. Instead, I just did a whole 'nother tray of rice krispy treats.

Canookie

This is a canookie. It's a dessert equivalent of turducken, started out on SSSK as a joke, but I thought it deserved to be made once. Make chocolate chip cookie dough (it takes about half a batch of the recipe found in Better Homes & Gardens, but I use all butter and no shortning because I'm that kind of person). Make brownie mix from a box. Using a 13 x 9 pan, well-buttered, pour in the brownie mix. Then evenly spoon the cookie dough in the brownie mix. Bake according to the brownie mix, adding about 5 minutes max. Allow to cool and then frost with chocolate. Meanwhile, make a banana cake mix (or your favorite non-clashing with chocolate flavor), also in a 13 x 9 pan (unfortunately my second pan is closer to 12.5 x 8.5) and bake according to the box. Allow to cool 10 minutes, then flip onto a cooling rack. Cool completely. Then flip over onto the frosted browkie (brownie with cookie). Then frost with butter cream frosting (or your favorite flavor). With the box mixes, it's actually very easy to do. It's just a bear to eat up entirely because the sugar overload will do you in.

Scotch eggs, I'm pretty sure I've covered before. Take a hard boiled egg, wrap it in bacon, wrap that in sausage or a meatloaf mixture, and then bake for an hour at 350 F. Then when you get to the bar, toss in the deep fryer for a minute. Rascal got into the bag while I was unloading the car and ate one before we even realized he had gotten into the bag. Yes, they are that good.

Almond pasties. I had extra phyllo dough, so I bought a can of almond paste. Melted some butter in a custard dish. Taking one sheet a time, carefully smear the almond paste thinly on one side. Then smear some butter next to it. Then some more almond paste. Then some butter. Then roll up the whole sheet to alternate the layers. Snip with shears and place on a cookie sheet. Keep going until you run out of dough or paste. If you run out of paste first, sprinkle with more butter and cinnamon sugar. Bake at 325 for 8-10 minutes. Cut into bite size, and you can eat half a bowl before you realize it.

Meat cake. Make meatloaf in round cake pans - two or three layers. Make a LOT of mashed potatoes (and I like mine with cheese). Construct like a layer cake. First layer of meatloaf on the plate. Frost with potatoes. Next layer of meatloaf on top. Finish frosting. Alternatives include barbecue sauce or ketchup in between the layers, but I hate that so I didn't do it.  ¶ 9:10 PM