Summer Birthdays

Birthdays are an interesting creature. Mine is in November, which means it's cold, probably raining, but not cold enough to snow - when fun can be had outside. I used to envy all those late spring/summer birthdays because they had nice weather, could have poolside birthday parties, and always got the day off from school. Unfortunately, Veteran's Day is not celebrated as a holiday in all states.

Then I found this: A Raspberry and Lemon-Lime Birthday: Raspberry Lemon Lime Sparkling Punch and Layer Cake



from Desserts for Breakfast. And it made me wonder, could I turn my cold, drizzly birthday into a summer flashback? Here is Steph's recipe for the Raspberry Lemon Lime Punch that inspired this scrumptious cake:

Raspberry and Lemon-Lime Sparkling Punch

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup thawed frozen raspberries (or fresh)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2-4 cups sparkling water
lime slices, for garnish
lemon slices, for garnish
fresh raspberries, for garnish

1. In a small saucepan over medium high heat, cook the sugar and water together until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
2. In a food processor or blender, puree the raspberries.
3. Combine in a pitcher the cooked sugar syrup, raspberry puree, and lemon and lime juices. Mix together.
4. Add the sparkling water, adding less for a stronger mix and more for a lighter mix. Garnish with ice, lime slices, lemon slices, and fresh raspberries.

So now the question is, aside from decorating my apartment in lemon yellow and fuscia, are there any summer-themed board games I can pull out at my next birthday party?

Cheers, Kate