Whoever said Pescatarianism was a challenge clearly has never been to Harry’s Savoy Grill.  After hopping off a late night (and sort of last minute) flight that landed in Philadelphia around 9:30, I hopped into my parents’ car to join my mom and dad for a little late night dinner and drinks at Harry’s. While my folks dined on mini versions of steak sandwiches and bratwurst bites, I got a salmon burger slider (the description of which I cannot seem to find online, but it was served with a curry mayo that was totally complimentary and delicious) and the “Tempura Key West Pink Shrimp tossed in a sriracha aïoli”.

Holy MOLY, that aïoli!!  I know that just about every restaurant that serves seafood lately has jumped on this “fried shrimp + sriracha + mayo” combination (Volcano Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp, Firecracker Shrimp…. you know the deal) BUT this version was probably the best I’ve ever tried. I convinced my parents to each take one to try it out and, after watching the glee on their faces as they realized the joy of the combo in their mouths, I could hardly keep their skewers out of my bowl!

I have fond memories of Harry’s, as I celebrated the “after party” of my first Communion there as a little girl.  Since I was wearing an insanely fancy and frilly white dress, my mother didn’t let me near anything that could stain (read: curry mayo + sriracha aïoli) BUT I get the feeling that even picky-eater baby Jordan would’ve appreciated these tasty shrimp bites.  If you’re ever at Harry’s (which I’d totally recommend), skip the fancy seats and head over to the bar for anexcellent beer selection, well-made cocktails, and some of the most well-crafted appetizers and tapas selection I’ve seen in my limited experience bopping around the Wilmington, DE area.

There were amazing meals tossed into the mix while I was at home (as per usual) including everything bagels, scrumptious egg scrambles, a veggie stromboli jam-packed with broccoli, olives, cheese, peppers, and rich marinara sauce, and a fantastic shrimp caesar salad, but all of it paled in comparison to the next treat…. The grand finale.

The Ultimate Chocolate Layered Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Birthday Cake!!

I know, is your mouth watering already?  Mine certainly was when my sister and I found the recipe over at Picky Palate.  I’ll admit though, I was thoroughly intimidated.  See, when it comes to baking, I’m more of a “throw everything into the mix and hope for the best” kind of gal.  This recipe involved chopping, homemade icing, refrigeration, layers, drizzles, the whole kitten caboodle.  I suggested we try to make some cookies instead.

Kiley: No.

Jordan: Oooh, how about like… some cupcakes.

Kiley: Definitely not.  Come on Jord, what are you, scared?

Jordan: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

We got to work, slaving in the kitchen for hours.  And by slaving, I mostly mean listening to Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe on repeat as we waited for the frosting and cakes to cool.  We discovered a rare finding, as well.

This mini Reese’s cup had not one, not two, not even THREE but FOUR liners!!  That’s like cracking an egg with two yolks.  You get weirdly excited, and wanna share it with the world.  Or your blog.

Speaking of blogs, ever since seeing all the chaos on Get Off My Internets and the forums, I’m a little scared to post pictures where you can see my fingernails.  People apparently aren’t happy with long, short, painted, or otherwise.  But I braved it to share the rarity with all of you.  I’m brave like that.

We melted a ton of PB, for a gorgeous layer-by-layer drizzle.

Since we liked the peanut butter taste so much, we also tweaked the recipe a tiny bit by adding a HEAP of it into the icing.  And that made all the difference….

Four layers, a bag of mini Reese’s cups, about 520 calories worth of frosting consumed pre-icing, and a full day in the fridge later, we had our finished product!!

Since we’d missed the birthdays of my mom and my brother’s girlfriend, we celebrated both with this cake (trust me, it was big and heavy enough to support two, or five, birthday wishes) and dove in.  It was rich, it was creamy, it was cold, and all that was missing was a big scoop of PB ice cream…. maybe next time.  That is, if I can ever build up the courage to bake another four-layered ANYTHING again.

What’s been your biggest baking undertaking? And how’d it go?

Because this was DEFINITELY mine.