Kids love birthdays. Party or not, I’ve never met a child that didn’t consider their birthday special. And why not? What a milestone when you’re young!
My two oldest have the dubious good fortune of having birthdays in December, and four days apart. With all the holiday activity, not to mention the holiday spending, it was hard to make a birthday stand out. Parties were usually small, and mostly family.
When Laura was about 4, as a birthday treat, she was allowed to choose dinner for the family, and the flavor of her cake. She chose spaghetti, and pink cake with pink frosting. The idea was such a hit that it became tradition. Fortunately, no one ever asked for ice cream or cookies as a main course. Maybe separating “dinner” and “cake” made an impression.
Even as adults, the kids will ask for their favorites. Surprisingly, those have not changed much over the years. As the boys got older, I fully expected requests for T-bone steaks or prime rib. Nope. Like they said, you can get a steak at any restaurant. Getting a meal cooked to order, just the way you like it? You can only get that at home.
My youngest, James, wanted macaroni and cheese and “pop dogs” for five years running. Lloyd always asked for an unusual cake. Peppermint cake with strawberry frosting one year, devils food with lemon another.
For Laura’s seventh birthday, we baked two lovely 9-inch layers of cherry chip cake. As they lay cooling on their wire racks, her baby brother toddled over. Before I could stop him, he grabbed a handful of cake and stuffed it into his mouth. My daughter shrieked. The baby started to cry, and I think I burst into tears.
Once everyone calmed down, I surveyed the wreck. The birthday girl was no longer in hysterics, but she was convinced that her party was ruined. Going to the bakery was not an option, and there was no time to bake another cake. I flashed on a picture I had seen in a cookbook years ago. They had turned round layers into a cat cake. Mine didn’t look like the one in the picture, but it made a fairly respectable kitty-cat. The intact layer became the body, with the injured layer cut into various shapes to create head, ears and a tail. Frosting disguised the seams, licorice became whiskers and a pink dinner mint was the nose. The cake was a big hit, and no one ever knew about the near disaster.
In honor of James’ upcoming 26th birthday, here is his old favorite.
Creamy Macaroni & Cheese
with Wieners and Fresh Fruit
1 - 12oz. package large elbow macaroni
1 lb. Velveeta, cut into chunks
½ to ⅓ cup milk
¼ cup sour cream
¼ tsp. dry mustard
¼ tsp. onion powder
Shredded sharp Cheddar for topping
1 dinner frank per person
Cook macaroni in salted water. Drain. Place into a large bowl.
Place cheese chunks and ½ cup milk in a microwave safe bowl (a 1 quart glass measuring cup works well). Cover loosely. Heat in microwave, 1 minute at a time, until melted, stopping to stir each minute.
Fold sour cream and seasonings into noodles. Pour cheese sauce over all and fold in. Stir in extra milk a little at a time if the sauce is too thick. Place into a buttered casserole and top with cheddar. Place in 350° oven for about 20 minutes.
Broil or grill dinner franks. Serve on the side with fresh fruit. Franks can also be cut into bite size pieces and baked in the macaroni.
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| Strawberry Princess Cake, my granddaughter's invention - yummy! |
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