Another Birthday Post

A few weeks ago, I said to FeistySis via BBM, “Hey, do you want to make a cake for my birthday?”  She didn’t hesitate (much) before saying sure, and I asked if i could come over and watch.  She’d actually made cupcakes from scratch for the first time at Baby B’s bday party and I’d liked them insomuch as they weren’t very sweet, and came out very moist.  In any case, I headed over to her house late Saturday night and watched her work at the cake. 

Of course, the translation from cupcake to cake sometimes takes a little work…

Luckily, it turned out that this recipe was meant for cakes, and she’d done the original conversion from cake to cupcake.  And the recipe?  It’s called the Busy Day Chocolate Cake – it’s so unfussy, you even mix the ingredients right in the pan you bake.  Crazy, right? 

FeistySis kept complaining that she had no frosting and asked me to buy some.  Ummm, no?!  So I brought over some chocolate bars I had – semisweet and bittersweet – and chopped it into bits, then poured scalded heavy cream over it… for my first ever attempt at ganache. 

I uh, think it came out alright…

We frosted the cake, and left it to sit in the cold garage overnight. 

The next day was time for our annual trip to the Bronx Zoo!  Kids in animal costumes enter for free.  There’s FeistySis holding Baby B, the piggie, and BF holding D, the monkey!  I think this was at the giraffe exhibit. 

Here they are again, looking at the sea lions, who were extra active that day, swimming all around and having fun goofing off. 

Before you knew it, it was time for lunch.  FeistySis said, “Am I cheap, I brought all this food instead of paying for the garbage here.”  The look on my face said it all, I’m sure; um, no.  The food at the Bronx Zoo is pretty lame, and it’s about the same price as movie theaters, maybe a little cheaper.  So… no, no you’re not cheap, you’re smart!  Carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, and water for the kids, along with a divided plate of macaroni (plain – the kids really like it like this), a few slices of deli meats, and a Thermos on the side of watercress soup that she poured into smaller bowls for the kids to drink. 

I’d actually also packed my own lunch, not really wanting to have to resort to the park fare either.  Pita chips, parmesan+artichoke dip (store bought) and…

spicy pork stew!  Okay, it wasn’t that spicy, but spicy enough for me! 

I couldn’t dig my camera out in time, but trust me when I say there was originally a big pat of butter melting gently atop my steak – with onion strings and garlic mashed potatoes.  This is more my speed of dining generally – we went to Charlie Brown’s as it’s close to FeistySis’s house and it’s totally kid friendly.  I really wanted the whole family to attend, so I chose what was easiest /shrug – trust me when I say I don’t always dine like this.  Still, totally nommable and satisfying for a birthday meal, and I got to have the kids with me for my birthday 🙂

Then back to FeistySis’s for the cake and to see how it all worked out.  The ganache looked solid, but someone poked it and um, it wasn’t solid.  It wasn’t liquid, but it was smooshy… 

It was universally agreed that the cake was super chocolatey and fudgey.  Very dense and moist, but not sweet at all.  Snorlax said he didn’t like it, but then proceeded to eat 3 slices.  Umm… yeah.  A nice big glass of milk complemented nicely, but otherwise, it was a little too much for me.  Ah well.  Funny also that the initial reaction wasn’t quite negative, but definitely not positive… but over time, the opinion switched to somewhat positive.  Interesting. 

Just another way the Feisty Family celebrates!  Holla!  🙂