Fifty Years After the Fair

Because of my migration, which seems to have worked, I neglected to write about a big event in our lives. Well, mostly Denton's, but hey, I was along for the ride.

He had his birthday the other day. One of the bigger ones. But 50 is the new 40, right? Ok, it's not - people who say that are just in total denial. But Denton is good with where he is, I'm ok with where he is and where we are.

I won't say it was a week of celebration, but we did drag it out a bit. The traditional going out to a new restaurant happened last Saturday. It was ok - nothing outstanding. But it was somewhere new and we know I abhor change.

On the way out, we ran into my cousin Bill and his wife. That was a pleasant surprise. They'd never met Denton before and while it was a brief introduction - as they were waiting for their table - it was a nice ice breaker for both of them.

Monday was the actual day. There was a card and some gifts and a simple meal at home. But I was stumped on dessert. I can cook, but I'm not a baker - not by a long shot. Yeah, I did those orange pound cakes for thanksgiving, but that was about it.

But the day before the big day, I got it in my head I'd make a cake and do butter cream frosting all by my lonesome. And I did.............

Ok, it ain't the prettiest thing you've ever seen, but it worked. The cake cracked more than I thought it would as it cooled, but nothing a little homemade chocolate butter cream frosting wouldn't patch up. And it did.

The cake was incredibly moist (because instead of oil I used a stick of butter) and the frosting wasn't nearly as sweet as it seemed when I was making it (maybe that was because I used two sticks of butter in there). The coffee in the mix worked too - and no matter what Ina Garten says, you can taste the coffee, it doesn't just give the chocolate a depth of flavour.

What you see on top of the cake isn't fur or anything. I got the grand idea to grate chocolate infused with orange flavouring over the top. That didn't make or break anything - that's for sure.

Denton liked it - and that's all that mattered. Let's face it, even if it sucked, I racked up all kinds of points just for making the effort.


Song by: Aimee Mann