Happy Birthday Bobby.

Ann

Hey, Bobby, sending you BIG happy birthday wishes! Hope you have a great day and celebrate in style!

Hugs,
Sooz

Happy Birthday, Bobby...make your favorite cake!! And eat a shameful amount....tomorrow's another day?!

Happy Birthday Bobby! Hope you have a wonderful time

Alexa

Happy Birthday Bobby! Cake! Cake! Cake! Life's too short NOT to have cake!

Have a wonderful birthday, Bobby!

Teresa

Happy birthday, Bobby! Have your cake and eat it too!
Jo

Have a great birthday!

Linda

Happy Birthday Bobby! Hope it's a great day.

Di

Happy Birthday!

A very Happy Birthday to you, Bobby!

jude

Have a great Birthday, Bobby! I hope you get to do anything you want to do!

Sally

Thanks guys. You have been with me through a lot of birthdays (and a lot of other things too, from cooking crises to life situations), and I am grateful for all of you. Never thought I'd live to see 27.... I feel old, but I have 40 and 50 year old friends and I don't think of them as old... weird!

No real plans for my birthday. I have to work from 1 to 9:30, which is tradition... I always seem to work on my birthday. Also tradition, I have to renew my lease today...I've done it on my birthday for the 4 years I've lived here. My place is getting crowded with vacuums and kitchen stuff.... I should really move to something bigger, but I like the location and my upstairs neighbor is great, and the thought of packing and moving gives me a migraine. I was off yesterday and am off tomorrow as well. Yesterday, my very sweet best friend, Larry, made me a coconut cake. He used my cake carrier and round cake pans because he didn't have any, and the cake definitely looks "rustic" or homemade, but it tasted great and all the work that he put into it really showed. It was the best cake I've ever had! So moist and full of flavor.... he used coconut water, milk, and cream of coconut. He also used a 7 minute icing recipe where you have to cook it on the stove and then plunge it in ice water while holding hand mixer on it.... I tried that with a chocolate cake once and said never again! It was too much work and never did set up right. Then he told me the story about making the cake... he has a flat top stove and he walked in to the kitchen to check on something. A short while later, he smelled an awful burning smell, and realized that he couldn't find his TV remote. He had set it down on the burner that he just used to cook the icing and it melted to the stove. He said he pulled it up and strings of black melted plastic were everywhere between the remote and stove, much like mozzarella cheese on a pizza. The battery cover had fused to the remote, and the back of the remote is a burned mess. It still works, but he has to get a new one because he can't ever take the battery cover off again. I told him I want to go with him when he goes to Brighthouse to exchange it, just to see the look on the persons face when he shows them. He also took me to a hole in the wall BBQ place that his 82 year old aunt recommended. A place that is like a screened in patio.... they don't have a/c and they don't take credit cards. Now, that may not seem like much, but he's a devout vegetarian, so for him to actually pay for meat and sit there while I covered my white shirt in BBQ sauce, it's pretty special. He had chips and potato salad and coleslaw, the only things on the menu he could eat. We took his aunt too and had a great time. Then it was off to some thrift shops, and back to her house to vacuum with my new cleaner and play with baby kittens and brush the 35 pound fat cat (poor thing!). It was a good day. Tomorrow, I'd planned to go see my granny now that I'm back in touch with the family... she told everyone I was coming and now they want to have a bbq for my birthday. Rednecks drinking Busch beer, chewing tobacco, and listening to country music.... just what I need. LOL One thing is for sure, there will be lots of food! Oh yeah, and a lady named Mary at work is going to bring in a chocolate ganache cake (from Publix, she can't bake, she can barely use the microwave... heck she can't even use the copier or fax machine... she's sweet, but it's a fact, ditzy too... I love her so :o) for my birthday.... I'M SUPPOSED TO BE ON A DIET! I am pausing the diet for these few days, but I've been doing well with watching calories and going to the gym every other day for the past few weeks. She said I'm always bringing in stuff for her and everyone (I made her a carrot cake the first year we worked together, and oreo cheesecake the 2nd....), so she wanted to do something nice for me.

Now I don't have people to shower me with all kinds of gifts, so I had to get myself a few "presents". Last year, I bought myself a nice computerized sewing machine. I was a bit more conservative this year.... I didn't want to spend 500 dollars on presents for myself again given the current economy. I try to be practical and prudent... though I have enjoyed that machine and it was worth every penny (I made my first quilt on it, and made a fabric card for my granny which made her cry), I didn't splurge quite as much this time. I got a great Electrolux canister vacuum with electronic controls that cost 1200 dollars new for 25 bucks from Craig's List. I love it! The same model is on Ebay for 400 dollars! I also bought a full set of attachments and bags, spent more on each of those than the the cleaner itself. I also got a cool Oliso iron that raises up when I let go of the handle and sinks back down to the fabric when I touch the handle. That way I don't have to put it on its heal... it's supposed to reduce hand fatigue. I just got it because it was neat and I was sick of my expensive Rowentas leaking all over the clothes.... I've been through 3 in the last few years and they are all junk now. I know many husbands would get in big trouble for buying their wives vacuums and irons for their birthdays, but appliances are really special to me. I also got a few small things at a thrift shop... a solar powered tiffany style lamp, a mini pot bellied stove, and a lamp shaped, vanilla scented candle. I totally adore the solar lamp, and it will make a perfect subtle night light. No more stubbing my toe on vacuums when I get up for a glass of water in the middle of the night... I don't even know how many I've kicked in the middle of the night over the years. Of course when you're half asleep and staggering into the kitchen for a glass of water the last thing you want to to do is turn on a harsh overhead light... in that condition, I can barely operate the faucet and get water into the glass! I won't even discuss the night I decided to get tea and the pitcher was full, I missed the glass completely and ended up standing in puddle of sticky, cold tea. Yuck!

Here are a few pictures.... Larry would kill me if he knew I posted his cake on an internet site, he said it was ugly, but it was so good, and made with so much love :o)

Thanks for all the birthday wishes guys, you are truly the best, I totally love my family here on the cooking forum. You all rock, and I cherish every moment I am able to bask in your presence :))

Bobby, sweetie, having just turned 55 in May I can tell you with some conviction that 27 is not old. Not even close, LOL. Heck, I'm not even old yet, but that 82 year old aunt is getting there! (grin)

The cake looks delicious and your day sounds perfect. BBQ twice, sounds good to me. As for the rednecks and the beer, it sounds like one of my family's parties, LOL. Every time we have one, Elery just says it's another chapter in his book.

Maybe you should write a book!

Happy birthday, and be sure to celebrate all weekend.

Annie

Happy Birthday, you young thing. That cake looks delicious and I wouldn't mind having a birthday cake like that at all. What a good friend. I love that vacuum. Looks like it would be fantastic for getting in corners and edges. I'm not sure I would want an iron that puts itself back down on the fabric. I'd be wearing a lot of clothes with iron-shaped burn marks.

Happy Birthday Bobby! Looks like a large measure of affection went in that cake.... they taste so much better that way.

: )
lyra

Happy Birthday! I love the look of your cake, and so happy you shared a picture of it. (Now I want to make a cake!) Enjoy it and your new purchases!

Happy Day! Happy Weekend! Happy Year! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOBBY!

I think your cake looks great and from what's left, I know it tasted great too. Great baking Larry, and how nice of veggie you to take Bobby out for BBQ.

Everyone should get a birthday gift (or a few) for him/herself. You did well; but you might need a bigger place soon.

Best Wishes from another of your CF family,

Lee

Happy Birthday to you today Bobby!

SharonCb

Happy Birthday Bobby!

The coconut cake, rustic or not, looks delicious. And by the way, there's no dieting on birthdays, silly!

Happy Birthday Bobby!!!

I enjoyed reading about your day.

Nancy

Happy birthday!

Happy Bday Bobby!! The cake looks delicious and you bought yourself a new a new toy - sounds like a good day to me! Enjoy

Thanks everyone. Just in from work and it was crazy... very busy. Mary went overboard and got a mylar balloon, a card that everyone signed, and 24 chocolate cupcakes AND the silly cake. She told me to just take the cake home... the cupcakes would be easier to eat and share at work, so that's what I did. It's pretty, almost too pretty to eat. I don't have room in the 'fridge for it with Larry's cake in there. What I should do is try one piece and then throw the rest away, I don't need the calories. Can you freeze cake? I like Larry's better because he added love to the mix :o)

Here's the one from Publix:

Dedtired, the Lux is great for getting corners, they make the power nozzle L shaped specifically for getting around furniture legs. The iron only "sinks down" when you're touching the handle, but that feature can be turned off as well. :o)

I'm all confirmed to go see the family tomorrow at 1.... my facebook and phone have been getting messages from people all day long.... wish me luck in surviving the redneck bash tomorrow. I'm going to go get granny since she doesn't drive much anymore, and that will be good because I can use taking her home as an excuse to get out of there... I can only take some of them in small doses.

By the way, Jasper thinks the mylar balloon is for him. I let him play with it for a bit, but I didn't want him choking on the ribbon and the noise he was making was annoying me after a long hard day at work, so I took it away. He gave me this look like HOW DARE YOU!?

Speaking of cats, here is the mamma cat at Larry's Aunt's house with her brood. 9 kittens this time! She is a feral stray, who they can't catch to fix, but Aunt Jean still feeds her because she feels sorry for her, this is about her 8th litter! She's mean to start with, but now she's extra defensive because of the babies... she nearly destroyed a flashlight the last time she had kittens in the shed and we took it in there to look at them.... this time she got the floor lamp when we tried to move it out of the way. She looks so sweet! The kittens were only 2 days old, and sooooo tiny, they look like a bunch of rats. Aunt Jean said she is going to have someone take them all to the shelter including mom because she can't deal with all those kittens anymore... she has 4 already and a nasty, awful, diabetic, yappy disgusting shih tzu named Sugar. It was such a sweet scene, and MAN do I want to get a little brother or sister for Jasper. Of course Jasper is a jealous only child, he won't have it.

Sorry about the picture, I only had my cell phone!

Thanks again everyone :o)

Is that Paula Dean's coconut cake? Alice made that for me for Mother's Day last year. It is fabulous!

Happy birthday!

(I'm 54 but act 15.)

Aw Bobby, I'm so glad you're having such a good Birthday! Happy Birthday!! The cake looks gorgeous to me. That 7 minute icing looks perfect. He did a great job. I've been wanting some for ages and keep meaning to get around to it, and.. well.. needless to say.. but coconut is a real weakness for me. LOL.

I'm so proud of all you bought yourself for your Birthday. That's just how it should be IMNSHO. Do what makes you happy and you did. Bravo.

That cake would freeze great. I do it all the time. Just do cut it first so you won't be tempted about serving size later.. lol...I know. My birthday was middle of August and last weekend we took the last hunk out of the freezer.

Glad you're taking your built in excuse with you tomorrow, whether you need it or not. Enjoy what you can and for the rest, remember you have control over how often you see them. Have fun and eat... portion control will wait. As you said, a few days off won't hurt.

2 beautiful cakes?? Wow!!
And yes....cake freezes very well....and it's even good still frozen!!
Save me a piece of that coconut cake before you eat it all. You are truly blessed...
Anxiously awaiting the chapter on the redneck beer brawl and granny's reaction to it.
Linda C

Sounds pretty good to me Bobby - a great day with friends. Happy Birthday a day late!

Just got in from the land of orange groves and double wide trailers. It was good, actually! I went to get granny first, and I made her cry because I gave her a rotary cutter and self healing mat... she quilts by hand and she's lost her rotary cutter and never had a self healing mat. Her hands shake now and she has trouble cutting in a straight line with fabric scissors, so I thought that would help, and she was really touched... now I just have to get her that Bunn coffee maker she's been talking about. She had a bunch of quilt blocks spread out all over the sofa so she could show me what she has been working on. She's always so happy for me to see her work, and I am so shocked that she insists in quilting by hand at her age... she thinks machine quilting isn't really quilting. I strongly disagree! I brought my Dyson to vacuum for her since her vacuum is so awful. I took the hose off the Dyson to get under her couch where the upright part was too thick to reach and heard a SLURP. The incredible suction of the Dyson pulled in an entire quilt block! And, I was nowhere near it with the wand, I still don't know how it happened. It happened so fast, I didn't even see it, just heard it. I had to open the dust bin up and retrieve it.... I apologized, but she wasn't upset at all... we both got a really good laugh out of it. It didn't even get dusty! Once I realized it didn't bother her, I laughed so hard I cried, and so did she... it took me a while to gain enough composure to retrieve the quilt block from the cleaner. I sucked up enough bobby pins and straight pins to start a factory... not to mention thread a fabric scraps.... I could make a whole quilt with what's in the dust bin. I also brought my new tiffany style lamp to show her and she really liked it. She gave me a card that was really sweet, and apologized that she didn't have any money to buy me a real present... I told her that was silly and love was all I needed (I buy myself enough "stuff")... she said,"Well, that's good because you got plenty of that" (meaning love). It was really sweet.

Then we went to my uncle's and the food was ready.. they smoked chicken, grilled chicken, and BBQd chicken. The also had a salad, and baked beans with sausage. It was all REALLY good! My aunt made me a cake (just want I needed!).... it was a boxed yellow cake with store bought icing. I didn't get any salad and they were wondering why... my grandma told them I was dieting and that I love salads (which I have never said because it isn't true), so after eating the other stuff, I had a plate of salad (had to pick the tomatoes out, at least they had ranch dressing). They gave me a card and more mylar balloons (what is up with mylar ballons) and pictures of me as a kid all dressed in halloween costumes and such (remember they were the ones that raised me from 6 to 19). There was another aunt there, another grandma (not the one I was close with... the one I brought was the one I was close with) and my little cousin that I was raised with (she's 19).... we talked a while and ate and then granny stood up, which his her signal that she was ready to go home. I was too at that point.... the aunt was getting annoying (she just doesn't know when to shut up and "picks" on everyone... except me, because I haven't been back in their life long enough yet) and their spoiled black lab was begging for food and trying to lick my face the whole time. So, I took granny home and we talked a while at her place... I looked at her sewing machine and fixed the tension and wrote down the model number so I can download an print a manual for it.... she wants one and it didn't come with one when she bought it. She had trouble letting me go, she didn't want me to leave... she's so bored/lonely living out there, so I promised I'd call and be back soon and started home.

It was a good day. The aunt gave me a tupperware cake carrier (turquoise!) to take the cake home in and told me to keep it... it was my little cousin's, exes and he never came to get it after they broke up. That is great because I can keep that one and give Larry my gray and white sterilite one! Oh yeah, and I popped those mylar balloons (my "car scissors" are so handy!) and threw them in the trash at the gas station on the way home. I didn't need them bouncing around in the car during the 50 minute drive home, and they would have just been one more thing to carry home. I tried to find some child to give them to, but there weren't any! I hope they don't go to the gas station later for some chewing tobacco and see them in the garbage (there's only one gas station in that town!). I'm throwing aunt's cake in the trash too because I just don't have room for it. They sent me home with lots of food and I will enjoy it for a few days... I don't have room for 3 cakes, but I'll make room for the chicken and baked beans, even if I have to throw the milk and eggs out!

So, yes, a good day, I'm surprised and happy :) Larry is on his way over to try some of the Publix chocolate cake and see his nephew (Jasper the cat) and watch some Lucy :0) I guess I'd better vacuum the cat hair off the sofa (he hates cat hair) and dig a place on the couch for him to sit.... oh yeah, and wash a dish so he can try the cake.... I've been lazy with the housework lately!

Thanks again everyone.... by the way, Larry said that isn't the Paula Dean recipe, but one of several he found on Google for the coconut cake.

Oh yeah, the Publix cake tastes as great as it looks.... under that dark brown chocolate top layer is a lighter brown layer of mousse like frosting.... man it's good!

A late Happy Birthday from me too Bobby! That homemade cake looks great. Too cool your friend went all out for you. Have to say I couldn't toss or give away that store bought chocolate one though. Glad to hear y'all are enjoying some tonight.

David

Wishing you a belated Happy Birthday, Bobby! So glad your celebrations went happily. 27-old????? you're a baby yet! :-D Just remember birthdays are good for you, the more you have the longer you live ;-)
That coconut cake looks so yummy I could lick the icing off the monitor (I wish!). Lucky you to have a cake made for you. I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of cakes I have had made for me in my adult life. Usually I have to make my own. Other people's cake always tastes better.
The remote story is priceless! Have you ever considered a night light to prevent kickage/spillage? May be a Christmas presnt idea for you :-)