Two decades ago I was enduring the labor pains that heralded the birth of the interesting human being known as Nolan Gilbert. This afternoon I endured the labor pains of baking a birthday cake to celebrate the long ago event. My cooking skills are known far and wide to be desperately lacking which begs the question, “Why does Nolan continue to ask me to bake him a cake every year?” Each attempt, I manage to achieve an edible or better product. This year’s request was a chocolate fudge cake. Nolan is a bit of a food snob when it comes to quality ingredients and so I made sure not to skimp on the ever important chocolate ingredients.
The cake was a complete success, although very rich with its fudgey center. My small piece paired nicely with a tall glass of milk.
Another very pleasant pairing were the notes of “Happy Birthday” being sung on two continents as Jim’s parents joined us from Australia in the familiar refrain.
Happy 20th Nolan! You continue to be a blessing in our lives.
