Happy Birthday Grandma!

I knew my grandparents should be stopping by today. Or rather, I hoped they would be. I had held off mailing my Grandfather's father's day card, and had not gotten my grandmother a card for her birthday this last Saturday. Instead I planned to make her a cake.

It isn't often I get to cook for my grandmother, who has probably had more influence on my cooking than any other person I know. As a child I used to compare every apple pie I ate to my grandmother's home made apple pie. All of them fell short. I spent years trying to recreate her turkey noodle soup, knowing she made her stock from scratch after each Thanksgiving and Christmas. I never did manage it (though now I know her secret and probably could.) On one visit a few years ago I even managed to persuade her to let me borrow her personal cookbook, her blue binder, so I could copy down some of her recipes, the ones that reminded me of her and my childhood.

I learned something today. I did not have a single clue what type of cake is my grandmother's favorite kind. I mentioned that to her and still don't know what kind she likes best! According to her, she likes them all!

Having no idea of what she would like, but not wanting anything too sweet, the little "assistant" and I settled on carrot cake with cream cheese icing. Today's Parent provided me with the recipes for both, and having made each of them before, I knew they would be good.

I made one mistake.

I didn't start early enough in the day.

When my grandparents arrived, I had barely turned the cakes out of the pans to cool and had not started the icing but instead had the cream cheese out on the counter, softening to room temperature.

They left less than an hour later, having had a cup of tea and some coconut banana muffins that I had made that morning (with my grandfather in mind - he loves coconut.) The cakes were still warm and the icing still not made.

My oldest son was sad to learn he had missed visiting with them, but was consolled by the thought of carrot cake for dessert later that night.

Happy Birthday Grandma! Perhaps when I see you in a few weeks I can try this again? Maybe by then I will learn what kind of cake is your favorite.