Jon's Birthday

Here we go - on the blog bandwagon! Hope it will be a fun trip.

We celebrated Jon's birthday yesterday. I bought a "make your own" tool box kit a year ago from the thrift store, and finally let the girls go to work on it to make their dad a present. I fear paint, but decided it was time to let loose. They did a great job sanding the pieces down, then painting their messages of love. I even got handy with a screwdriver when it came time to assemble. It was Cailin's idea to individually wrap Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (These are a rarity here in the U.A.E., so are coveted.) and draw tools on them to fill the box. She can draw a pretty decent wrench. Emma decided to use her prized puppy dog with googly eyes stickers as decoration. Now that's real love.

We've been big fans of Mississippi Mud Cake for years, but Jon asked for a variation this year for his birthday cake. I made a Texas Sheet Cake, which was more light and fluffy than the dense Mud cake. I think we all liked it better. This slightly modified recipe is from Stacy's San Antonio Ward Cookbook. Beware - this is not for the sugary faint of heart. It's some serious sweetness.

Texas Sheet Cake
2 c flour
2 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c crisco
1/2 c butter
1/3 c cocoa
1 c water
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c buttermilk (laban for us Arabians) or 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice + enough milk to equal 1/2 c
2 eggs

Combine in large mixing bowl: flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. Combine in small saucepan: crisco, butter, cocoa and water. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Pour hot ingredients over dry ingredients and add baking soda, vanilla, buttermilk and eggs. Pour into greased and floured sheet pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:
1/2 c butter
6 TBSP milk
1/3 c cocoa
4 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 c chopped pecans
marshmallows

Combine butter, milk and cocoa in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Sift powdered sugar into small mixing bowl. Pout hot mixture over the sugar and beat until smooth. Add vanilla. Sprinkle marshmallows and nuts over cake (I only sprinkle half with nuts - Jon's the only nut fan). Pour frosting over cake, trying to cover evenly.