Birthday Report

I knew it was going to be a great day when I woke up, because I missed stepping in the pile left next to my bed by dear Chumley... Several times.

The birthday cake I made turned out so well that I have to begin with this recipe. Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake.

I made it the day before and at 2:30am I lie awake thinking that it needed frosting. Hmm. What did I have that I could use for frosting? Then I remembered I had half a pound of cream cheese leftover from the blintzes, so I crept downstairs and got the cheese out of the refrigerator so it could come to room temperature before I woke up for the day. I would have little time to dink around with cooking before I had to leave for Knitting, so time was of the essence.
When I finished getting dressed I popped the cream cheese in the mixer, added vanilla and confectioner's sugar and began to whip. White frosting on dark chocolate? Not good enough. So I scrambled and found a big jar of the decadent Nutella, and added about a cup of it to the frosting. Oooohheey gooey yummyness. Perfectamundo.
OK, I gotta stop and tell you about this great quick release goo I found on Pinterest. 1 part shortening, 1 part veg oil, and 1 part flour, whipped together to make a pan coating that allows your cake to fall right out without sticking. I tried it and it is fantastic. The recipe I used was 1/2 cups of each and I have saved the rest in my refrigerator for future use. O, the pan is brushed with the goo, not added to the cake mix, silly.
Back to the birthday report.
I got to Knitting and only one other gal was there, so I began to think it was going to be a small crowd, but soon the rest of the usual suspects arrived and we began to get loud. It was a very fun time, and I got presents from my pals and that made me very happy. A cute Pug calendar from Judy and a shrug pattern from Ellen. So nice! Marbeth (the other birthday girl) brought the ice cream and fancy plates, napkins and green plastic forks and we sang the birthday song to each other. There was a bit of cake left to take with me at noon, and I left then to meet my sister for lunch.
Brooke wanted to take me to this special Italian restaurant that we ate at once before, but they weren't serving lunch during this holiday week. So instead we ate at Porter's Steak House, which was a pretty darn spiffy substitute. I was feeling like a queen all day!
Later when I got home, Dave played and sang Happy Birthday on his ukelele.
It was a new 'original' version of the tune, and I loved it.
Thank you all so much for your good wishes, which all came true on my day.