I found this one at a Paper Source in Santa Barbara in May and nearly squealed. What could be more true?
Though I think I'm actually the luckier one because I get to enjoy him as my affectionate, generous, and amazing husband while watching him be an affectionate, adventurous, and amazing father to our kids.
On Saturday we enjoyed a date night at a new Chinese restaurant that reminded me so much of Austin I already knew I would love it. We ordered 8 things and ate them all, and then we realized the kids probably weren't asleep yet so we went to Central Market and picked up a trio of desserts and came home to sleeping children, a bottle of champagne, and the next two episodes of Orphan Black. (Are you watching Orphan Black? You should, it's freaking incredible.)
On Sunday James got to sleep in until 9 and then, after he opened his gifts (a trio of framed prints of his three company /product logos, i.e., his other children, to hang above his relocated desk in the corner of the TV room), we all went to a champagne buffet brunch at a favorite local restaurant. Buffets are a good investment when you have a James in your party.
For the rest of the day he got to swim and I made a cake. A delicious cake. I've been looking for the perfect dark chocolate cake recipe for a while and this is it.
I paired it with the Sprinkles vanilla buttercream and it was divine. As was the champagne I drank to cut the sweetness of all the extra frosting I kept eating out of the bowl. It's all about balance.
And helpers. I had great helpers.
The mini semi sweet chocolate chips on the top added the perfect bit of texture.
Our dinner was seared ahi tuna steaks over a fresh salad of chopped romaine, green leaf lettuce, snap peas, cucumber, cilantro, green onion, and mandarin wedges. Delicious! But everyone was really waiting for the cake. Except maybe Cora. She appeared skeptical.
But then she crawled in my lap and seemed like she wanted to try some. Now we all joke about how she hated the cake at her birthday, but mostly we've assumed she was just overwhelmed by the moment- we didn't really think she hated cake. It's just a silly running joke thanks to some really awesome pictures my friend took at her party.
But no. Cora hates cake. Cake makes her cry the minute it scalds her tongue with its delicious chocolatey goodness.
She cried until I used a paper towel to swab out her mouth and remove every crumb from her tongue.
Poor poor baby, fed a tiny piece of delicious cake at her request and scarred forever. So weird.
Luckily James and I do not have any issues with sugar and ate about half the cake while watching three more episodes of Orphan Black after the kids went to sleep. Save Cora. Eat all the cake. It's a rallying cry. Feel free to take it up on your own. Preferably after making that cake.
Cake crying aside (or really, included, because that was a perfect punctuation for the random moments of hilarity and drama that comes with three kids), it was a pretty lovely day for our favorite dad. I hope the dads in your life had a good one too!
Does she eat eggs? Could it be a food allergy?
ReplyDeleteShe does! She doesn't love them, but she eats them without tears or trouble. She literally had the cake in her mouth for 2 seconds before she started crying. It was so bizarre, and while we're all joked about the hating cake thing since her birthday, I don't think any of us really believed she hated it. But she does. She very much hates cake. Cake hurts her feelings.
Delete"Cake hurts her feelings" may be my favorite quote ever
ReplyDeleteDoes she eat muffins? I'm trying to think of something that's similar in texture to cake, but come on Cora! That's just weird :) But, more for you!!!
ReplyDelete"Save Cora. Eat all the cake."
ReplyDeleteThis is the single best thing you've ever written. Why? Because now I have permission - nay, orders!!! - to eat all the cake. It's for the good of a sweet little baby on the internet, how can I say no?
I like the placemats!
ReplyDeleteMy baby girl also hated cake, until about 2. Then she came to her senses and realized it is delicious. I think maybe peer pressure was also at play there - she didn't start eating it until she saw other little kids at preschool eating (and enjoying) cake.
ReplyDeleteAnd the real purpose of my comment: when you redid your kitchen, did you put in marble countertops? (The pics look like marble, but I went back and looked at the reveal, and don't see anything talking about them). How are they holding up? And how did you seal them against children invasion? I just finished a kitchen reno with marble, and i'm super paranoid about making it look less beautiful. Your counters look great, though, which gives me hope!
My son at his first bday party crumbled the cake in his fingers and would not put it in his mouth. My daughter cried whenever anyone sang "Happy Birthday" until she was 4 or so. Weird.
ReplyDeleteI thought 'oh that's odd' when I read about Cora's anti-cake stance and then I thought about it and realised neither my 3yr old or 5 yr old like cake. If we make buns, they lick the icing off the top and the rest is tossed. Their big sister and their mother however both like cake. Too much.
ReplyDelete