My Grandma's Birthday Cake

I loved my grandma.  I loved sleeping at her house, and I loved spending time with her and my grandfather.  My grandfather was a joker.  As a child, when I slept at their house, more times than not, he would short sheet my bed, which I thought was hilarious!  Sometimes I got the fly spoon and sometimes my brother did.  Nothing beat the time, when I was three, and I told my grandmother that there was a "B" in my soup (that she had made just for me).  She was horrified.  She came running and I showed her my "B" and she was relieved it was not a "bee."

There are many lasting memories of my grandparents, but one that I get to share with my family is her Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting.  Grandma kept kosher which meant no dairy desserts after a meat dinner.  So, for birthday celebrations her cake was dairy free, but delicious!  I share with you her recipe, which is now passed to the fourth generation.

CAKE
1 stick parve margarine (can use butter if desired)
1 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 can of Hershey's syrup (16 oz)
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350.  Prepare two nine inch round cake pans (lined with wax paper and covered with Pam with flour).  Cream margarine and sugar.  Add eggs.  Add chocolate syrup and vanilla.  Add flour and baking powder.  Mix, and then pour into the two nine inch round pans.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Cool in pan for 5 min, then cool on wire racks.

ICING
1/4 parve margarine
1 T flour
4 T cocoa
2 1/2 c powdered sugar
4 T hot coffee
1 tsp vanilla

Cream margarine.  Add in flour, cocoa and vanilla.  Blend in sugar and coffee, alternating, but ending with sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy.

Preparation - more

Ahhhhh, the weekend.  Most people have tim to relax and do errands and be social.

Saturday - 9 AM - met with invitation supply person.  Picked out placecards for Bar Mitzvah.

Saturday 10 AM - visit Five Below, to buy 40 pairs of socks for the DJ to give out.

Saturday 10:15 AM - visit Christmas Tree Shop and get some food needed for the food pantry baskets.  Have to be careful since many items expire in a month!  Also pick up five out of twenty silver frames.

Saturday 10:45 AM - get to Natick Mall.  My plan to acquire outfit for the morning service of the Bar Mitzvah is to visit my favorite stores, White House Black Market, Macy's, Ann Taylor, Lord and Taylor, J. Jill, Talbots and Chico's.  Find two great dresses that fit at White House Black Market.  Purchase them, black shoes and two shrugs. 

Macy's - Find nothing.  The suits are all pastel colors and patterned.  Not me.  Nothing in the petite area to try on and test.  Go to make up counter.  Try to learn the newest technique in make up.  Purchase new make up to use and test before May 30. 

California Pizza Kitchen - Naomi and I take a lunch break

American Girl - Naomi has some gift cards to spend.  This store is the busiest of all stores so far.  The employees are amazing, and make each customer feel special and unique.  Naomi purchases Grace, Doll of the Year.  Now, I have to carry the bag with the box, while Naomi carries Grace. 

Learning Express- Naomi and I stop in so she can show me what a Shopkin is.

J. Jill - Not one salesperson helps me even though I have an armful of stuff to try on.  The bottoms fit really well, and the tops are way to big.  No one helps me (there are three staff people and only one other customer).  Leave with nothing.

Ann Taylor - like a few things but nothing as much as White House Black Market.

Talbots - I like one dress, but the store doesn't have my size.

Chico's - nothing for Bar Mitzvah, but get a pair of shorts and some shirts.

Leave the mall, and drive to the BARN.  Purchase Naomi new sneakers, sandals, flip flops and crocs.

Go home and crash, and wait for the credit card company to call me that there is a fraud alert, since I never go to the mall.

Sunday - go to Brookline to purchase prayer shawl for Mark.   Then go to Costco for more food for the food pantry.

Seder Time is Almost Here

I am hosting 11 for the first night of Passover.  The menu has been designed.

We are having:

Date Charoset (recipe from my mother in law, Leslie)
Traditional Charoset (the traditional Hebrew School recipe)
Vegetarian Chopped Liver (from the New York Times Passover Cookbook) - first time trying it!
Knishes from the Butcherie - meat and vegetarian
Gefilte fish and horseradish - store bought
Chicken Soup with Matzah Balls (Mady's recipe from the Temple Emanuel Cookbook!)
Carrot Consume (from the New York Times Passover Cookbook)
Mushroom Lasagne - Eric's secret recipe
Chicken with BBQ Sauce - Carol's secret recipe
Fingerling potatoes
Tzimmes - mom's recipe
Cauliflower - from Kosher by Design for Passover

And then

Fruit

and

Dessert, including FLAN!

And my table. . . . . white table cloth, grandma's crystal, grandma's silver, grandma's China and our Seder plate from when we got married.  And the matzo holders that Naomi and I made last year.  The kiddush cup from Adam's grandfather.  All these objects are on the table, and remind us of the past, and then I hear my kids reading from the Hagaddah, and I know another generation will have memories from the Seder table.

Even though my grandparent's are long gone, their love is still here.