Friday, April 24, 2009

My Hubby is 40!

As I type, homemade carrot cake is baking in the oven. It's my hubby's favorite. I've tried different recipes, but keep coming back to this one:

Best Ever Carrot Cake

Preheat oven to 360 degrees

1 c. oil
1 3/4 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 c. flour (or tad more)
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 c. peeled, grated carrots
1, 8 oz. can crushed pineapple
1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Beat together oil, sugar and eggs until well blended. In a bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves. Add to egg/sugar mixture and mix well.

Drain pineapple. Add carrots, pineapple and nuts to main mixture. Blend to mix well.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 360 degrees for about 45 minutes to 1 hour -- until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Let cool. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. pkg reduced fat cream cheese at room temp.
1/2 c. (1 cube) butter at room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla
4 c. powdered sugar


In addition to his favorite cake, I also took Hubby a ballon bundle that included four black latex ballons and one mylar one. Attached were two of his favorite snacks: Ranch corn nuts and Flipz yogurt covered pretzels.

If, like my husband, you're getting on in years, here are a few things to do to reconnect with your inner child:

draw a picture with crayons

give it to your mother

get out the play dough and make something

play hopscotch

try to come in while two people are turning a jump rope. (Warning to women who have had more than one child -- incontinence is common when jump roping.)

buy some bubble solution and go to town filling your house/yard with bubbles! (Try not to acknowledge that you enjoyed the bubbles at the end of the Lawrence Welk Show.)

Choose a cloudless night to lie down on the grass and look up at the stars.

Next time you see really great fluffy clouds, lie down on the grass and try to identify recognizable shapes.

Sing the ABC song while washing your hands.

If it's raining, go for a walk and jump in the biggest puddles you can find!

Make mud pies.

Invite a few friends over and play school.

Climb a tree. A really sturdy tree.

5 comments:

Suko said...

Carrot cake's one of my favorites--I'll have to try this recipe!

Your post made me smile. :)

Flashlight Girl said...

Isn't it great that our husbands will ALWAYS be older? Also, I think ranch corn nuts are sick, but Project Man LOVES them. Men. . .

Angie said...

40 huh... If you get me a picture from the "early days", I'd be happy to post it all over town!! HEHEHEHEHE

Allie's Antics said...

I am so happy for a new post! You always make me laugh. I'll have to sing ABC next time I wash my hands. The cake sounds delicious. Wish him happy birthday from us!

CB said...

Thanks for the cake recipe - It looks really YUMMO! I am always looking for new recipes.

Sounds like your hubby had a great birthday!