The Christmas holiday saw the continuation of the loving gift exchange between me and my younger brother, Dale.
Over the years, we have exchanged taxidermy frogs, poo-themed gifts, concrete nose-picking trolls, bowls of coal, straight jackets and human-figure knife holders. This year, I lamely returned the bowl of coal Dale sent a few years ago, prompting him to ask if I had given up or if this meant he was supposed to return the coal to me again next year.
Dale’s gift had me in tears. Here it is…
Yes, that’s what you think it is. A horse head, as in The Godfather.
This gift got a lot of mileage. Aside from making my sides hurt from laughing, I got to sneak it into my brother-in -law’s bed over the Christmas holiday. Somehow, he knew who did it.
Dale wins…this year. But I haven’t thrown in the towel. Just wait, little bro.
Love,
Your Sis
P.S.
A number of people have asked where my brother got the horse head. It’s available several places on the internet, including here.
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Robin
Family dinners have always been an important part of my life. Family dinners with cake, especially, have always been an important part of my life. And the best dinners are those featuring oatmeal cake with coconut topping.
I remember as a kid my parents, brothers and I used to head over to my grandparents’ house for Sunday dinner after church. All my aunts, uncles and numerous cousins would gather to tell outrageous stories, build and fix things (my family is always building and fixing things) while my grandmother cooked a traditional Southern dinner and my grandfather escaped to the garden to tend his roses.
My grandmother’s dinners never had fewer than, say, 15 bowls and heaping plates on the table—fried chicken, collard greens, mashed potatoes and gravy, oniony cole slaw, lima beans, angel biscuits, salty Virginia ham, green beans. And the desserts. Oh, the desserts!
We would eat in shifts because there wasn’t enough room at the table for everyone. Afterwords, the women (no, never the men) would pitch in and clean the kitchen.
I remember one Sunday my Aunt Margaret had finished up in the kitchen and decided to mop and wax my grandmother’s floor. I watched on, chatting, as she put the finishing touches and finally managed to wax her way into a corner.
“Oh no! Here I am in this corner and the floor’s all wet. I guess I’ll just stand here until it’s dry,” she declared.
“No! You can just walk out and wax over your footsteps,” I said, my five-year-old self proud of coming up with the solution.
Of course, my Aunt Margaret was always the kidder and had let me come up with the solution. Still, it’s a fond memory—well, that and the cake.
My husband loves this cake so much he nearly dances when he realizes that I have made one. And he keeps saying—over and over again—”Have I mentioned how much I love this cake?”
Now, if this chocolate-loving gal says that she loves an oatmeal cake, you can take it to the bank that this is a good cake. And it’s one of those amazing cakes that only get better with time.
So make it now and make someone happy.
Oatmeal Cake with Coconut Topping
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1 cup old fashioned oats
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/3 cups flour
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour boiling water over oats and let stand for 15 minutes. In a mixer, cream together butter, white and brown sugars. Add eggs. In a separate bowl, mix together baking soda, cinnamon, flour and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar, butter and egg mixture until well blended. Stir in the oatmeal/water mixture until well combined. Pour into a 9 x 13″ baking pan. (I use a Pyrex baking pan.) Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Top with topping after the cake cools for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Coconut Topping
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter (brought to room temperature)
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh grated coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 to 1/4 cup milk
Blend all the ingredients together until well mixed. Pour over warm (but not hot) cake and spread evenly.
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By the way, if you haven’t voted on a chicken name for The Chicken Formerly Known as Minnie Ruth, please do so now. I really don’t want to name this chicken Johnny.
Robin
This is the year that I will finally assemble and frame the side-by-side father and son photos I have been taking since Benjamin was born.
I love every single one because it shows how Benjamin has grown from a wee tot to a nearly 6′5 young man. (And he’s only 16!).
My favorite photos are the ones taken from behind, when they don’t expect I’m taking a photo and don’t have a chance to pose. This was taken where we vacationed over Christmas at the Isle of Palms in South Carolina.
Sometimes, the distance frontal shots are also nice. This one is at Mount Vernon.
And sometimes, I just like gratuitous shots of one of them looking handsome.
YIKES!!!! What’s this????
Whew. No. I’m not a grandmother. That’s Ben with his little cousin Caroline. I think he’ll be a natural…but not yet.
Robin
