76 Trombones

 Today is my birthday. A high school friend welcomed me to the Trombone Club. A minute later, I laughed out loud as the theme to The Music Man started playing in my head. Yes, we are all mostly 76 now and, to make it even better, while we were there, our high school staged The Music Man. What a vivid memory from almost 60 years ago!

 The tradition in our family has always been that the celebrated person gets to pick their dinner and their cake. We have had some really astonishing requests, especially when our kids were small. Once Nick specified that everyone would get two cans of soda with dinner. We all did.

 Another special dinner, courtesy of Tori, featured cheese pizza and mac ‘n cheese, which wouldn’t have been so bad if it hadn’t been my now son-in-law’s first meal at our house. Alix had pumped him up on what a good cook I was. Ha! He got over it, though.

 Cakes have been fun. Angel food remains a popular choice, as was Butterfinger cake. I haven’t been asked to make that in years, mostly because Nick grew up and moved away. The last time I made it for him, as an adult himself, his disappointment was palpable. It had tasted so much better when he was a child!

 My favorite is lemon poppy seed cake. It was my mother’s favorite as well and she taught me how to make a box mix lemon cake taste like it came from a bakery. That’s what I’m making for myself today. The poppy seeds are currently soaking in milk in my kitchen.

 I didn’t ask Michael to make my birthday cake. He would have if I’d asked. Or he’d at least have bought one for me. But I like baking a lot and I want what I want, so I prefer to do it myself.

 Another favorite cake of mine is angel food, partially hollowed out and filled with chocolate whipped cream. Put the top back on, frost it with more chocolate whipped cream, and serve it with fresh strawberries. Delicious!! I thank my mother for that cake, too.

 Picking my birthday meal has always been harder for me. What do I want? I don’t know, there are too many choices and the really special meals—lobster tails, for example—are outside Michael’s wheelhouse. Likewise, Lobster Newburg, something my dad used to make that I loved to eat. Not only can’t he cook it, he doesn’t want to eat it. Maybe those two things are related…

 Michael is a pretty good cook, but when we fed kids, I usually asked him for tried and true, but not exciting, meals. Less stress on everyone. Nowadays, I’m all about restaurant dinners. Fortunately, we have Houston Restaurant Weeks every August and many fine restaurants offer prix fixe meals for the reasonable prices of $39 or $55 per person. (Lunch and brunch cost $25 per person.)

 For tonight, I've picked Saltgrass Steak House; I’m in the mood for a nice steak and fixins. Yes, Michael could sizzle me up a fine steak, but why make him do that and the dishes? He’s been awfully good to me, taking care of so many things around the house since I broke my wrist that I’m giving him a birthday break, too.

 There isn’t much more on my mind today. I’m happy to be 76. I’m having fun reading all the birthday wishes on my Facebook page. I got an adorable video from AJ—I’d share it here if I knew how, but it’s on FB. My Brooklyn grandkids are video calling later.

 What more could I want except the answer to this pressing question: if it were your birthday, what cake would you love to have?

 Ciao