jude turns one

when i started planning a party to celebrate jude’s first birthday, i realized that i equally wanted to celebrate that fact that i had survived my first year of motherhood.  whew!  what a ride!    i wish my mother was still alive just so i could thank her for not throwing me out the window or hanging me upside down by my chubby ankles on a musical mobile.  i do believe that the number one most difficult and under-appreciated job (yes, even ahead of school teachers) is parenthood.  i guess i thought since so many had successfully done it before me, that it would be no problemo.  no sleep?  no problem.  i pulled plenty of all nighters in college (tim horten’s anyone?).  24 hour surveillence?  yeah, i spent nights watching ants disperse seeds by the light of a headlamp– how much more tedious can it get?  urine, feces, vomit?  have you met my dog, zion?  i thought i was ready, i thought i would be a natural.  but admittedly there were moments when i wondered if i had made the biggest mistake of my life.  why is he crying?  why won’t he stop?  why am i crying?  when do i get a break?

and then suddenly, he smiles.  and then he giggles.  and my heart melts into a puddle.  and i realize that his is such a fresh and beautiful life.  so new, so ready to learn.  from me.  from me!  it is my job to teach him how to live!  how wonderful!  wait.  how terrifying!  and i realize this is not only the most difficult and under-appreciated job, but also the most important.

we had a grand time celebrating the little guy.  we woke early (as per jude’s request) and had a delicious breakfast consisting mostly of blueberries.  after that, jude opened his very first birthday present: a xylophone!

next came preparations for the party that was to come.  the cake i always requested for birthdays when i was a kid (when it wasn’t chocolate covered rice crispie treats) was 1-2-3-4 cake.  i think i liked the name as much as the cake.  the numbers correspond with the quantities of main ingredients.  years had passed since i had tasted this cake, until our chef-friend, chris, was visiting, armed with a wonderful cookbook by alice waters entitled, “the art of simple food”.  he whipped up the cake in no time, and i was transported back to my childhood.  i thought this was a wonderful chance to begin to impose my tastes on jude, so i chose the same cake for him.  knowing that 2 of jude’s favorite foods are blueberries and whipped cream, i also incorporated those into the final product.

the recipe is relatively simple, and all of the ingredients are things you would typically have on hand.  at one point, it was featured in the new york times with the warning that the batter was as tasty as the cake, and may not last to the oven.  here is the link (http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/on-not-eating-the-batter/) and the recipe:

1-2-3-4 Cake

Yield One nine-inch, two-layer cake

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 cup milk
• 3 cups cake flour (sift and then measure)
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsweetened butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Method

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-inch baking pans and line the bottom of each with parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess.
• 2. Stir baking powder and salt into cake flour.
• 3. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the four egg yolks one at a time. Add the vanilla to the mixture.
• 4. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately, starting and ending with one third of the flour. Stir just until the flour is incorporated.
• 5. In another bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks. Stir one third of the egg whites into the batter, then gently fold in the rest. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Hint: Whisk the egg whites first in the mixer and put the stiff egg whites on a plate. Then beat the sugar and butter in the same bowl.

Variations

• The recipe can be divided among three cake pans for a three-layer cake. It also makes 24 to 30 cupcakes or it can be baked in a 12 x 18-inch sheet cake pan. Bake cupcakes or sheet cake for about 20 minutes.

____________________

in case we had more guests than had rsvp’ed, i halved the recipe and made a dozen cupcakes.

i always love eating it, but had never made whipped cream frosting before.  so, i consulted the ever-wise google for advice.  i found a very quick, easy, and scrumptious recipe that was a total hit.  in fact, i came into the kitchen and found kevin’s dad with his finger in the bowl.  when kevin informed him that it was extra, he grabbed a spoon.

Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups heavy cream

Directions

1. Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on medium speed until smooth. While the mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in the heavy cream. Stop and scrape the bottom of the bowl a couple of times while you continue whipping until the cream can hold a stiff peak.

_______________________

after a lovely hike up our local Little Mountain, and a nap for our young birthday boy, it was time to party!  guest cames from as far south as seattle and as far north as vancouver.  uncle marv helped get the grill fired up and we started off with a delicious potluck barbecue, with special grilling skills by kevin.   friends and family trickled in and filled the house and the yard.  it was great to be reminded of how much i love to throw a party!

and then it was time for the birthday cake!  we all sang and howled a rich version of ‘happy birthday to you’ and jude was presented with his first candle.

fascinated, and a bit confused by all of the color and commotion, jude reached out to embrace this glowing mystery.  luckily, there were many young candle-blowing veterans who sprang into action.

the cakes were enjoyed by all (especially the birthday boy)!

and then came the time to open the gifts!  again, more experienced birthday party goers came to jude’s aid to assist with this mighty task.

books!  blocks!  bugs!  blueberries! balls!  boats!  bears!  and all other manner of colorful delight!  jude wasn’t quite sure this all meant, but he sure was enjoying it!

thank you to everyone who made this such a special day (from near and from afar!).  we are so blessed to have such a wonderful community of family and friends who have helped us all survive this year!

special thanks to tim who allowed me to pass off the camera for the evening.  great shots!

and please consider yourself invited to our next party, which will be our housewarming at  millworks!  the only thing exciting about summer coming to an end is that we will FINALLY be living in our new home!  details to follow…