Happy Birthday to Me

It came and went so quickly ... hardly time to think about it. But, it was lovely to celebrate. We enjoyed a fun lunch at my favorite place ... China Palace. That evening after dinner, some friends stopped by with a fab cake. (Jon had cleverly worked that out.) It was a great evening. It was nice to take a breather from the packing to just enjoy the family and our friends. Thanks to all!

I failed to get more pictures and these were taken without warning...but I needed a reminder of the thoughtful friends who came by to help us celebrate.

Deborah brought a great cake - super moist!! Hope she doesn't mind me sharing the recipe she forwarded to me!

Pig Picken Cake: Preheat oven to 350

1 box yellow cake mix (I have used white also)

1/2 c. oil1

1/2 c. water

4 eggs

1 can mandarin oranges with juice . Mix first 4 ingredients until smooth. Fold in oranges with juice. Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 9 in. pans. Bake 25 min. Test cake to make sure done. Cake will be flat compared to normal cake. Let sit in pan for 5 min. cool on racks for at least 1 hour. (I have put it in a 9x13, but you have to cook it for longer. Also I don't always take it out of the pan if I do put it in a larger one. It just won't have yummy 2 layers).

Icing for Pig Picken Cake:

1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix dry

1 (8 oz) tub of Cool Whip

1 20 oz can of crushed pineapple

Mix dry pudding with pineapple and juice. Fold in cool whip. Chill 1 hour. Spread icing between layers and then all over cake. Refrigerate 24 hours or at least 8-10 hours before serving.