Did you know that the giving of gifts for birthdays goes back to the ancient Sumerians? Their belief was that showering newborn with gifts would protect it from the evil spirits and also ingratiate them to the child’s parents. This was often the case with especially expensive gifts if the family of the Sumerian in question had a big screen TV and might invite you over to watch the game on Sunday. I have such a TV and watch the game every Sunday but have no newborns, so I get no gifts. No gifts – no invitation to watch the game.
However, when you have your birthday cake, try it with different herbs and spices to see which enhance the flavors of the cake and which don’t go well. I find rosemary and cayenne go especially well with chocolate. Thyme and sage work with white frostings. Trust your own tastes and don’t be afraid to try new combinations. I had a cake that won a blue ribbon at a local competition. The frosting was a butter cream with taco sauce and orange marmalade. I can post the recipe if you want. Scientifically speaking, this works at the molecular level with the positive ions of the taco sauce interacting ionically with the nebulae in the orange marmalade to create a sub-atomic cold fusion reaction the creates new flavor compounds that confound the perfunctory re-calcification of the orbital defenestration of the nascent compound.
Living here in the UP (upper part) of MA, the weather is starting to change from the heat and humidity of the summer to the chilly crisp air of the fall. It’s the time for hunting and fishing and enjoying the great outdoors. Nothing like traipsing through the woods, communing with nature and being cold, wet and miserable. Hunting bear is a fascinating pastime. Did you know that a polar bear’s milk is 38% fat and that enables bear cubs to gain 20 pounds in a short period of time.
Oh, by the way, have a very Happy Birthday, my friend. Seeing your newest grandchild for the first time is a great birthday gift.
