Today, my son Sam turned 9-years-old, so to help celebrate, here’s an All-Sam post. Enjoy!
Part I – The Cookie (“Wait Till You’re Older” Meringues)
Yesterday, I asked Sam what type of cookie he would like me to make for his birthday. His immediate answer was “meringues,” the cookie we always begin baking on New Year’s Eve. Considering that you need to start baking them a day in advance (the “Wait Till Next Year” Meringues recipe is found on page 70 of my cookie cookbook, “Today is a Great Day for a Cookie,” which as always is available for free download at www.CookiesbyDave.com), I got started. Plus, to honor Sam, I figured I would personalize it a tad and make it a little more vibrant and colorful than usual. So replace the vanilla extract with peppermint extract and add a few drops of red food coloring. There you have it, vibrant and colorful, just like my Sam.
Sam with his birthday morning meringue (more pink than I would have liked, but a nice try).
Part II – The Cake (backstory – Sam is an early riser and we often ask why he never sleeps in…)
Sam had asked for a football cake on his birthday. Well, that’s not too hard, but I tend to be a slow cake baker and I need to concentrate, so when the house was quiet and everyone else was asleep, I got started. Needless to say, since I am slow, I was up late, but at least I had a random “Star Trek – The Next Generation” rerun to keep me company (Counselor Troi was having some serious self-confidence issues).
Putting the finishing touches on the cake, at 1:15AM, I heard some footsteps. There was Sam who greeted me with “Are you happy that I slept in on my birthday?” Scary to find out that this is what he considers “sleeping in.”
Behold, the late night Football Cake (a little more “pointy” than I like, but nice try).
Part III – The Jokes (backstory – Nothing makes Sam prouder than when he thinks of a new joke. Today, he was apparently thinking of “fish” and came up with two new entries for his comedy catalog.)
What’s a fish’s favorite place to be? [At the “pool” table.]
Where does a fish keep his money? [In the “river” bank.]
Our birthday boy, Sam.
Our Boys: The Complete Set.