Happy Birthday To Me!

by Susan Sey

Okay, this is going to be a short one because a) I'm totally jetlagged and b) it's my birthday.

I'm completely jet lagged because my husband & I just returned less than 12 hours ago from a 10th anniversary trip to Hawaii (which was INCREDIBLE--I recommend Kauai without reservation), but what I really want to talk about is the birthday thing.

And, yeah, I really do want to talk about it.

I know some women like to stop having birthdays once they hit thirty or so but I'm 38, in case anybody's curious. Looking 40 riiiiiiight in the eye, thank you very much. And I have no intention of ignoring my birthday, now or ever.

And why?

Because I'm all about cake.

I like presents as much as the next girl, of course, but I don't really get my kicks out of surprises in pretty boxes, or thoughtful momentoes of cherished occasions.

I want cake.

I like parties, too. Love spending time with family & friends. Love hanging out with my kids & celebrating just about anything. And I'm easy to please in terms of gatherings.

Beer on the patio for your graduation? Great. Dinner & dancing for your wedding? Super. Back yard BBQ for a family reunion? Nice. Fancy shin dig for your parents' 40th wedding anniversary? Sweet.

But when it's my birthday?

Cake.

Guess what I'm doing to celebrate my 38th birthday today?

I don't know either (the kids have been very secretively planning something with their grandparents while my husband & I were away).

But my family knows me & I'm pretty sure there's going to be cake involved.

How about you? How do you like to celebrate when it's your big day? Because it's your day, after all. Are you a presents girl? Do you love a good surprise party? Or are you like me & all sweet tooth-centric?

p.s. And where there's cake? There better be ice cream. I'm just saying...

What Kind of Cake Are You?

by Anna Sugden

I admit it - I'm a Food Network junkie. One of the things I knew I was going to miss when we moved back home to England was my daily dose of Food Network favourites.

Imagine my delight the other evening when a new channel popped up on our TV guide - yes, we now have The Food Network! *happy sigh* With ESPN America showing live hockey, what more could a girl want? (TNT and the old series of Trick my Truck - love that Chrome Shop Mafia! - but that's another story!)

Now, I love shows like Iron Chef America, but I'm a total and utter fan-girl when it comes to Ace of Cakes.

It's hard to resist Duff Goldman and the crew at Charm City Cakes. Duff, a former graffiti artist turned cake-maker extraordinaire appeals the rebel in me - you gotta adore a guy who likes to do things his way, against the odds and against the norms. Kind of like us romance writers!

But, the thing I enjoy most about this show is the unbelievably creativity, skill and talent of the team as they create the most spectacular cakes.

As someone who has zero capability for anything crafty, I can only watch in awe as they turn sheet cakes and fondant into amazing sculptures, from library carts to Hogwarts, from a shark ray called Sweet Pea to a Star Trek cake, from the Millennium Falcon to Wrigley Field!

All of which got me thinking.

I love fun cakes. When I was little, my mum made me a chocolate train cake out of chocolate Swiss rolls and sweeties. There was also a house cake . There were name cakes, with each letter made from cake - both my full name, Anahita and Anna. I also remember a cake in my teens with the car from Starsky and Hutch on it.

I know Charm City Cakes don't deliver cakes to England *unhappy sigh*, but if they did, and I could afford their prices, what kind of cake would I want them to make for me?

Hmm. Well, I collect penguins, so a penguin cake would work. I love cats, so maybe a pair of cat cakes - one black and one tuxedo, like Jersey Girl and CC.

I write romances, so perhaps an aspirational cake - a romance novel with my name on it!

Or, some kind of hockey cake. A rink with mini-hockey players. A puck smashing into a cake. *g*. Maybe even a bobblehead cake of my favourite player. Now, that sounds like an Ace of Cakes type of cake!

What about you? If Duff and his team were to make you a special cake, what kind of cake would it be?