Monday, September 1, 2014

Who's Counting Candles ~ The Chef Celebrates A Birthday






My husband and his twin brother

recently celebrated a significant birthday.





Not saying which one.

Who's counting anyway?





Both these guys requested a

German Chocolate Birthday Cake.

No surprise!

That's what they request every year.





I usually make a traditional German Chocolate,

but this year I made a friend's mother's recipe.

It uses German Chocolate for the icing too.

You'll find a copy of the recipe at the end of the post.

This is a delicious version.

*****




I made the cake, but

this pretty young woman made the birthday

dinner for her dad and uncle.





~  A Pork Crown Roast  ~





~  Twice Baked  ~

~  Japanese Sweet Potatoes  ~




You can find the recipe for this

scrumptous dish here.




~  Arugula Salad  ~




This healthy salad 

included apples and goat cheese.





Dinner is served!




Yum!




Happy Birthday, guys!

Mom's German Chocolate Cake


Icing
1 large can Pet Milk
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
3 egg yolks
1 pkg. German Chocolate
1 cup or more chopped pecans and coconut

Put first 5 ingredients in a double boiler and cook until thick.  Stir in pecans and coconut before icing cake.  This takes awhile to thicken, so it is important to start the icing before making the cake.

Cake
1 pk. German chocolate
2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter
4 egg yolks
1/2 t salt
1 t vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour (not quite)
1 cup buttermilk
4 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Cream sugar and butter.  Add egg yolks and beat until light and creamy.  Add dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately to the sugar mixture.  Add vanilla.  Melt German Chocolate in 1/2 cup of hot water.  Pour into the batter and fold in 4 egg whites that have been stiffly beaten.  Bake at 350 until done.  After cake is done, turn onto a platter and pour hot icing over the hot cake.



Joining



Sarah
Sarah

The summer we married, my husband was in graduate school, and I was employed as a teacher. We took a portion of our savings that summer and purchased a sailboat. We christened our Catalina 22, “Hyacinths For The Soul” after Saadi’s poem. Our "Hyacinths" provided years of pleasure.

71 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday to the Chef and his twin! That photograph is just wonderful of the two of them as babies. :-)

    What a marvelous celebration you prepared!

    The wonderful meal and that scrumptious cakeM. Yum! Great job! The candles were so cute, too.

    Happy Labor Day, my friend!

    xoxoxo

    Sheila :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy Birthday to the twin brothers!! What a fabulous feast for all of you to enjoy, Sarah. Your niece is an adorable cook and she planned such a delicious meal. I know they enjoyed your cake to top the evening off!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Happy birthday to your chef..She's so pretty your niece..and what a crown roast..and cake:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a fabulous meal and beautiful chef - just know it was a great time for the twin 'boys' - all grown up now! Happy birthday guys and many many more.

    Thank you Sarah dear for the kind words on our recent loss…..Bob and I truly appreciate your thoughts at this time.

    Love and hugs - Mary

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy birthday to the twins...my hubby is the elder of identical twins.
    The menu looks delicious, too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. HA! I come back here on a diet and look what you are doing to me! OMGOSH- Does THAT look good- every bit of it!

    Just getting back to a bit of blogging. I have miss ya, gal...and Happy, Happy birthday to the "boys". xo Diana

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yummo bigtime!

    My husband's family thinks there is no other cake but German chocolate. I will have to try this version because it looks soooooo good.

    How nice that you have a talented cook in the younger generation. Most of them only know how to microwave these days! Listen to me -- "these days" -- I sound like I am a hundred years old. Oh well.

    The food all looks delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a great Birthday Celebration! From dinner to the cake it all looks wonderful! My mom was a twin too! They were just 88. Where in Texas do you live? I live in Spring, Texas! I learn something new everyday. Thanks for sharing.
    Blessings My Friend,

    ReplyDelete
  9. Happy Birthday to The Chef and to his twin as well! It looks like the birthday meal was a treat, from start to finish. I am anxious to give the cake a try - perhaps to welcome my parents when they arrive. It looks scrumptious. Is Pet milk sweetened condensed milk? I am intrigued, as well, by the Japanese twice baked potatoes.
    What a lovely celebration you must have had!

    ReplyDelete
  10. HI Sarah,
    Wow, this menu looks delicious. I immediately copied the potato recipe as I LOVE Japanese sweet potatoes. The cake is amazing. Happy Birthday to the boys! Dianne

    ReplyDelete
  11. LOVE those candles-how fun! Dinner looks amazing Sarah, I've never tried to make (or had) crown roast of pork and it looks beautiful! Happy B-Day to the guys:@)

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a wonderful, wonderful meal for any birthday, and even more so for a significant one. Looks like your celebration was a success. I love German Chocolate cake! Here's to a healthy and happy year coming, full of many new memories to be made!
    Rita
    ps I'll just drink my K-cup German Chocolate coffee and pretend it's cake. :(

    ReplyDelete
  13. The candles are GREAT! Happy Birthday to the twins. They were surrounded by lovely ladies, and that meal was perfect for a special birthday. The cake looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sarah,
    HaPpY BiRtHdAy to your husband and his twin brother!!!
    What adorable "Lost Count" candles!!!
    Can't think of a better way to CeLeBrAtE than spending time with family and friends!!!
    Thanks for sharing!!!
    Fondly,
    Pat

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sarah,
    This looks delicious. My grandmother always made me a German Chocolate cake when I was visiting her..It was so good..My son's favorote is GC too..I will pin this recipe for later.. Happy Birthday to the boys..LOL
    Love, Mona

    ReplyDelete
  16. Dearest Sarah,
    Wishing your Chef a very happy Birthday!
    No, we all are in the age group where counting is not important anymore.
    You did create a very lovely double-birthday dinner together with your beautiful daughter. A daughter with a big and warm heart!
    Hugs,
    Mariette

    ReplyDelete
  17. Happy birthday to both of your guys. It all looks wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  18. HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to your husband and his twin! Sarah what a wonderful way to celebrate together for your family. The lovely young lady made a delicious meal, very special. Thanks for sharing your mom’s recipe for the cake too. I love the count candles, you will have to let me know where to get them. Someone here has a big day this fall and he is keeping count. He needs these too.............
    Hugs,
    Emily

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wishing your Sweetie a belated but no less sincere "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"!!!

    That cake is to die for...German choc. is my son-in-love's request every year. I'll have to give your recipe a try next time.

    I've never heard of Japanese twice baked potatoes, but they look scrumptious & I'm VERY impressed with the menu that pretty young thing put together!!

    Hugs,
    Rett

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow Sarah the cake looks fabulous and so did the dinner! The candles cracked me up- love it! Looks like your husband and his brother had a wonderful birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  21. That cake!! I am so going to make it soon. I love anything and everything chocolate or cake.

    ReplyDelete
  22. A big Happy Birthday to the two birthday boys! I love that they've lost count...we all should!

    Luscious cake! And the dinner...I am wondering what sort of sauce was used on the pork...it looks heavenly!

    Jane xx

    ReplyDelete
  23. Happy Birthday to your hubby and his brother. What a wonderful celebration and special dinner. The meal looks amazing and the cake is one of my hubbies favorite too.
    Love those candles!! I will have to look for those for our birthdays.

    Enjoy the last days of summer.
    Happy September!
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  24. The twice baked potatoes and the salad look amazing. I am ignoring the cake because my body gains inches just looking at desserts.

    Happy Birthday to your husband!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Happy Birthday to your Hubby and his bro! The dinner looks amazing but bring on that cake!!
    hugs,
    Linda

    ReplyDelete
  26. Happy Birthday to your husband and his brother! It looks like it was a fun one. The candles are so cute and love the German's Chocolate Cake. The menu looks so interesting, with twice baked Japanese sweet potatoes.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wishing them the happiest of birthdays with lots more not to count as well!
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  28. this looks sooo delicious...it's Mr. Sweet's very favorite cake in the world.

    ReplyDelete
  29. What a feast !!!
    I'm sitting here hungry and I'm drooling looking at everything !
    ( Love the candles - I've never seen them - too cute for words )
    Ok - I'm off to pin that cake !
    XOXOXO

    ReplyDelete
  30. Happy birthday to the chef and his twin! What a wonderful photo of them as babies in the arms of MALE family members. The beautiful young lady did the chef proud with her menu, carrying on a family tradition. The meal looks delicious.

    Judith

    ReplyDelete
  31. Happy Birthday to your hubby and his twin brother Sarah! The birthday boys' menu is drool-worthy! While the German Chocolate cake looks sinful it's those twice baked sweet potatoes that are calling to me :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Happy Birthday to the hubby and his twin...loved the candles!! Dinner look scrumptious!!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Happy Birthday to the twins. I hope they enjoyed their feast. I can't wait to try the German chocolate cake recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  34. A big happy birthday to the birthday boys, and many more! I love the candles! Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe, gotta give it a try!
    Hugs,
    Patti

    ReplyDelete
  35. Happy birthday to the chef and his twin! I did not know he had a twin until now. What a lovely party you had, Sarah. Everything looks delicious.....Christine

    ReplyDelete
  36. what a delicious meal and what a wonderful thing to celebrate two young boys forgetting how old they are!

    ReplyDelete
  37. I already have a problem with wanting to just eat the icing and now it has chocolate in it? Wow, it would never make it to the cake.
    What a wonderful meal too.
    Happy happy birthday to the Chef!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Dearest Sarah,
    Who's counting?!
    Well; I did come to 39 years of happiness for you both; congrats!
    Hugs,
    Mariette

    ReplyDelete
  39. Such a fantastic celebration! The cake looks awe some that dinner is over the moon. You all celebrate in style. I will be checking out the recipes Sarah. Happy September. xo

    ReplyDelete
  40. How nice that your niece is such a good cook. The presentation of her food is spectacular. Belated to Happy Birthday to the twins. Love that picture of the twin babies. laurie

    ReplyDelete
  41. Happy birthday to the twins. What a precious picture of them as babies. The dinner looks delicious and so fancy with the paper thingamabobs on the roast(don't know what they're called!) and that delicious cake.
    Great candles too!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Wow, that meal looks good. I will check out the sweet potato recipe for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Now that sure is a cake! Wow. And those sweet potatoes look delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Lost Count made me laugh out loud. Happy Birthday you guys.

    Madonna
    MakeMineLemon

    ReplyDelete
  45. Hello Sarah,

    Well, the birthday feast looks to have been and, we are sure tasted, absolutely delicious. We spend all our time avoiding the kitchen but we do love food and eating. Now, if only we lived closer....!

    Such a wonderful idea to have aBirthday celebration for the twins.....double trouble, perhaps throughout their lives....but so good to get together for this celebration.

    We found you quite by chance on Tone on Tone and have so enjoyed looking through your posts. We have signed up as followers and will return for more.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Truly a birthday feast. I imagine they both felt very loved and special. Can you believe that I have never eaten a pork crown? It looks delicious.

    I also wanted to say thank you for your kind comments and friendship. You are a treasure.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Dear Sarah,
    what a gorgeous celebration. appy belated Birthday to the Chef and his twin. I agree, who counts the years. The only important of the birthday is, that one will arrive the next. The menu looks fabulous. Cake and dinner are looking really inviting. Thank you for sharing and
    best greetings from Johanna

    ReplyDelete
  48. Happy Pink Saturday, Sarah. Thank you for sharing this special occasion with us.♥

    ReplyDelete
  49. Oh no! My mouth is watering after all these photos. Yum! I shouldn't be blogging before breakfast I guess...:) Happy belated Birthday to your husband and his brother. Where did you find those candles? I need those for my next cake hahah And thanks so much Sarah for stopping by and being so supportive. I sure love hearing from you and I'm so glad to be slowly getting back to the blog world.
    xo
    Leslie

    ReplyDelete
  50. Happy belated birthday and now I'm drooling over this German chocolate cake! I know how to make it and boy, I'm gonna have to make one even for nothing! The candles are awesome! Thanks for stopping by my friend.
    Have a great week, ahead.
    FABBY

    ReplyDelete
  51. Happy birthday to your husband and his twin! Your niece made a fabulous birthday dinner, and your German Chocolate cake looked out of this world! The candles made me chuckle --I'll have to look for those as we are all at that age now--lol!

    ReplyDelete
  52. Hilarious - "Lost Count"! Love it. German Chocolate cake is my most favorite since childhood.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Happy birthday to the guys! The food looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  54. Well, happy birthday! Love those candles - the food looks amazing! I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

    ReplyDelete
  55. Oh my goodness!!! Any leftovers? :) A belated happy birthday to your husband and his brother. How fun to celebrate together. Warm greetings to you all. L

    ReplyDelete
  56. Happy Birthday to the twins! The cake looks delicious Sarah and Wow, what a meal! Looks like someone is taking after her mother.
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete
  57. Wow....talk about two spoiled twins! I love German chocolate cake. Thank-you so much for sharing your mother's recipe. How special!

    xo,
    RJ

    ReplyDelete
  58. Dinner looks wonderful! I am so used to the cheese and apples or cranraisins in our salad that if it doesn't have it I feel it is too bland. The candles are too cute.
    Hope all is well, Sarah.

    ReplyDelete
  59. What a feast!!!
    An occasion to remember!
    Thanks for sharing the delicious recipes.
    XO

    ReplyDelete
  60. wow! Now that's a gorgeous meal. Although I know that you didn't, it would have been amazing if you had served it on paper plates! Happy birthday to the twins! Thanks for the recipe for the cake. Cherry Kay

    ReplyDelete
  61. Yum! That looks so incredibly delicious! Now I need a snack!
    Miss Bloomers

    ReplyDelete
  62. Sorry for late wishes. Many many happy returns of the day to your twins.

    ReplyDelete
  63. I love that set of "Lost Count" candles. I think I'm going to need to get a set of those.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Oh Sarah, what a great menu! I was actually here last night, but then my husband wisked me away to go eat dinner. I was hungry when I was looking at your food here!

    A huge happy birthday wish to the TWO men! How fun it must be to be a twin as an adult...and sweet friend,thank you for coming to visit yesterday. I pray you have the strength to shine your light with your friend's light, as she enters into the fullness. My heart goes out to you....be well dear Sarah. Anita

    ReplyDelete
  65. What a spectacular meal. How sweet of your daughter. And the cake looks delicious too. Happy birthday to them both.

    Janet

    ReplyDelete
  66. Sarah, I think about you so often. I hope your trip to France was wonderful. Did you get any new Quimper? Hope all is well with you. laurie

    ReplyDelete
  67. hope things are ok in your world, sarah...xoxo bj

    ReplyDelete
  68. Dear Sarah,
    Happy belated birthday to your husband and his brother. What a sweet party they got. The German Chocolate Cake looks wonderful. I love the candles Lost Count. Really funny. And the menue looks so yummy. The best restaurant couldn't make it better.
    Wish you a wonderful weekend.
    Best greetings, Johanna

    ReplyDelete
  69. Dear Sarah,
    Happy belated birthday to your husband and his brother. What a sweet party they got. The German Chocolate Cake looks wonderful. I love the candles Lost Count. Really funny. And the menue looks so yummy. The best restaurant couldn't make it better.
    Wish you a wonderful weekend.
    Best greetings, Johanna

    ReplyDelete

Thank you to each of you who take the time to leave a comment. I read and appreciate each and every one and will respond to any questions. Your notes are the only way I know who has stopped in for a visit.