Wednesday, August 26, 2009

OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY! Grampa's Birthday

Monday we celebrated
my Dad's birthday!
With a little dinner on the patio.

I got to use my new $3 cake pan from Marshall's.
It worked beautifully.

I used the lemon cake recipe from
one of our Foodie Friday recipes.
Everyone loved it.
It was so moist and lemon-y!
(I used a bit of cocoa to darken the batter for the center.)

Poor Grampa had to peel the Idaho potatoes
for his own birthday dinner.

We had roasted & boiled
Corn-on-the-Cob!
We had it both ways, because
Grampa wanted it
and it was his
birthday afterall.

I preferred the roasted.
It was basted with melted butter,
minced garlic, S&P,
and a squeeze of lime juice.

The best part was the breaded fish.
Grampa's favorite.
He loves it dredged in flour,
than the egg wash, & the crushed Premium Saltines
the good old-fashioned way.

Look at how crispy and delicious it is....

I used my little deep fryers out on the patio.
I just love this little thing,
and notice my beautiful extension cord.
It was custom-made especially for me,
by my future electrician!

This is as close as I am going to get to an outdoor kitchen.
We have such short summers and cold winters
that I couldn't justify installing one.

Meanwhile, we had a visitor to our garden.

One that wanted to get in on the BRP*
(Bunny Relocation Program)

A Possum!

Look at those teeth!


&
Look at those gross crusty claws - YIKES!

Let's visit Susan
@
for today's
Outdoor Wednesday
posts.

Robyn

20 comments:

Hootin Anni said...

We have an opossum that comes to our yard nearly every dawn!!! They're good for the garden...they eat the bugs. Or so I've been told.

Loved the birthday celebration photos!!!

My O W is posted now...it's a continuation [and last entry for the week] of our tour of the Botanical Gardens.

Anonymous said...

What a fabulous cake! It sounds so lovely, and is quite summery with the cheery sunflower design!

Birthday wishes...

Debbykay at Rose Cottage Gardens and Farm

Anonymous said...

Robyn,
Happy Birthday to your Dad! The food looked delicious!!! :) I love grilled corn! I love to mix garlic salt, paprika, and dried Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on my hot buttery roasted corn. Oh and that fish look yummy! Your food always looks great! I also loved that cake! :)

That possum looked mean and nasty!!!! (YIKES!)

Love Bears All Things said...

Lovely post! When I was growing up, whenever Mother was cutting corn from the cob for a meal, she would put a few ears in the oven for us. I had forgotten about that until you talked about roasted corn.
Mama Bear

Rue said...

Happy Birthday to your dad!

I think the possum is pretty cute, albeit angry LOL

I love having my kids home too, but by the 3rd month I'm ready for some quiet and not the endless "I'm bored" statements LOL Remember I have 4 at home right now, so I was D O N E... done ;)

rue

roy/elisabeth dean said...

That cake is BEAUTIFUL!!!! (that possom....not so much!)

I'm going today to see if I can find that cake pan. Then I will probably come back to you for that recipe and step-by-step instructions! I'm a terrible baker. Great cook though, and I am trying to learn the art of baking.

Have a GREAT day Robyn~
♥,Lilly

xinex said...

Happy Birthday, Grandpa! That cake looks so good and the fish too and the corn. But the opposum looks scary!...Christine

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a fun time! That cake looks fabulous. I've never seen one like it before. Almost too pretty to eat!

Justine said...

Ooh girl, that possum looks PISSED OFF!

Mmmm... that roasted corn looks SO good, and minced garlic on it? YUM! What kind of fish was that?

Justine :o )

Lori E said...

Thank you for your kind words. I have searched to no avail. He is deliberately absent.
Yipes that is quite a critter you have there.
I am with you on the corn. Roasted with lime juice. I like the cake pan. I bet you will get a lot of use out of it.
Happy Birthday to Grandpa too.

Mary Bergfeld said...

I'll bet your grandfather had a really special day. There are some photos there that will become memories as the years pass. I hope you are having a wonderful day.

cindy said...

That cake looks good enough to eat!!! That fish looks good too!...I gotta try that recipe!...Enjoy whats left of the summer.....are you going to the fair?...what a stupid question..

cindy said...

That cake looks good enough to eat! The fish looks really good too, I will have to try that recipe. So they have oppossums in the city? who knew?!...Cant wait for your fair pics...battered fried cheese curds...mmmm!

Anonymous said...

HI Robyn. Oh, your cake is gorgeous! I love that pan! Now my mouth was watering after looking at all that delicious food, but when I saw that possum! Drool dried up! Those are some nasty looking little critters aren't they? We've had a few around here too!
Keep that puppy away from those nasty sharp teeth.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia :)

Ebie said...

Hi Robyn, this is a great celebration for your Dad and a great outdoor activity. Love it when you find great bargains. Your cake looks so delicious! I enjoyed your post!

Lynne (lynnesgiftsfromtheheart) said...

Your cake looks delicious along with the corn..yummy. Happy Birthday to your Daddy. A possum in a cage...scary..we have those roaming around the yard all the time and the dogs sure let us know it. Happy Outdoor Wednesday girlfriend..hugs ~lynne~

Sue said...

Robyn, If that isn't the neatest cake pan, I don't know what is!!! How clever to have darkened the batter for the middle of the cake,too. The roasted corn looked delish, ummmm,,, lime juice...
Glad the day was a good one. Tell Jacob he is a very handy guy. You are a lucky mom to have him do little things for ya!! hugs, Sue

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Robyn, That cake is so pretty, and to read that it tasted good just makes it that much better. I love to sink my teeth into some corn on the cob, so your photo of it grilled made my mouth water. I think your outdoor kitchen is a fab idea! I need to find a place to put my fryer when we are cooking out. Thanks for the idea. laurie

Susie Q said...

That cake is so pretty and I bet it tasted so good too!
That is one unhappy opossum!
The dinner looks s o good I am thining he just wanted to be invited to eat with all of you!
Love,
Sue

Judi said...

I love the look of that cake! I wonder if I could find a cake mold like that one. Its gorgeous. Lucky dad...and the whole dinner is delicious. Corn tastes so delish when done on the grill.
thank you for sharing...
so very yummy
Judi