Happy Birthday to uuusssss...

It was our birthday last week-- our, not in the royal sense, but in the "Mikie and Aloha" sense. Despite having spent the last 18 birthdays apart, being a twin means that a birthday is always shared.

Being a twin gives you a sense of belonging. There's a collective, shared being that never really leaves you-- even if you live across the world from each other (like we do-- Hawaii to England does not an easy commute make). While we don't share "twin power"-- I don't feel it when she's in pain (thank goodness-- her child birth would not have been a pleasant thing for me); I can't read her thoughts. But I do know when she's hurting; we have the same taste in clothes, music, food, books, movies; and, we share some of the best friends we'll ever have. She's my best friend. Simple but true. We're closer than close. And while I don't get to see her everyday, I certainly feel her everyday. She's part of my DNA-- literally and spiritually.

My parents were always great with birthdays and holidays. While many twins become "one," my parents were always encouraging of our being individuals-- exploring our own interests, doing our own activities-- even though we'd eventually come back together. They even got us our own birthday cakes-- until we decided we liked the same thing and wanted to share. See-- that was the great thing about my parents. They let us choose when we wanted to be the same. I think it's made us stronger for it.

I made my grandmother's pineapple coconut cake for my birthday this year. MRN was going to buy, and then make, a cake, but I like to do it (and as I told him-- my being anal pretty much gets him off the hook every time). The funny thing? My sis was going to make the same cake until her husband told her he'd already ordered one. Without previous communication on the subject, we had unknowingly chosen the same birthday cake. Freaky.

So I made the cake, and MRN and I sang happy birthday to me and Aloha-- as is my custom. Once a shared birthday, always a shared birthday. And I'm okay with that.

Postscript: A couple of people have asked me for the recipe, so I've posted it below. It's reeeaaaallly complicated. Not really. It's the best recipes that are the easiest.

Grandma's Pineapple Coconut Cake
> 1-Box yellow cake mix
> 1 (or 2)-8 oz cans of crushed pineapple (do not drain)
> 1-tub of cool whip
> 1-7 oz package of shredded coconut

No joke. This recipe was my grandmothers-- and she got it from a container of cool whip! I've actually made this cake from scratch (I can't get any of the above items in the grocery store in England, so I made the cake and whipped cream from scratch, got some weird thing called desiccated coconut, which is basically minced coconut, from what i can tell, and got a real pineapple and cut it up and tried to mash it. It tasted okay, but it wasn't nearly as good as the cool whip recipe. i was able to order all of the above from a website that imports american food to here, except the cool whip-- so i settled for store-bought whip cream which I have to say isn't AS good, but the unsweetened whip does balance the slight sourness of the pineapple and the sweetness of the coconut!).

In any case-- the original recipe tells you to bake it in a greased 13 x 9 inch pan, which is just as good. Just follow the instructions on the cake mix and when you take the cake out of the oven, while it's still hot, use the handle-end of a wooden spoon and carefully poke holes all over the surface of the cake (about half-way down-- not all the way through; I don't do this with any sort of precision or planning...). then pour 1 can of crushed pineapple on top of the cake (or more if you like it-- juice and all) and spread evenly over the entire surface with a spatula. the pineapple will soak into the cake while it's cooling and make it really yummy. If you're using more than one can, I'd reserve some of the liquid because it could make it too soggy and cause it to fall apart when you serve it. Once cool, spread cool whip on top and sprinkle with coconut.

For special occasions i've adapted the recipe to make a layer cake (because it's oh-so-pretty). So, same as above, bake cake per instructions on box. When you take the rounds out, flip them onto cooling racks (usually I'll put one on the platter I'm serving on, and one on a cooling rack). as with the sheet cake, poke holes into the rounds and spread the pineapple over both rounds and allow to cool (I usually use about 1.5 cans of pineapple for both). when cool, spread whipped cream on top of your bottom layer on the cake platter; Carefully transfer top layer to cake platter; frost the top and sides with whip cream. Sprinkle top with coconut and carefully press sides with more coconut.

You have to work fast if you make the layer cake version when it's warm because the whip becomes a soggy mess. but even if it starts to melt, if you throw it in the fridge, it will firm back up again. also, don't worry about the holes in either version because the crushed pineapple will fill them in and you never even see them when you slice into it! :)

When life gives you (brown) bananas...

Make banana bread! But this isn't your mama's banana bread. Well, it's my mama's banana bread-- although technically, it's my grandmother's recipe. But when I copied it out of my mom's dog-eared, thumbed-through, browned-page recipe book that contained a combination of her handwriting and what I assume is my grandmother's, it was simply titled, "Mom's Banana Bread."

I'm all for fancy food but I've found that the simplest recipes more often than not, make for the best food. I don't have patience for measuring or complicated recipes that have a million ingredients (although if it tickles my fancy, I'll try anything). I'm drawn to things that are simple, unexpected and totally delicious. This recipe certainly ticks many of those boxes.

For someone who doesn't like baking, I make banana bread a lot. Mostly because we buy bananas and if there's one thing that I can stand is a soft banana. I'll only eat them when they're just past being green. I can smell the difference-- I know, it's weird. But hey; I know my bananas. In any case, I hate wasting food-- and as it turns out, this recipe works better with soft bananas (brown spots and all). Deliciously simple, imprecisely measured, brown bananas. What better makings for a great recipe?

Mom's Banana Bread

• 3-4 soft bananas, mashed
• 3 eggs
• 1 c butter (more or less)
• 1 c sugar
• 2 c flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon (heaping tsp if you like cinnamon)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp cold water (I don't know what this is for, but it seems to not work without it, so go with it)

Cooking directions:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and banana mixture
• Sift dry ingredients and combine with wet ingredients
• Add vanilla and water
• Grease and flour bread pan
• Bake for 45-60 minutes, until knife comes out clean-- careful not to test near bananas; if edges look done, pull it out. This is best when it's just cooked so it's really moist

The bread really needs no accoutrements; it's delicious on its own as an afternoon snack with a cuppa (that's tea for all you Yanks)-- or really, at any time of day. If you're serving it for dessert, you can always pair it with cream cheese frosting or a caramel sauce would be delicious (or a peanut butter marshmallow sauce-- yummeee). You can always add walnuts too, which I do every so often when I have them handy. If it's for company, I'll usually add some sliced bananas to the plate as garnish. Just past green, of course.