Grandma's Birthday

We celebrated my Grandma's 83rd birthday on Saturday with my family in Opelika.  My Grandma is an amazing Christian woman, and one of the best cooks I have and will ever know.  She doesn't cook much anymore since she lives in a retirement home, but I will never forget walking into my grandparents house and being met by the intoxicating aroma of the food my Grandma was cooking.  She always cooked a huge, from scratch meal every time we went to visit.  It was usually her famous fried chicken fingers (the real thing- and the best in the world), her amazing creamed corn (which is absolutely nothing like the frozen or canned stuff), cornbread, turnip greens or collards with sweet tomatoes, sometimes macaroni and cheese or sauteed broccoli with almonds, and occasionally fried okra or roasted sweet potatoes.  When I was younger she would make a big bowl of that fluffy pink or green salad, made from cool whip with pineapple and cherries in it.  Of course I always dug into that because it was like dessert!  She would always have one or two homemade desserts also.  Many times it was a big, tall layer cake, like carrot cake or red velvet.  Completely made from scratch. 

But, my Grandma is so much more than an incredible cook.  I will always remember how excited she was when we came to visit.  She would literally jump and down.  My grandparents lived in Opelika, so we usually didn't get to see them but every few months when we were growing up.  But when my sister and I lived in Auburn we were able to visit much more often.  It was so nice to have family close.

As you can see, Emma was being a wiggle worm the entire time we were there.  We got together at my Auntie Ann and Uncle Don's house in Opelika.  My aunt is a fabulous cook also.  Really, I love everything she ever makes.  I wish I had gotten a picture of all the food because it was all so good!  She made the best macaroni and cheese that I have ever put in my mouth.  Not only does she make fantastic food, but she writes articles for the magazine, East Alabama Living, and for a local weekly paper.  She is my culinary hero :)

My sister made this delicious coconut cake.  The cake was soaked in cream of coconut and topped with a fluffy frosting.

And my mom made these mississppi mud cake brownies.  They were very good- basically a very chocolatey brownie with swirls of gooey marshmallows and crunchy nuts, topped with a fudgy frosting.  Yum!  Here is the recipe if anyone is interested.

Mississppi Mud Cake- from Southern Living, October 2007
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 (10.5-oz.) bag miniature marshmallows

1. Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet.
2. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted.
3. Microwave 1 cup butter and semisweet chocolate in a large microwave-safe glass bowl at HIGH 1 minute or until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds.
4. Whisk sugar and next 5 ingredients into chocolate mixture. Pour batter into a greased 15- x 10- x 1-inch jelly-roll pan.
5. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and sprinkle evenly with miniature marshmallows; bake 8 to 10 more minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle warm cake with Chocolate Frosting, and sprinkle evenly with toasted pecans.

Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1. Stir together first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until slightly thickened; remove from heat. Beat in powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until smooth.