Ben turned 40 years old this year! He asked for a nice, quiet day. We started by opening presents. Some were late, due to shipping delays this year. Luckily Ben is patient and they all came within a week or so.

I set up a game playdate with the Walkers for the afternoon. Ben was delighted! He didn’t want to do a big social zoom thing like many of his fellow turning-40 friends have done this year. So I kept it small and short and sweet.

For dinner I surprised Ben by making salmon and asparagus. (The kids and I had a small ham.) Ben seemed very touched that I would cook fish for him. I didn’t know what I was doing and over-cooked it 😀 I also made the kids promise not to mention the smell or make any complaints about the fish, explaining that their attitude would be part of the gift. They did a great job!

Cake was more comfortable for me, even though it was a new recipe. Ben selected the “Italian Cream Cake” from my historical American Cakes book. It’s a pecan and coconut cake recipe from Nashville. The book notes that there is nothing Italian about this 1970s recipe. It was delicious nonetheless. I used 3 six inch pans to make a half-batch recipe and it was just perfect for us to split and have leftovers for a few days!

Happy Birthday, Ben!