I am not a good cook. I have a small collection of go to recipes that appear over and over at our family meals. So by about the third time you eat with us, you've pretty much seen my entire repertoire. This is one of those old faithful recipes that is always a big hit for a hungry crowd.
This cake recipe came from one of Grandma Alberta Stewart's best college friends. When one of the visits between their families coincided with a birthday, this was the cake she served. It has been a Stewart family favorite ever since... probably around 40 years. I made it last week for Andrew's birthday, and thought I would share the recipe and the tricks to this yummy dessert.
Melt one stick of margarine in the microwave.
Add one cup brown sugar and stir.
Spray a metal pan with cooking spray.
Pour the margarine/brown sugar mixture into pan and spread with a spoon.
Sprinkle
liberally with semi-sweet chocolate chips. I have found that more chocolate chips makes the cake come out better. Which follows a well known theory that chocolate makes everything a little bit better. Of course.
Prepare a devil's food cake mix according to package instructions. I always use Duncan Hines. I think it is the best.
Pour prepared cake mix over chocolate chips in pan.
Spread batter to the edges of the pan to cover the chocolate chips. Bake according to package instructions (350 degrees for about 30 minutes).
When the cake comes out of the oven, immediately invert pan onto serving dish. Allow a few minutes for the chips to settle on the cake, and then remove pan.
I use two potholders (the pan is hot!) and two spoons to slowly lift the pan off. I tip the pan back and forth a few times to allow any chips in the pan to fall onto the cake.
It is delicious served with vanilla ice cream, and Jonathan thinks it's better the second day. It's a very simple cake with delicious results.
Matthew added candles, 2 and 6 for 26 years old, in John Deere colors.
Matthew, Riley, and Haleigh helped with the singing. Then they helped with the eating!
The tube actually has a spot for two (small) riders. We had wanted to try it when Riley was there, but we couldn't get the boat started. Cheryl told me that she's always heard that the two best days of boat ownership are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. I'm beginning to understand what that means.
We moved on out to the big part of the lake and picked up a little speed. Before too long, he gave us the signal that he wanted to stop. Those other boats send a lot of waves your way!
It was a good first try, and he finished with a smile on his face. Maybe next time we can find a buddy to ride with him.
Haleigh even tried out her own float in the lake. She liked it!
Jim tried out the new floating cooler. Andrew got it for his birthday. :) We have learned that floating on the lake might be our favorite activity there. It's fun to socialize with neighbors on the water. As one of our new friends told Jim, it's "return on investment." Ahhhhh....
Saturday evening, the lake had fireworks on the beach, and most folks watched from their boats on the water. The Andrew Stewart family was ready for the show.
As the sun was setting, the boats were gathering to watch the fireworks. We figured there were maybe 200 boats out on the water.
Haleigh doesn't even mind her life jacket. She is such a good baby!
I tried to take a few pictures of the fireworks, but I was not as successful as Jennifer. Besides, since we are boat novices, I was worried about floating into another boat!
It was a good show, and we managed to navigate through the crowded water to get our boat and all it's occupants back safely to our dock in the dark. Yes, there was prayer involved. God is good!
