Birthdays: Any special meals or traditions?

[Natasha]

Just curious (i.e., nosy) - what do you tend to do for your and your family's birthdays? Dine out? Have a special meal at home (maybe cooked by your spouse or family)? Try to ignore the day altogether? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif Or maybe there's a special cake or dessert you look forward to all year.

Looking forward to reading your responses.

[Jodi]

The birthday girl (or guy) at my house gets the night off from cooking AND gets to choose either what is served or where to go out to eat. My favorite cake is strawberry shortcake, which I can't imagine having a birthday without! When I was a teenager, my mom used to put strawberries on top instead of candles for however many years old I was.
Jodi

[sushibones]

For the past several years we have let our teenagers pick a restaurant they want to go to (this year our daughter picked Red Lobster; our son, who is a picky eater, is more likely to choose Burger King or Wendy's).

My husband and children also get to choose what they will have for their birthday dinner at home. My daughter just turned 17 last week and her dinner request was steak (always fun to do outside in 30° weather--but my DH had to handle that part), baked potatoes, spinach salad with apples and sunflower seeds, baby corn, and fresh artichokes. She also wanted a Dutch apple pie for dessert. Whew! This was somewhat different from her usual request for shrimp.

My husband usually picks lasagne, because I don't fix it very often. My son tends to ask for pancakes or french toast and a store-bought cake. My married daughter always used to ask for barbecued chicken, my grandmother's potato salad, and frequently a chocolate-almond torte.

For my birthday, I don't and they don't cook, but I try to get in 2 dinners out: one with the family and one with my DH in a slightly fancier restaurant (fancy restaurants not being in abundance in my part of Idaho).

[MrsReber]

Every year my mom would cook whatever we wanted for dinner. I sometimes lose out on this, however, since my birthday occasionally falls on Thanksgiving (like it did last year!). I used to always ask for an angel food cake, but my mom could never get it right. One year, I showed up at her house and my neice ratted her out by saying "Grandma made TWO cakes!!" Apparently the first one didn't come out very well! I gave up on that request after that year.

My sister always asks for ice cream cake, with chocolate crunchies, of course. Have to have them!

On the years that my mom cooks, I usually request her manicotti. It is so very very good.


[This message has been edited by MrsReber (edited 01-30-2001).]

[Leanne]

When I was a kid, my mom always made what we wanted - I asked for tacos & my brother got pizza.

When I was older, I had a friend who made me a yellow cake with chocolate icing every year(my fav for a while), now it's hummingbird cake for all of the birthdays.

[Angelina]

The birthday person decides the dinner menu! My husband goes crazy about my mother's chicken soup with tortellini...I prefer Tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce, but when I was little, the usual request was roasted chicken, peas and homemade french fries (we lived in Italy, so there were no McDonalds or Burger Kings). Of course, she will still make what somebody asks her, within reasonable limits...my Mom's the greatest! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[darthchrista]

When I was growing up we could either choose a restaurant or a meal we wanted. I usually choose one of two dinners, Hamburgers and Hot dogs on the grill or Boiled Shrimp and Artichokes.
My brother usually wanted to go out to eat and he must have angelfood cake with strawberries or it is just not right http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Now that I am married, I like to go out to dinner for my birthday to a fancy restaurant and have a fancy dessert there then come home and open gifts.

For my DH's b-day he gets to choose a restaurant or I can cook for him. This year (his birthday is next friday) he has decided he wants to go to a "one of those Janapese restaurants where they cook in front of you." He usually wants an ice cream cake or a buttermilk pie for dessert.

[phantomcg]

When I was younger I would either request my Dad's beef barley soup or Mom's corned beef and cabbage or spanish rice. Either way both of my brothers would hate it! They were more into hamburgers and hotdogs. I can't remember requesting a specific dessert. Now my husband and I usually go out for a nice dinner with the birthday boy/girl picking the restaurant.

Cheryl

[Anne]

Birthdays are so much fun. We pick the meal of our choice on the actual birthday which is then prepared, cooked, and cleaned up after by everyone else. For my husband and I, we also celebrate by going out to dinner on the nearest Friday night - usually with the kids along. For the kids - the birthday child has 6 or so friends for a Friday-Saturday overnight (sibling gets one friend down at same time). The kids decide what they want and its usually pizza. I make the crusts and let each child put their own coices of ingredients (within reason) on as toppings. The within reason does not include chocolate chips, caramels, 2 pounds of cheese, or a whole can of chipotles.

[ewatkins]

My husband always wants the chocolate wafer Icebox Cake that his mother made for him. My kids love to help make it as we only do it once a year. The recipe's on the back of the box of the cookies. I used to make it with real whipped cream (ugh!) but now I use low fat Cool Whip and DH doesn't even notice. One note-- I think the recipe says it serves 10 or something, but we usually finish it off betwen the four of us!

[ewatkins]

I forgot to add something abut the Icebox Cake. My SIL says her mother calls it "Bride's Delight" because it's so easy and I guess new brides aren't supposed to be able to cook!

[hawkslady]

I just had to reply to this one. My STBH will have his birthday this week. We met back in April, and one of the first things that he told me would like to do sometime in the future was to eat at the Medivial Times in Dallas (we live near Houston). I joked that if I was around long enough to celibrate his next birthday I would make it a point to take him. Well now it is that time and I have already made the reservations. We are leaving the kids with my ex and going alone..yee haw!!!

[kwormann]

Growing up I always wanted sausage balls, corn and carrot cake with cream cheese icing. I still make sausage balls about once a year, but they arent very light, and when I have tried to lighten them up, it just hasnt been the same!

DH and I dont really have any traditions.

Kim

[Natasha]

Thanks for the responses. Sounds like you have some fun traditions!

It occurred to me that I didn t answer my own question http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif When I was growing up, my family would also go out to eat on birthdays to the restaurant of the birthday person s choice. We would also have a cake, of course. My favorite was the orange cake my sister used to make for me. I haven t had it in several years but am tempted to ask her to please make it this year!

Nowadays we (family, SO, me) still usually choose to go out on birthdays. But sometimes I prefer to have a good, cozy, relaxing meal at home - especially since my birthday is in the middle of winter (Groundhog Day, actually) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif and it can get kind of cold! It s nice to not have to go anywhere after dinner...

Mrs Reber, I can imagine how good your mother s manicotti must be!! Do you ever make it at home?

[This message has been edited by Natasha (edited 01-31-2001).]