A Very Betty Birthday…

The title of this blog post makes me think of my favorite tv show of all time, The Brady Bunch. Whenever there was a Brady Special aired after the series was over it was called “A Very Brady Christmas, movie, or sequel.”

As I was making Marty’s birthday dinner one day ahead, A Very Betty Birthday was all I could think of for the blog’s title. His birthday is today, February 16, but I have belly dance, and he has deliveries up north, so we decided on a late birthday supper tonight around 9 pm. 

I chose the title because as I was getting out the ingredients and recipes for his birthday dinner, I realized everything was from Betty Crocker, even some of the ingredients.

As a young, new cook, I learned to make recipes I was familiar with. I didn’t get serious about cooking until 25 years ago. 

One of the first desserts I learned to make was a pineapple upside-down cake. One of my cherished items is my dad’s copper pineapple-upside-down cake pan. I used the recipe from my mother’s 1955 Betty Crocker Cookbook.

I used to follow the whole recipe as written, but then we needed to go gluten-free and adjust the cake part gluten-free. My father’s favorite dessert was pineapple-upside cake, it’s one of Marty’s favorites too.

I’ve repeatedly said that I am a cook, not a baker. I can bake, but it’s not my thing. Gluten-free baking is like throwing dice if a recipe will come out correctly. I don’t have time for a game of dice. 

Yesterday, we were in double production because we have orders out the ass. We finished late, which meant I went grocery shopping late. I made the executive decision to buy a box of Betty Crocker gluten-free yellow cake mix in the baking aisle. 

While I was in the same baking aisle, I grabbed a box of Betty Crocker gluten-free Bisquick to make his favorite Cheeseburger Pie. I wrote all about Cheeseburger Pie last year on my blog.

When I make the Betty Crocker Impossible Cheeseburger Pie, I doll it up by adding American cheese, sliced onions, pickles, lettuce, and burger sauce. I am not a food snob when it comes to dishes made with Bisquick; it’s delicious, bottom line.

I always add the pineapple juice from the can of pineapple rings to the cake batter, which turns out to be 3/4 of a cup, replacing the 3/4 cup of water on the cake mix directions.! How convenient! 

I finished making everything just before 9 pm. After dance class, I just have to reheat the Cheeseburger Pie and top it with the burger fixings. 

Last year, I had the time to make Marty a fancy dinner and cake, but with wholesale business booming and it being a dance night, I went with these two of his favorites. 

Just for the record, Marty insisted I go to dance class on his birthday after missing so much last year and knows how much I look forward to it all week. He is such a great guy, and I am fortunate! 

This is a short post after our production that I am squeezing in before leaving for dance class, so please excuse the grammar. Happy Birthday, Marty! 🥳