in praise of the birthday week

plus, my magic bar recipe!

May 02, 2023

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It’s one of my fave times of the year: birthday week. Now, everyone’s expression of the birthday week is different. But it mostly centers on making yourself happy and being showered with affection by everyone who loves you. If you’ve never celebrated birthday week, now’s the time to start.

Here’s some ideas to get you started:

Decorate your bedroom with streamers
Pick out small presents for every day of the week
Eat your favorite thing several nights in a row
Try to minimize the the things you don’t really want to do
Candles for wishing, every day
Bubble baths
Have someone else handle your birthday cake
Speaking of: cake for breakfast

some notable (and less notable) things

Book recommendation: Fellow Grinnell alum and very good storyteller Claire Forrest’s YA novel Where You See Yourself comes out today!
Where You See Yourself combines an unforgettable coming-of-age tale, a swoon-worthy romance, and much-needed disability representation in this story about a girl who's determined to follow her dreams.
By the time Effie Galanos starts her senior year, it feels like she’s already been thinking about college applications for an eternity—after all, finding a college that will be the perfect fit and be accessible enough for Effie to navigate in her wheelchair presents a ton of considerations that her friends don’t have to worry about.
What Effie hasn’t told anyone is that she already knows exactly what school she has her heart set on: a college in NYC with a major in Mass Media & Society that will set her up perfectly for her dream job in digital media. She’s never been to New York, but paging through the brochure, she can picture the person she’ll be there, far from the Minneapolis neighborhood where she's lived her entire life. When she finds out that Wilder (her longtime crush) is applying there too, it seems like one more sign from the universe that it’s the right place for her.

But it turns out that the universe is full of surprises. As Effie navigates her way through a year of admissions visits, senior class traditions, internal and external ableism, and a lot of firsts--and lasts--she starts to learn that sometimes growing up means being open to a world of possibilities you never even dreamed of. And maybe being more than just friends with Wilder is one of those dreams...
I am not enjoying week 10 of pregnancy and am considering setting up my Christmas tree (not to be confused with my year round tree that is already up) to take the edge off.
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Abortion bans were blocked in South Carolina and Nebraska last week! But a really shitty ban was passed in North Dakota.

a recipe

magic bars

This super quick and simple recipe is a classic (with some minor adjustments). The graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chips, shredded coconut are all the same. But, we’re using macadamia nuts instead of the traditional walnuts.

for the crust

½ (1 stick) cup melted unsalted butter

1 ½ cups (150g) graham cracker crumbs (from about 9 cookie sheets)

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

for the filling

1 cup (175g) chocolate chips - whatever kind you’ve got lying around (I usually use semi-sweet)

½ cup (88g) white chocolate chips

1 cup (110g) coarsely chopped macadamia nuts

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup (112g) sweetened shredded coconut

A lil pinch of flaky salt (Maldon) for sprinkling

the how-to (crust)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease the bottom and sides of an 8” square baking pan.

Stir together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Using your fingertips, press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan.

the how-to (filling)

Evenly scatter the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts over the crust. Slowly pour the sweetened condensed milk over the bars (we’re trying to cover the entire surface here!), then sprinkle the shredded coconut over the top.

Bake until the edges are evenly golden and some bits of the coconut are looking toasty, 30-35 minutes. Sprinkle with the flaky salt (optional). Let cool completely in the pan before slicing. Best served chilled!

note

Optional/recommended flavor boost: Stir a few drops of coconut or vanilla extract into the condensed milk before pouring it over the crust.