A recipe you might like...

On Sunday, we celebrated the January birthdays of the Ivan Likkel Family, as well as Cameron's December birthday which she spent far away from us in Africa.

I decided to make Double Raspberry Cake, which is easy and good and very pink -- so maybe you might like to try it for your Valentine celebrations.  I can take no credit for this cheerful recipe...It came from this book:

...which can be purchased at the Lynden Pioneer Museum's marvelous gift shop!

DOUBLE RASPBERRY CAKE

1 package white cake mix

1 3oz. package raspberry flavored gelatin

1- 10oz. pkg. frozen raspberries, thawed, undrained

4 eggs

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/4 c. hot water

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9X13 pan.

Mix cake mix and dry gelatin in a large bowl.

Add raspberries (including juice), eggs, oil, hot water and vanilla.

Beat well with an electric mixer until well blended.

Isn't it a lovely pink?

Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

After it is cool you can top it with this:

TOPPING

12 oz. container non-dairy whipped topping

10 oz. pkg. frozen sweetened raspberries, thawed and drained

Fold thawed whipped topping into thawed, drained raspberries and spread over cooled cake. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Store in refrigerator.

HOWEVER: I've never topped it that way! We've eaten in without any topping (just a little scoop of vanilla ice cream or a shot of whip) and this time I just frosted it. It still tastes great and you don't have to keep it in the fridge.

And since we had 4 birthday people and 4 cakes, fridge space was at a premium...

Cameron, Dillon, Erin & Larry were the birthday honorees!

A close-up of the final product...pretty in pink, and a very nice raspberry flavor too.

And, by the way, we had a lovely afternoon, celebrating, watching football, doing puzzles, talk-talk-talking...

Oh yeah...and eat-eat-eating...

Good times, good times...

...even Molly approved.

 (This picture taken by my second shooter, Nate. Good job!)