Happy Birthday Mr. Washington!

Today is February 22nd.  It’s the 278th anniversary of the birth of George Washington.  I call that cause for celebration.


The more I read about him, the more I respect him.   Sure, he was just a man, imperfect.  But he was absolutely essential to the formation of the United States of America.  He’s on my short list of people I’m anxious to meet someday.  Like Lincoln, he paid a high personal price for his service to his country.  I realize that countless others have done the same, others whose names I’ll never know or whose birthdays I’ll never celebrate.  But if we forget people like George Washington, can we properly remember any of the others?

Want to celebrate with us?  Whip up some hoecakes, Washington’s breakfast of choice.  (We often have them for birthday dinner.)  The Mt. Vernon recipe I have calls for yeast, and letting it sit out overnight, which doesn’t sit really well with me, so we use Lincoln’s recipe.   They’re quick, simple, and a fun twist on our pancakes today.  They called them hoecakes because you could put a spoonful of batter on the end of a hoe (or griddle) to cook it over the fire.  You can find my recipe here .

This evening I’m making a birthday cake to celebrate.  I’m using Martha Washington’s recipe for her Great Cake.  I’ve never tried it before and the entire recipe is approximately 3 sentences, but I’m optimistic.  I’ll share pictures tomorrow.

Until then, wave a flag, pause to remember, read the Constitution, read a book (I love this picture book) , or do a little research to learn something you didn’t already know about this great man.  We owe an awful lot to his leadership.

Happy Birthday to one of my greatest heroes.

Jennifer