Today was Adam’s birthday. His favorite animal is the squirrel. So what happened when we were driving home from the city this afternoon? I killed a squirrel! The little guy was crossing the street, then he doubled back just as I was driving up, and I had no time to avoid him. He made a terrible THWUMP sound under the tires and became a pancake in the road. I’ve never hit anything in my entire life, EVER, so of course on Adam’s birthday I hit his favorite animal. I couldn’t believe it.

On that upbeat note, let’s talk about the good things that happened on Adam’s birthday. We went into New York despite the dreary weather. There’s a fantastic fish and chips shop in Greenwich Village called A Salt and Battery. They make the most authentic fish and chips outside of the UK, they even import the fryers and heating lamps. It was rainy, foggy, and generally grey and unpleasant, so it was perfect weather for British food. There are a few seats inside where you can eat if you don’t want to take out, but be prepared to want a facial afterwards. The pollack and chips are outstanding (pollack being the new cod now that there are basically no cod left), but my pores definitely felt clogged after lunch.  But they even have Sarson’s vinegar, and it’s so delicious that I don’t care about the grease.

We also headed to Myers of Keswick to stock up on British food staples that Adam loves. I’m actually impressed to report that our local Stop ‘N Shop at home by the Jersey Shore has started an English food section of great imported stuff. They don’t restock that frequently, so sometimes the only thing left on the shelves are jars of salad cream. But the selection at Myers of Keswick is better, and they have a deli counter with homemade pies and real English sausages.

And, of course, no birthday in the Reeve family is complete without cupcakes from Sugar Sweet Sunshine. Our wedding bakery, which I talk about often, is our favorite bakery on Planet Earth and the only real reason we go to the Lower East Side. The cupcakes are amazing, I don’t even make special occasion cakes anymore.