Happy Birthday Becky

Amazing Coconut Pie by Nancie McDermott

My sister Becky is two years younger and she was the favored one, the baby. I am almost positive that I was pretty irked when she showed up at our place and took over my revered position. As children, she loved to dress up and play with dolls and I preferred outdoors and exploring. She was quiet and reticent. Let’s just say I was the polar opposite.

We had our sibling rivalries vying for parental attention..what little Momma and Daddy had time for in those early years. I think everyone that has children knows about the struggles of work and family balance. At times, I found myself being her defender. We had some bullies on the school bus and I actually had a physical altercation with one that called her an ugly name. We knew better than to fight on the bus so we agreed to meet in my yard. Momma saw the commotion, fussed at both of us and sent him home. Then Momma said it was just plum unladylike hitting him in the head with a baseball bat like that. I received a stern lecture on manners and ladylike behavior. I was probably in the third or fourth grade. I can add that he never bothered Becky again.

I tended to use my “older sister” position to my advantage. One Christmas, I informed her that we needed to pool our money to buy our parents a Christmas present. She had a handful of change. It looked like a whole lot of money and I was sure that we could get something grand at the local TG&Y. By this time, she knew me well enough to suspect something might not be on the up and up. She gave me that old stank eye and asked how much money I had. When I explained to her all I had was a nickel, and that I would pay her back, she was reluctant to hand over her stash but she did. And we purchased a present. I wish I could remember what it was. From then on, Becky entered into agreements with me very carefully.

Momma always baked any type of cake we wanted for our birthday. About a week in advance, she would ask us our preference. We loved birthdays because there was always extra frosting and the cakes just seemed to be prettier and better tasting. There were always friends or relatives over to share the food and fun. My choice was always chocolate and not because it was a family favorite.. it was my favorite. One birthday, Becky was particularly miffed at me for some shenanigan I had probably pulled. Momma asked her what type of cake she wanted for her birthday and she piped up loudly for all to hear and said, “Coconut, because Kathy doesn’t like coconut.”

And she was right, back then I did not eat coconut..that was before I expanded my horizons and palate and learned that other things besides chocolate were delicious. Becky had her Coconut cake and I did not eat any. And I pretended not to care. It was a pretty cake but on that day, my pride went before the fall.

These days, Becky’s favorite dessert and frequent request is Nancie McDermott’s Amazing Coconut Pie from her Southern Pies cookbook. Click here to purchase on Amazon. I also featured this pie in an earlier story on my blog https://kathywicker.com/splendor-in-the-class/. I love to bake this pie in small ramekins for parties. Click here to the link to Nancie’s blog for the recipe. This will the easiest pie you ever make. It forms its own crust!

So Happy Birthday Becky. Enjoy your Amazing Coconut Pie!