The secret to making a good cake is in the fun involved. If you have to ninja your way into making it when your dad is out of the house, so be it. If you have to beg your brother to take your dad to the store for some nonsensical reason so you can frost it, so be it. However, one small bit of advice I forgot: If you're making a cake in desert conditions, it will melt. Especially if it's coconut pecan frosting ... it tasted good anyway, and I swear it was pretty when I finished it!

Obviously we did our Father's Day festivities on Saturday rather than waiting until Sunday -- it was mainly a matter of when we could get all the siblings and their families together on one day. Still, despite the late dinner (helpful hint: one should always check and make sure the grill is still functional sometime before the steaks are ready to be cooked) and the melting cake, my dad was terribly pleased with all the ninja efforts to pull it together. How about you guys? Are you doing something nice for the dads in your life? What have you got planned? And if you are a father, happy Father's Day -- I guarantee even if the cake is half-melted and the dinner was a little late, we still love you. We just have to work on our timing.