What does an ardent Hillary Clinton supporter and baking hobbyist do when she has a birthday?

He bakes a cake and names it after her.

Steve Beutel did just that several years ago when he was fresh out of college and working at a local supermarket deli. He and like-minded co-workers wanted to celebrate her birthday, which is Oct. 26.

"I got the recipe originally from someone in the deli, and I brought it in to work," Beutel said. When someone asked the name of the dessert and it didn't have one, coming up with one was a piece of cake.

"I've made it probably a dozen times for special friends and special occasions," he said. "It's easy and inexpensive."

As an elementary school teacher, Beutel has used cooking to teach science and social studies. "When I taught about chemical changes, we made pancakes. I use cooking for students to learn about presidents. The students found recipes special to the president they were researching."

When they studied the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exhibition, food also played a part. "The students researched some of the foods, made them, displayed and sampled foods that were native to St. Louis," he said. "Someone made waffle cones and cotton candy. They learned that cotton candy was so new and rare at the World's Fair that people paid as much for it as they did for admission. It was a great way to celebrate Missouri and St. Louis in particular. They made connections to what we were studying at the time."

Clearly Beutel enjoys baking. The family dog, Kudabee, is even named after a Romanian cookie.

Beutel is proud of the fact that he can make and roll out his own pie dough. He credits his grandmother with being a great cook and inspiration.

"I find myself cooking more when I'm in a relationship or have someone special in my life or for special occasions," he said. "Cooking is a gift from the heart and a labor of love. You end up thinking of that person when you make the dish."