A Veritable Bath of Icing

I love a blank, white sheet of paper.

So many possibilities!

So much room for creativity!

The only thing better is when it's an edible:

Enjoy that whiteness now, because here comes some 

COLOR!!!

LOTS of it.

--Oh, and to those who may wonder, this is NOT Hope's birthday cake. Those are on a different camera, and I kinda forgot about them. 

Later. 

This cake was for a friend's daughter.--

Kept away the sugar monster with a tall cup of water...

Followed by the necessary cup of tea...

Now I know this looks strange...

And that it appears to be a smurf-sorta-creature with alien eyes...

but trust me, this was planned!!

Bubbles and polka dots.

Don't worry, if you're puzzled, you aren't alone. 

Oliver couldn't figure it out either.

TA DA!!

A Christmas version of THIS "spa lady" cake from sweetartbybecky.com.

I personally loved the cucumbers.

There are just some cakes I would never think to invent.

:)

For the Sugaraholic...

...yet another birthday cake! 

Though thankfully the last one in the back-to-back line-up of 4 family birthday, Tyler's cake is always takes a bit more thought than the others. Why? Unlike those sisters of mine who request a horse or teddy bear cake every year...Tyler's must be utterly unique! 

So behold, the 10th Tyler cake...

take a good look, and then come help me clean up if you please. 

:)

 Yes, isn't it amazing.

*cough*

 You knew better than to think that was it, didn't you? Oh my. Three more hours of work, my friends!

 First some construction work! After the previous cake adventure (!!), you'd better believe I used a lot of THESE:

And it worked...what do you know? Planning ahead and taking precautions against the gravitational pull pays off!

Take a pause here, and sing with me!!

"Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! 

Let the earth hear His voice! 

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! 

Let the people rejoice!"

 Now for some sparkling water,

tall evergreens,

rich, spongy grass,

and colorful river stones!

 I won't rush you all...you know you want to explore!

Go over it!

Go under it!

 Hide behind it!

 Soak in the peaceful river that somehow flows off on either side of the cake without running out of water...

 By all means, read Isaiah 58:11!

  But enjoy the peace and quiet while you can...this deliciously rich and beautiful place won't remain undiscovered by others for long...

  Whatever else it may be...I'm always kinda glad the only goal is "unique". :)

Newton and Birthday Cake

 Time for a science lesson, kids!

 No worries. 

I'd tell you it'll be a piece of cake...but I don't do puns.

Seriously--this doesn't look so bad, does it?

I didn't think so either! I thought "Hey!! I can turn this lamb mold [below] into a HORSE!!!" Without a single thought in the direction of the laws of science.

 Because see? It was going great!!

 My mistake.

 The law of gravity states that: "every point mass in the universe attracts every other point mass with a force that is directly proportionate to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them."

Ummm...in other words, the earth is big, my cake is small. 

When improperly supported, said cake is attracted towards the earth in such a way that is extremely undesirable.

 I could only stand by and watch as a faulty theory of cake and frosting fell apart before my eyes.

 The price? 

At least 5 toothpicks to the head and a fork up the throat.

But you wouldn't have been able to tell if I hadn't told you, would you? :)

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding  
     

1 c. boiling water

1 c. finely chopped dates

1 c. butter, softened and divided

1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar, divided

1 egg

1 c. cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt, divided

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. toasted pecans, chopped (opt.)

Garnish: whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 9x9-inch baking dish; set aside.

In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the dates; set aside. In a large bowl and using an electric mixer at medium speed, cream 1/2 c. butter and 1/4 c. brown sugar for 4 minutes, until pale in color. Beat in the egg, then scrape down the sides.

Gradually add the flour, baking powder, and 1/8 tsp. salt, and mix until well combined. Add the vanilla extract and the dates with the water, and stir until well combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until firm.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the remaining 1/2 c. butter, remaining 3/4 c. brown sugar, cream, and remaining 1/8 tsp. salt for six minutes. Stir in the pecans.

Using a 2-1/4-inch round cutter, cut 12 rounds of cake. On each serving plate, stack two rounds, and top with toffee sauce. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired. Serve immediately.

*Note: I doubled the cake, but a single batch of the toffee sauce is plenty!

Good Taste in Music

"The LORD your God is in your midst, 

a mighty one who will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness;

He will quiet you by His love;

He will exult over you with loud singing."

~Zephaniah 3:17~

I ADORE the person who made kit kats...they made perfect black keys!!

Primitive roses...

...and mini musical notes.

And a letter "m"...that was supposed to be a triplet. 

*ahem*

The verse chosen by my...

client?

cake requester?

baked good hirer?

dear sweet friend?

Yes.

Ta da!!

Ready to sweeten a pre-recital.

Birthday Soup

Oh my...this was THE BEST birthday soup I have ever spooned into my mouth! Even the little girls thought it wasn't too bad! And for a squash soup, that's saying something!

Acorn Squash Bisque

 1 small onion, chopped

1/4 c. chopped celery

2 T. butter

2 T. all-purpose flour

1 tsp chicken bouillon granules

1/2 tsp dill weed

1/4 tsp curry powder

Dash cayenne pepper (opt.)

2 c. chicken broth

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

3 c. mashed cooked acorn squash

Salt and pepper to taste

5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled.

In a large saucepan, saute the onion and celery in butter. Stir in flour, bouillon, dill, curry and cayenne until blended. Gradually add broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the squash, salt and pepper; heat through.

In a blender, process the soup in batches until smooth (or use one of those handy stick blenders). Pour into bowls; garnish with bacon.

Yield: 6 servings

Note: would be WONDERFUL with a slice of focaccia, ciabatta, or other artisan-style bread...the soup is the perfect thickness for dipping! 

And truly, unless you try this, 

you will have no idea how wonderful it is.

Even if you're a squash-hater.

You aren't allowed to have an opinion until you try it,
my mother says.
:)

 

To Warm You Up

 Recipe from my sister-in-law's mother...a most wonderful cook!

Chai Tea

10 whole green cardamom pods, crushed 

(or...use about 1/2 tsp ground cardamom)

5 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

1 piece fresh gingeroot (2") peeled and quartered

(or...use about 1/2 tsp ground ginger

4 bags black tea

1-1/2 c. milk

1/3 c. honey

1 tsp. vanilla

Place 3 c. water and spices in saucepan. Simmer 15 minutes. Add honey and tea. Warm milk (don't boil.) Strain the tea into a warmed teapot and add warm milk and vanilla.

If you don't drink it all right away (though trust me, you'll want to!), you can refrigerate in a pitcher and re-heat as needed.

Yum.

Yum.

YUM.

 

Warning: Entering Sugar Zone

 So we made a huge cake 3 days ago?

That doesn't matter.

Let's do it again!

And what say we make a big pile of cake, cover it with frosting, and then stick a cup into the top!?!? 

I mean, it IS Tyler's birthday. And his 20th no less. 

This calls for crazy measures.

 I love making big messes!!

I must...or else I wouldn't keep making them...

That's what reason tells me anyway.

I'm never as sure when it comes to washing up afterwards...

 Ahhh...nothing like the beauty of mountains.

Clear streams.

Pine trees.

Yes, I KNOW there is a cup in the top.

Get over it.

 My accomplice. 

I required his engineering skillz.

He used trig to cut the holes in the cup.

Scroll up and look at them again.

Aren't they magnificent?

 Close-up...

TMM = The Master's Mission.

Tyler's missionary training home for the coming year.

Perhaps some of you can guess what's going to happen, at this point?

Yes? No?

 Behind the scenes...the finishing touches.

 Instructions:

1. IMPORTANT: blow out candles

2. Remove candles. Please.

3. Apply slow and even pressure to top of cup

IT WORKED!!!!

(whew!)

:)

Happy 20th birthday, bro! 

You're the one who got me started on this whole cake thing...from the campsite cake with the little graham cracker tent to mud volcanoes. 

And you finally got your mountain. 

That I said I'd never make.

:)

Love you, and am praying for you in your upcoming adventures! Excited to see what the Lord has in store for ya, brother!