Happy 6th Birthday Brooklyn

My niece celebrated her 6th birthday with her Kindergarten class, family, and friends last month. The party theme was gymnastics.

I wanted to work with fondant this time but only to add details to the cake. I found a template online and used it to design the top.




It turned out great! I really enjoyed making it. The cake was chocolate chip with buttercream icing. Wilton fondant was used to design the girl and the balance beam.




Happy Birthday Brooklyn! I'm glad your party was a hit!

Quitter or Fighter?

It's been a couple of months ((again)) since my last post.  Too bad I'm not Catholic or I would be saying "It's been a couple of months since my last confession".  Have you ever felt like there are so many things you want to do in your life but you don't have the time to do it?  I feel like that everyday.  I seriously have a mental list.  Sometimes, I have to take a moment, breathe and tell myself to take it one day at a time. There is so much I want to accomplish such has video editing, photography, blogging, dieting, parenting, being a better wife, becoming a true Christian, utilizing my kitchen more, focus at work, and complete my schooling.  I just don't feel balance in my life.  Does this make me a quitter or a fighter?

At times, I feel like a complete failure.  I start things but take forever to finish them.  Am I a quitter?  My weight has been a slap in my face since I had my last child in 2003.  I wasn't able to breastfeed and shed the weight like other mothers.  I've tried eating less, energy pills, exercising, and counting calories.  I couldn't stick to any method long enough to make any progress.  My husband lost a lot of weight to prepare himself for back surgery (2yrs ago) and it was something we were suppose to do together but it just fell through for me.  He lost while I gained.

My sister-in-law told me in January about a site called "My Fitness Pal".  She and I were going to do it together.  I was psyched.  I've counted calories using "Livestrong" before but never kept it up so this was the time to start something new.  On January 18th, I started my weight loss program.  My goal was to lose 20pds and today I've lost 16!  Just 4 more pounds to go.  I'm a fighter.

I've come close to scratching dieting off my mental list even though I will continue to watch my calories.  I never want to go backwards ever again.  Dieting has kept me from doing what I love in the kitchen and I haven't been blogging lately.  I've been wanting to incorporate meals that are low in calories in my blog but it's so hard to do when you eat the same stuff a majority of the time.

I still have other items on my mental list to accomplish.  Coming close to completing one of them is just the beginning.  I think to myself in 3 more months I'll be another year older, I've got two beautiful growing kids, a fantastic husband, a great job, and a wonderful church that I attend.  I've got to keep fighting.

Thanks for always listening.  There is more to come☺!

Happy "Belated" New Year

Some whirlwinds in my life have caused me to fall behind again on my blog. Since my last posting in November, my kids were finishing up their basketball league and entering into tournaments. They both lost but ended their season determined to try again in the spring. Then we had our practices for our upcoming Christmas play at our church. This was my daughter’s last year to perform and my son’s second. They were both incredible and had my husband and me in tears.

While I haven’t had time to blog, I have been reading my favorites/fellow food bloggers. I happened to notice that Krystle from Smitten Sugar had a giveaway. I found her blog through The Cake Slice Bakers. She has lots of great recipes and a beautiful cake stand with crystal tear drops around the sides. 

I’ve tried for giveaways on other blogs before with intentions of winning but never get my hopes up. When I checked her blog a few days later, I read that I had won. I was so overjoyed because I was just starting my day after battling to work because of a minor ice storm. I even told her in an email that winning turned my frown upside down that day. How sweet it was of her to do this close to Christmas. I’ve never owned a muffin top pan before and I can’t wait to try new recipes using it.

So…Since it’s a New Year you’ve got to have New Year’s resolutions. Mine are to bake more, cook more, buy lots more baking/cooking stuff, find a place to put all my purchases *☺*, go out to eat less so I can save money and eat more at home *very hard to do*, be there more for my kids and husband + dog, exercise, and lose weight. Whew! What a year it’s going to be. I can say that I’ve started my year with birthday cakes. I’ve got 3 birthdays in February but it’ll be a combined party and 2 birthdays in March. I can’t wait!

Best-Ever Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake

This cake was made for two ladies in my department to celebrate their November birthdays.  They both ♥ chocolate cake.  I wanted to find a simple and tasty recipe.  I get the Kraft Foods emails each month and this one came up in October. 

   

   

Best-Ever Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake

  

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided
1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
4 eggs
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (Do not thaw)
2 Tbsp. PLANTERS Sliced Almonds

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F.

Chop 2 chocolate squares. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into 2 (9-inch) round pans sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Loosen cakes from sides of pans. Invert onto wire racks; gently remove pans. Cool cakes completely.

Microwave COOL WHIP and remaining chocolate squares in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 1 min. Let stand 15 min. to thicken.

Stack cake layers on plate, filling and frosting with COOL WHIP mixture. Sprinkle with nuts. Keep refrigerated.  The fudge-like texture of this cake improves when it is stored overnight in the refrigerator.

Tips
Prepare using JELL-O Chocolate Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Pudding, BREAKSTONE'S Reduced Fat or KNUDSEN Light Sour Cream and COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping.

Source:  Kraftrecipes.com

The verdict:
Good

1. It was very moist.
2. Loved the almonds on top of the cake. I used a 1/2 cup of slivered almonds instead of 2 Tbsp of sliced almonds.
3. I will make again.

Bad

1. The two squares didn't seem like enough chocolate. I should have added an extra square.
2. I didn't care for the Cool Whip Topping. When mixed with the remainder of chocolate squares, I didn't get the consistency that I wanted. I allowed it to cool for a long time and it still didn't get any thicker. I used container frosting instead.
3. I should have gotten the sliced almonds instead of slivered.

Quick Decorating Tip: The cake was placed on a glass cake stand and set in the middle of a fall wreath. Using the wreath around the stand made it a beautiful centerpiece.

Incredible Food Show 2010

This past weekend October 23-24, Lexington Kentucky hosted their 2nd annual “The Kentucky Proud Incredible Food Show” featuring Celebrity Chef Giada De Laurentiis at the Lexington Center. Admission was $15 dollars for adults/$5 for children. Coupons were available on the website for $2 off your admission.

Chef Giada De Laurentiis, host of “Everyday Italian” and “Giada’s Weekend Getaways” plus “Giada at Home” on the Food Network Channel, gave two cooking presentations at Rupp Arena on Saturday October 23rd. Ticket prices which included admission to the Food Show were $35 (upper level seating), $55 (reserved seating), and $85 (floor seating including an autographed copy of Giada’s fifth cookbook “Giada at Home.”

I didn’t attend the cooking presentation but was able to meet Giada from a far. A line was forming right in front of her signing table. This was a perfect chance to take some pictures of a "Food Network" star. She is so beautiful and lively in person. Her smile makes you wanna smile.

Besides meeting Giada, My sister-in-law and I really enjoyed visiting all the vendor's booths at the show. “The Marketplace” had more than 100 exhibitors. There were food samples galore. It was like food heaven. We tried all types of beer cheese, sauces (BBQ, Hot Sauce, Steak Sauce etc…), flavored popcorn, cakes/cupcakes, fudge, creamed candy, pasta, different meats, ice cream and more.  Here are just a few of the booths we stopped at:


http://www.houstonsdressings.com/



http://www.rattlesnakehillfarm.com/



http://www.snughollow.com/

http://www.mysassysweets.com/



http://www.confusedconfections.com/



This is a Topsy Turvy Cake demonstration presented by Sullivan College.  I didn't get to see the finished cake but was able to watch the starting of it.

I have a cake decorating book that teaches you how to make figurines out of marzipan.  They made farm animals to go on the topsy turvy cake.  How cute are they!


The wine tasting aisle was amazing. Local wineries were flowing with many different wines and they were full of information about them. We tried all types: dry wines, sweet wines, red wines, white wines, fruity wines. We were so wined out that we didn’t get to visit all the booths.

Kids Craft Cafe demonstrated a colorful way to make toast.  All you need is a piece of bread, a little milk colored with food coloring, and a paint brush.  Mix some food coloring with a little bit of milk, dip your paint brush, and color the piece of bread.  Place in your toaster and TAH DAH you have created a masterpiece.

Last year, Bobby Flay was the celebrity from Food Network. I missed out on that one. Hopefully next year Rachael Ray will be there. I will pay floor seating price to see her. Too be honest any Food Network star would be great.  I should start saving.



The Cake Slice: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Recorded October 26, 2009 on "The Today Show"

The chosen cake for this month is from “Cake Keeper Cakes” by Lauren Chattman. This is our club’s first recipe from the cookbook and it was a great one at that. I love the smell of pumpkin. It’s the one fruit that really ties Halloween and Thanksgiving as a must have. Just last year, I whipped up 5 cakes for a fall wedding and it was pumpkin cake.


Here is my finished product. It's not an awesome picture (took w/ camera phone) but it is an awesome cake. The chocolate chips and walnuts worked well with the pumpkin in this cake. Along with the spices, it was very flavorful and moist not dry. I was afraid of overcooking it. It wasn't finished baking in an hour. It did take a little bit longer so always check. My work was pleased with the results and so will you.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Makes one 9 by 5 inch loaf cake

1¾ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cloves
Pinch nutmeg
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1¼ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts


 Directions


Heat the oven to 350F. Coat the inside of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust with flour.


Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl.


Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.


With the mixer on medium low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Stir in the milk.


Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.


Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour.


Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely.


Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic for up to 1 week.

Source:  Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman

I'm a {dot} com!

A few days ago, I made the decision to purchase my domain name and it's so worth it.  I'm official.  The name has grown on me and I couldn't let someone else have it.  Blogger has assured me there will be no problems with transition.  It feels really good to expand a little bit.  I hope you guys continue following.