Bookend Birthdays and Frosty the Snowman

My oldest and youngest were born on the same day. Patrick is now 13. He loves his "twin" and does all kinds of thing with him and for him.

This Christmas, James discovered, well, Christmas. He especially likes Frosty the Snowman. He watched the move over and over. He tried singing the song. He even argued that Frosty brings presents, not Santa.

When we got our dollop of snow this week, Patrick was eager to please his little brother. He worked hard to give him his very own Frosty.

 

 

 

This was just a day before their birthdays. Here are their cakes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Superpowers 101: Adventurousness

My husband says I'm adventurous because I am not afraid to try new things. Or even old things that I was not great at before.

Like making loaves of bread. I can make great rolls but I have never managed an acceptable loaf. Until today!  Here is the recipe.

Fresh, homemade Honey-Wheat bread! I can't believe how big it got!

 Last summer we had a bounteous crop of strawberries so I tried making jam for the first time. I tried a few different variations (all from recipes) and found one that I really liked. Today, I tried making mixed berry jam with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. I was nervous, I admit it. But my adventurousness paid off again! YUM!!!



Fresh, home-made mixed berry jam. It turned out AMAZING!!!

 Here is the recipe I used for the jam. I just crushed all the fruit and measured out 4 cups. I also cooked it for just a few minuted then strained it to remove the seeds and skins. It took a little more time but it is SO good!!!

Superwoman Bakes a Cake

I always make a personalized cake for my kids' birthdays. Here are few of my favorites.

The second birthday is really the best. That is when they actually know what cake is!

Tron Light cycle cake.

Turned out pretty good, huh?

Transformer battle cake



Another version of a Tangled cake.



Gingerbread House/Birthday Cake

This cake is made with just a gingerbread cookie recipe. I used a paper template to cut out the house and cookie cutters for the smaller shapes. I used homemade butter cream frosting for the white and Wilton colored frosting tubes for the red and green. I used sprinkles to decorate as desired.

The windows were made from melted hard candy left over from Halloween. I put crushed candy into the openings cut with cookie cutters and let them melt in the oven for a few minutes. I baked everything on silicone baking sheets and let them cool before removing. It turned out great!

Construction Cake

My mom found these construction truck candles. I created this cake around the candles we already had. I used Kit Kat candy bars for the lettering and the "dirt".



Sunshine Cake



This wasn't my first Sunshine Cake. This one has more details. I used pre-made red for the face. I used red and yellow colored sugar sprinkles for the "rays". I made a paper stencil for the wavy parts. The rays are just sugar cones covered with yellow frosting. I used store-bought frosting with yellow food coloring.

Swimming Pool Cake

This was REALLY tricky! The blue is Jell-o. It leaked through the frosting that was supposed to cover "pool" floor.If you try this make sure you have a very thick layer of frosting with no gaps!

 Everything else is candy of colored frosting. Teddy Grahams for the people, Skittles for the tiles. gum for the chairs and floats. Starburst for the lifeguard chair.



Cheeseburger Cake

I used 2 cake mixes for this. I used white frosting with a little chocolate mixed in for light brown. I used Cocoa Krispies for the texture on the burger. I used other colored frosting for green, red, and yellow. I covered graham crackers for the cheese, covered Ritz crackers for the pickles and rice cakes for the tomatoes. Marshmallows for the eyes.






Avatar; The Last Airbender Cake

 

I thought this would be hard but once I figured out how I could do it this was actually pretty simple. The Fire Nation ships are Graham crackers covered in Wilton black frosting. The Water Tribe ice wall is marshmallows. The other details are teddy grahams and pre-colored frosting. 











Rapunzel/ Tangled Cake

 

This is a layer of several different cakes held together with a large skewer. The roof of the tower is a large sugar cone. I also used graham crackers to make a ledge and a door. (I used toothpicks to hold things up as needed). The rest is Wilton frosting tubes in various colors. I used sugar pearls for the center of each flower.

  










Castle Birthday Cake



I have also made other castles cakes. This one is is less involved than others. I made a square layer cake for the center. The towers are cake cones and large sugar cones. I used store-bought spray frosting and colored frosting for the decoration. I used sugar wafer cookies for stairs and battlements.

Superpowers 101: Trying New Things

Bountiful Baskets is new to my area. I heard about it from the beginning but I didn't try it until last week.

Why?

I was afraid. That's right. I was afraid that I would get a bunch of food my family wouldn't eat and I would have to throw it away. I hate being wasteful. I was afraid this might be a waste of time, money and precious food that someone else might enjoy.

I debated from week to week until I finally siced myself up enough to give it a try.

What the heck? If I didn't like it I wouldn't have to do it again.

I had mixed feelings as I looked a my basket. I saw apples and bananas(YEAH!!!) but I also saw mushrooms, zucchini and sweet potatoes. *chagrin*

Well, we might as well try them out, right?

I made zucchini bread with chocolate chips and pecans. It turned out AWESOME!!! I ate most of it because the kids were convinced there was something wrong with eating green bread.

Then I pan fried steak and sauteed the mushrooms in the pan with some butter. To my surprise 2 of my kids loved them! I added the leftover mushrooms to beef stroganoff.

Then came the sweet potatoes. I have only ever had them as the sweet syrupy marshmallow covered mash we have every year at Thanksgiving and possible in sweet potato pie. I dislike both dishes. A LOT!!!

I recent;y tried sweet potatoes fries for the first time and they weren't so bad. I decided to experiment.

I peeled, cubed, then roasted the sweet potatoes along side some regular potatoes just in case. I used garlic butter and a little salt and pepper and baked them for about an hour at 400 degrees. The regular potatoes were as good as ever but the sweet potatoes were great! They had kind of turned to mush but they tasted amazing! The kids didn't like those either but I finished off the leftovers the next day. As I right this I am salivating, longing for more. Who knew I would actually crave sweet potatoes!

I keep telling my kids to try new things. "You might like it but you won't know if you don't try it." I guess I need to take my own advice a little more often!

The Bad Influence of Good Friends

I was inspired to write this as I sat at my computer eating a bowl of homemade Ganache. I whipped mine so that it was kind of foamy and fluffy. A few days ago I mixed some homemade strawberry jam into a small bowl of Ganache and ate it. I also used this combination on homemade wheat rolls. I even tried to make little candies by melting milk chocolate, making a circle on a piece of waxed paper, topping this with ganache and jam then covering the whole thing with more melted chocolate. They tasted great, although they wouldn't win any "pretty" awards.

The reason I even know about this heavenly and addictive substance is because of my friend, S. She makes the most amazing, most luxurious, rich, decadent desserts I have ever tasted! Like Millionaire's Shortbread. We have had a number of conversations about the importance of real butter, cream, "good" chocolate, etc. We share the ideology that if your going to eat, you might as well eat the good stuff!

My husband also has this philosophy. He prefers to eat expensive cuts of beef like Porterhouse and Tenderloin. With 7 kids, this isn't exactly economical. At the same time, an occasional dinner of bacon-wrapped tenderloins leaves us satisfied for months. It makes such treats special and more highly valued.

These rich and tasty treats are not, however, good for you. During those moments when I am eating Ganache for breakfast, I acknowledge my tight waistband and think "Curse you, S! How dare you expose me to such evil temptations!" Then I eat another bite and think "Wow! I sure am blessed to have friends that bring such sweetness and pleasure into my life!"

Superpowers 101: Pot-lucking

I recently attended a wonderful potluck dinner with a heritage theme. Amazing foods from all over the world were overflowing from the tables. It was one of those moments when you wish you had extra hands... and mouths and stomachs!

Watching the other feasters attempt to sample the wares with a significantly limited space budget, I reflected on the fine art of getting most out of a pot-luck dinner. Here are my personal suggestions.

1. Portion Control. When there are lots of choices and you feel overwhelmed with the task of limiting your selections, think small. Take a small spoonful of this or a sliver of that. Don't be afraid to take only part of a pre-cut portion. You will have room for more variety and allow more of your fellow diners to have a taste. (There is always the possibility of seconds!)

2. Throw Neuroses to the Wind! I am amazed at the number of people who don't like their food to touch! If you want to enjoy a pot luck, GET OVER IT!! At least put it on the shelf for an hour or two.

2,b. Location, Location, Location! Don't just pile things on you plate without thinking! Put the pasta salads on one side and the Mexican on the other. Put the boring stuff like rice or veggies in the middle. A little flavor from their neighbors might give them an added kick.

3. Have a Sharing Partener. Maybe you go down opposite sides of the table. Maybe one gets salads while the other gets sides. Then sample from one another's plates. This is an especially good idea for parents of small children. They can put things on their kids plates when they run out of room! (Face it, they won't eat any of it anyway!)

4. Prioritize. When you have lots of tempting choices, like I did recently, get the things you really want to try instead of trying everything. You don't need to eat four kinds of green salad or three kinds of cheesecake. (OR skip the salads all together and try every kind of cheesecake!)

Potluck dinners can be fun and exciting as you try new flavors and get ideas for next week's dinner. You learn who to go to for recipes and cooking tips. You also learnt hat you don't like certain foods or flavors. And that's the whole point. It is an endless buffet of learning...literally!

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Grilled Cheese


I once saw a show that said every culture on earth has a version of grilled cheese sandwich. The basic recipe is cheese, bread, heat, eat. Here are a few that we like.

Superwoman Lasagna

Superwoman Lasagna


Start by adding a little olive oil to a large (4+ qt.) pot.

Add at least 1 heaping tsp crushed garlic (I use the kind in a jar. You can use fresh if you want).

Add about 1/2 chopped sweet onion (I use Walla Walla sweet onions. I buy them in season, dice them and freeze them to use later)

Cook on low heat until onions and garlic start to brown a little. (If I use fresh ingredients, like a tomato or basil from the garden, I add it at this point.)

Add 2 lbs lean ground beef. (I use 93% lean. The leaner the better so you don't have to drain it.)

Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring often.

When meat is well cooked, add 2, 12oz cans tomato paste and 24 oz water.(I use the cans to measure this) Also add 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 TBSP parsley, dash of oregano if desired. Stir well.

Let sauce simmer while preparing other steps.



Mix 1 16oz container of cottage cheese with 2 eggs. (Use a blender if you don't like chunky cottage cheese.) Set aside.



Cook 1 lb. Lasagna noodles until soft enough to use ( leave mine very "chewy" at this step in the cooking process. They are easier to handle and don't get overcooked while baking)



By now your sauce should be just right. In a VERY large pan (I use an 11x14 and it is just barely big enough) or 2 medium sized pans, layer sauce, noodles, cottage cheese, noodles, sauce, noodles. If you are careful and do it right, you will use everything you have prepared in these layers. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and 1lb shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese (such as Polly-o).



Bake 350 for 30 minutes, until the edges are browned ant the cheese is bubbly.

Serve with salad and garlic bread.



This can be made ahead and frozen prior to baking. You can also freeze the leftovers. Or bake it in 2 pans and freeze one and eat the other.



WARNING: This is not a recipe to rush through. The more time you take to let things simmer, the better it will be!

A Family History in Cakes

Click here to view these pictures larger

This shows most of the cakes I have made for my family over the past 11 years. The last few are the cakes I have made for Shane. His are the most challenging. He always wants strawberry cake with strawberry frosting. Howcan I make a pink cake look manly?!?!?!?!?

How to be Supercook

A while back I set up a Google site about cooking. I have not added to it for a while and it probably isn't as easy to navigate as it could be. But, still, I think it has some good information. I plan to add more recipes in the near future. I have added the link to the "Random Links" box on the right. I am also including it here. I hope you all enjoy it!

How to be Supercook

Super Powers 101: Following Directions

My mom tells a story about a time when I made cookies for a family gathering. Apparently my relatives were gushing about how good they were and what a good cook I was. My response was "Well, I can read!"

Now, I don't remember this at all but I can definitely see myself saying that. Compliments about cooking are hard for me to take. To me, cooking is not a big mystery. It has taken me years to realize that not everyone can do it, at least, not well. I began to wonder why. As I met new people and learned of their cooking tragedies, I realized that cooking requires one simple skill: the ability to follow directions.

I have been asked many times for recipes, only to be told later that it didn't work. "You must have forgotten to tell me something because mine was nothing like yours." I admit I alter recipes, sometimes without meaning to. I don't make big changes though. After questioning the would-be chef, I learn that they made changes too. They used all wheat flour instead of white or oil instead of shortening when making bread rolls. Maybe they used tomato sauce instead of tomato paste or LEFT OUT THE SALT!!!! when making my homemade lasagna. I take some responsibility for the confusion. When you cook something over and over, you sometimes do things instinctively. I may understand that "stir" means with a spoon and not a high-powered mixer but if I don't actually say that someone else may burn out their motor trying to mix a thick dough.

Several years ago, I realized that recipes are not the only confusing communications for "superwomen". I had made chocolate chip cookies for my kids. Three of them were eating cookies and dancing around being silly while the fourth sat calmly on my lap. She stuffed the whole cookie into her mouth. I warned her not to but she did anyway. Then, her little lips barely touching because her mouth was so full, I warned her again not to make a mess.

Inevitably, she began laughing at the other children and a line of sweet, chocolaty drool ran down her chin. "No! Yucky!" I said, frowning as hard as I could. She just stared at me, hard and glaring. Her expression was so serious I had to fight to keep from laughing. "Don't laugh" I said to myself. "Show her you mean business." We were in a battle of wills for what seemed like an eternity. Then, suddenly, she smiled. For one brief moment I felt the joy of victory. Then she opened her mouth and spit out the entire glob of cookie! I managed to catch it in my hand, shove her off my lap and storm off to the kitchen to clean up the mess. I kept asking myself "What is wrong with her? Why does she keep doing the opposite of what I tell her to do?"

This question was still in my mind a few days later when I took the kids to the playground. This same child walked up to me, smiled sweetly and put a sand-covered bottle cap in her mouth. "No, Yucky!" I said instinctivly. She immediatly spit out the bottlecap...just as she had spit out the cookie. As dawn rose over my darkened mind, I realized that she had done exactly what I told her to do. I was the one who had not been clear.

From then on, I tried to be more careful about what I said and make sure I was clear about what I wanted from my kids. I am not there yet. Just the other day I told my nine-year-old to apologize to his sister. He said "okay" and then just stood there. "I said apologize!" yelled at him. "Okay!" he yelled back. But still he stood there. With my last drop of sanity I asked "Do you know what apologize means?" He frowned for a minute and said no. After I explained, he gave a rather insincere "Sorry" and went on about his business. I just sighed and shook my head. At least I have learned that sometimes the message is lost in translation!

Developing your "super powers"

I believe there are a few skills that are essential for every person to know. These are skills that make it possible to function successfully in the world. I also feel these skills are important for survival and self-reliance. If you have these skills, great! If you don't, maybe you should consider developing them. It won't hurt and will very likely improve your life.

1. Reading. Okay, so that may seem obvious (since you are reading this) but there are people in the world who are able yet rarely read. I used to only read for information; magazines, newspapers, How-to books, etc. This kind of reading is important and more people should read to learn something from time to time.
Several years ago I started reading for pleasure again. It has changed my life. I always enjoyed reading but I thought I had outgrown "fun reading". Since I started reading again I have found that I read faster, my comprehension is better, I have something to think about besides children and cleaning, and I am much happier than when I filled my time with TV and movies. I also read aloud to my children more. I used to hate doing this because I didn't like my voice. If I read for very long my throat would get dry and I would stop. Now I don't mind either of these challenges. I guess practice makes perfect.

2. Cooking. This might seem obvious to some of you but I have met many women who can not cook...or DO NOT cook. I find this incomprehensible. I enjoy cooking most of the time. I like trying new things and having control over what I eat. I am by no means a gourmet but I think I am a pretty good cook. I feel satisfied that I can provide meals for my family. I also believe that cooking for yourself saves money. During our recent move we found ourselves spending between $30 and $60 per meal to feed our family! I have added up the cost of our favorite meals and the most expensive was only $18 with lots of leftovers.

3. Basic Financial management. I am not a financial expert but I have learned from my mistakes and work very hard to avoid repeating them. That is why I am horrified when I meet a woman who says "I let my husband do all of that." or "Money isn't important." Are you kidding me!?!?!? Money one of the most important tools we have in our society. Without money you have no home, no food, no transportation, no education, the list goes on and on. Now I am not saying that you should be obsessed with money or that it should have unrealistic priority in your life. I am saying that by not understanding basic principles like interest and budgeting, you can get into SERIOUS trouble. I guess many people are learning this lesson the hard way. What is most devastating is not finding your self over your head in debt but learning how a simple it would have been to stay out of that pit.

4. Sewing. This might seem like an outdated skill to you but it isn't. Although making your own clothes may not be cost effective, sewing skills are still valuable. Simple minding does not take much time or effort but can save you in the long run. I am surprised at how many people can't hem a pair of pants or sew on a button. They find it too much work and would rather replace it than mend it.
Another important reason to learn to sew is modesty. I have very strong feeling about little girls wearing short shorts and sleeveless dresses. I would much prefer to add a sleeve or lengthen the hem than let my girls be overexposed.

5. Organizational skills. I hate trying to find something in a pile of junk. My husband would laugh at that because I am the "cluttered one" in our home. My argument is that I have to keep track of 8 people's stuff and he only has to keep track of some of his own. Still, I do have meticulous standards when it comes to our important documents and records, storage items like baby clothes and Christmas decorations, and the children's toys. Less important clutter ends up in piles or boxes or bags until I sort it and re-sort it and eventually find a home for it or throw it out. It is an ongoing process. I can't tell you how good it feels when you need scissors and they are in their place or when your 3 year old put all the cars in the car box without being told what to do.

6. Shopping skills. I know what you are thinking. ALL women know how to shop. I disagree. All women know how to SPEND MONEY!. There is a difference. A successful shopper can go into the store and buy what they need without overdoing it. She knows how to get a good deal and buys with the future in mind. I am particularly surprised at how many people buy only enough food for one or two meals instead of stocking up on the things they eat often. I tend to buy food on a cycle. One week I might buy several jars of spaghetti sauce. Another week I stock up on ground beef. When we start to run low on an item I buy at least a months worth. The same principle applies to kids clothes. I might buy several pair of jeans in different sizes because they are on sale. Now when my "giant child" has yet another growth spurt I don't have to rush out and buy him something so he can breath at school the next day.

I have only listed a few of the many skills that help keep a family running smoothly. Not only are they good skills for a mother to have but good skills to teach her children. As I said in the beginning, these are important for anyone to master...even guys!

How to protect your secret identity

Years ago, I heard a theory that we compare our inner self with the outer self of others. I have found this to be true, especially for women. We know EVERYTHING about ourselves but we only see our peers at church or the store or a kids baseball game. We only get glimpses of them. We don't know what is going on "behind the scenes".

Some women work very hard at protecting this image. They actually live in fear that someone might find out that they are human. Others, like me, try to maintain the image people have of us without being too deceptive.

For example, I have never been able to make brownies from scratch. They always turn out dry and hard. So if I bring brownies to a function they are probably from a mix. But I don't advertise that fact. If someone comes up to me and says, "These brownies are really good." I just smile and say "Thank you."

This might seem dishonest but it isn't. I did buy the mix, follow the directions, and bring the very tasty and edible brownies to the event. Not everyone can do that. You probably know someone who ruins everything they touch, including brownies from a mix. So I am deserving of the praise.

Now, if someone asked my for the recipe, I would have to confess the whole truth. My conscience wouldn't allow me to take FULL credit for the brownies. Sometimes people are disappointed, sometimes they are thrilled. The idea that yummy, moist brownies can be theirs so easily is a relief.

Another example came a few years ago at Thanksgiving. We had invited another family over who also had a bunch of little kids. The frazzled mother looked around our tidy house and said sadly, "How do you do it?" Now if it had been some career woman with one child and a housekeeper, I would have let her think I was some amazing person who could do everything. But I knew immediately that she needed the truth.

"I have been cleaning for a week!" I said "And my husband and kids helped. I mean, this is Thanksgiving and we knew you were coming. Of course we cleaned. It doesn't look like this everyday." Her shoulders relaxed and she smiled. "I guess your right." she said brightly. "Our house is this clean sometimes too."

The point is that while our friends may not need to know everything about us, sometimes they need the truth. It's okay to "reveal" ourselves from time to time. Sometimes it makes us even more "Super".