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1. <?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921</id><updated>2024-03-16T13:52:43.967-05:00</updated><category term="recipe"/><category term="desserts"/><category term="dessert"/><category term="tips"/><category term="crafts"/><category term="entree"/><category term="hints"/><category term="soups"/><category term="babyfood"/><category term="breakfast"/><category term="appetizer"/><category term="entrees"/><category term="hint"/><category term="sneak a zucchini porch day"/><category term="soup"/><category term="August 8"/><category term="National Zucchini Day"/><category 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term="no pectin peaches"/><category term="no snacking for kids"/><category term="no time for mom"/><category term="oatmeal cookies"/><category term="oatmeal raisin cookies"/><category term="one pot dish"/><category term="oreo"/><category term="oreo recipe"/><category term="organic baby"/><category term="outside games"/><category term="pasta for babies"/><category term="peach cobbler"/><category term="peach cobbler recipe"/><category term="peach preserves"/><category term="photo memory craft"/><category term="pink eye"/><category term="pipe cleaner spinders"/><category term="pompom spiders"/><category term="potatoes for babies"/><category term="pound cake"/><category term="preschool activities"/><category term="princess cake"/><category term="project for valentines"/><category term="pumpkin cake"/><category term="pumpkin recipe"/><category term="recipes"/><category term="recipes for babies"/><category term="recipes tuna"/><category term="replace pasta salad"/><category term="resignation letter for a teacher"/><category term="robot"/><category term="romantic"/><category term="romantic anniversary gifts"/><category term="salad"/><category term="salmon"/><category term="salmon recipe"/><category term="scrapbooking"/><category term="sewing"/><category term="sewing made easy"/><category term="sock puppets"/><category term="stand up lamb cake"/><category term="stay at home  mom"/><category term="stay at home mom"/><category term="strawberry lady bug"/><category term="stuffed green peppers"/><category term="stuffed vegetable"/><category term="sugar cookie recipe"/><category term="sugar cookies"/><category term="sugar cookies for kid birthday party"/><category term="summer dessert"/><category term="summer salad"/><category term="sweet baby smell"/><category term="sweet salmon"/><category term="t-rex cake"/><category term="tea cakes"/><category term="tea quote"/><category term="the choice to stay at home with my kids"/><category term="thirty-one"/><category term="thoughtful gifts"/><category term="time goes so fast"/><category term="toddler valentines"/><category term="toddlers"/><category term="toddlers has pink eye"/><category term="tottler dress"/><category term="train birthday cake"/><category term="treat bag"/><category term="treats kids"/><category term="tuna"/><category term="tuna casserole"/><category term="tuna noddle casserole"/><category term="turkey pot pie"/><category term="valentine ideas"/><category term="valentines"/><category term="vanilla milk shake"/><category term="veggie wrap for kids"/><category term="vegtable pizza for kids"/><category term="what to pack for the hospital when having a baby"/><category term="wilton lamb"/><category term="wilton lamb cake pan"/><category term="yogurt"/><category term="yoplait"/><category term="yummy chicken soup"/><category term="zucchini bread recipe"/><title type='text'>Mommy Plus Two</title><subtitle type='html'>A blog dedicated to kids, food and living life.  Here on the pages of Mommy Plus Two, you will find recipes, tips, hints and authentic observations of the successes and failures of being a mom.</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/-/desserts'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/search/label/desserts'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>18</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-4018820524726298368</id><published>2013-10-05T11:18:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2013-10-05T11:18:55.129-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="3D Darth Vader cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="best pound cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="buttercream frosting"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="buttercream frosting recipe"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Darth Vader"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Darth Vader cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="frosting"/><title type='text'>Darth Vader Cake and            &quot;AMAZING ILENE Buttercream FROSTING&quot;</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
2. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLy0syyshovYXC0WNid2LXHDRQLBOEIFGFA85HAl6-UaDecAk7_Ooy8mu3Uay0Y_uVZ1tLDk5mGtMa00Mj0DWbPvXLBOMGxK5wS2J8uBaL23dapBedmKbe2JX_YLvQEbb8Qymvctp5v2kF/s1600/P1040446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLy0syyshovYXC0WNid2LXHDRQLBOEIFGFA85HAl6-UaDecAk7_Ooy8mu3Uay0Y_uVZ1tLDk5mGtMa00Mj0DWbPvXLBOMGxK5wS2J8uBaL23dapBedmKbe2JX_YLvQEbb8Qymvctp5v2kF/s320/P1040446.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
3. <br />
4. <br />
5. My baby boy turned 5 years old.  He is into Star Wars, the original Star Wars with Luke, Han Solo, Princess Leah, and Chewy. And he just loves Darth Vader.  Because when you are little and innocent, you only see and understand what you know to be true.  So he says that Darth Vader is a good daddy. Because he only knows a world where daddies are good.  So he focuses on that last scene when Vader stops the Emperor from electric shocking Luke, his son.  Hence..... Darth Vader is a good daddy. <br />
6. <br />
7. When he first decided on a Darth Vader cake for his 5th birthday party, I showed him pictures of  flat Darth Vader cakes.<br />
8. <br />
9. Aidan immediately said, "oh, no Mommy I want the head to be a real sized head sitting on the table."<br />
10. To which I responded, "you mean 3D?" <br />
11. Aidan said," no not 3D.... I want Darth Vader... with his black helmet."<br />
12. I said,"That is 3D .... that mean a 3 dimensional head." And I showed him with my hands what I meant.<br />
13. Aidan was excited and his head started shaking up and down, "yes, that is what I mean a 3D Darth Vader."<br />
14. <br />
15. He was satisfied that I understood my challenge, and he walked away telling me he couldn't wait to see his cake.  It felt a bit like a mob boss scene from a movie.  He set up the difficult challenge, and he walked away with confidence that the task he requested would meet the requirements he set forth. I was a bit sick to my stomach.  I was pretty sure this was going to be the first birthday cake I was not going to be able to make.<br />
16. <br />
17. I did a bit of research on the internet.  All the 3D Vader heads I found were covered in black fondant, because it gives the cake that smooth perfect finished look.  The only problem is my family loves the frosting I make.  This frosting is amazing; it is not my recipe it is my dear friend Ilene's (Lene's) recipe.  She has used this recipe for year for all of her kid's birthday cakes.  As only Ilene would say, " this recipe is ancient."  Trust me that is exactly what she would say.  And I feel so fortunate that she shared this perfect recipe with me.  So thank you Lene.  Once you make this frosting, it would be totally appropriate for you to say "thank you Ilene"  aloud in your kitchen.  And when I say amazing.... that is only because I cannot think of another more spectacular word to use. <br />
18. <br />
19. Here is the recipe for<br />
20. <br />
21. <b><span style="font-size: large;">Ilene's Spectacular Amazing Buttercream Frosting</span></b><br />
22. <br />
23. 1/2 cup of Crisco (shortening) (I use the sticks -- so it is 1/2 of a stick)<br />
24. 1/2 cup of soften butter<br />
25. 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar<br />
26. 1/4 cup evaporated milk<br />
27. 1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract (I use almond)<br />
28. <br />
29. Cream shortening and butter until smooth.  Add sugar and cream again.  Add milk slowly and extract - beat on high for 5 minutes.  Frost or store in airtight container in the refrigerator.  Whip again before using.<br />
30. <br />
31. I use this frosting to frost well, anything that needs frosting.  I dye it to suit my needs.  And for this cake I needed a little to be dark grey and a lot to be black. My mom found some dark black Wilton gel icing color.  It was perfect.  It didn't turn that typical grey color.  The frosting turned a beautiful strong black color. <br />
32. <br />
33. <b>Now back to my cake problem.</b>  It seemed to me that I had two main problems.  First issue was making the actual cake --- carving and putting together a head.  The second problem was this fondant issue.  I don't know how to use it, and even if I did -- I want to use the AMAZING ILENE frosting.  In in the end, I knew if I failed I would have to submit to the local bakery and admit my son had pushed and found the end of my cake design talents.  But until I reached the end and realized I was defeated by Darth Vader, I was going to try to make this cake for my boy.  I mean if Aidan believed I could make this cake, why couldn't I have that kind of confidence in myself. <br />
34. <br />
35. As far as the cake is concerned, I made a lot of cake for this one.  I made <i>three</i> 9 inch rounds, <i>one</i> 7 inch round, <i>one</i> bowl (for the top of the head), and <i>one</i> small ramekin (to cut in half for the eyes). Once all the cakes were made and cooled.  I put all the cakes in the freezer for an hour.  I needed them to be harder before I started cutting into them.<br />
36. <br />
37. I put two of the 9 inch rounds on the bottom.  Then I put the 7 inch round on top of those two cakes, and I finished the top of the cake with the bowl. I used the last of the 9 inch rounds for spare parts.  I cut a small rectangle from the 9 inch round to make Vader's breathing apparatus / mouth piece on his helmet.  Then I cut about a 1/4 of an inch out of the depth of the rectangle to make the the two triangles on the sides of that breathing apparatus.  I tried to stick to shapes I know in order to create the helmet -- rectangles, triangles, and semicircles.  I cut the little ramekin in half and used those semicircles to make Vader's eyes.  I cut two curved pieces out of the remaining cake and attached it to the side of Vader's helmet (like where ears would be).  This was supposed to be the curve or flared out part of Vader's helmet.  Let me tell you, it looked rough before I put the crumb coat (think layer of frosting) all over the cake.<br />
38. <br />
39. Lastly, I put a crumb coat (thin coat of frosting) all over the cake. <br />
40. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
41. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyRXD_tsl98-FeqcwBG79o2_qYQaOmI_gT8aTPAFXrKo4Dh0txO-lR674ebcXYbC_W6mGNfF-NwtFtq5Jgh38nVElscwLNB_4_a8gH9swjrlJ-zrARJ79t14c4UkwitMkMN2CXpe8Xkpn/s1600/P1040440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyRXD_tsl98-FeqcwBG79o2_qYQaOmI_gT8aTPAFXrKo4Dh0txO-lR674ebcXYbC_W6mGNfF-NwtFtq5Jgh38nVElscwLNB_4_a8gH9swjrlJ-zrARJ79t14c4UkwitMkMN2CXpe8Xkpn/s320/P1040440.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
42. <br />
43. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
44. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboV0mCUl-ZchuAPZxpaIfwZVHCwSKjeHsnkkz8NP8kEb0lXmfhSqow2Ai-pWJns0Zp6LW5_ANxuJoqidwiCjo7yhR7Dlc0Me9Q0mdJ7pY0WTDGBdC-F74-uH3jJhksG3IeRiO4FIst0Cq/s1600/P1040443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboV0mCUl-ZchuAPZxpaIfwZVHCwSKjeHsnkkz8NP8kEb0lXmfhSqow2Ai-pWJns0Zp6LW5_ANxuJoqidwiCjo7yhR7Dlc0Me9Q0mdJ7pY0WTDGBdC-F74-uH3jJhksG3IeRiO4FIst0Cq/s320/P1040443.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
45. This is what it looked like with just a crumb coat of frosting.  A bit rough looking, but I had faith that once the black frosting was on and all the details were in place it would look like Darth Vader. Once the crumb coat was on, I put it in the refrigerator for an hour.<br />
46. <br />
47. Now it was time to put the black frosting on.  I had to triple the above recipe.  For past cakes, I have only had to double the recipe, but Darth required a lot of frosting.  Once I frosted the cake, it was time to add some details.  My mom went out an bought me black fondant, which worked perfectly.  I was skeptical about using it since I never had used it before.  I figured I wouldn't be able to use it since I had no experience.  I was wrong, it was easy to work with -- well, for the small quantity I used, it was easy.  I used it to put details -- lines of definition on the mask, and for that purpose it was perfect and easy for a beginner.  I highly recommend trying it for details on your cakes.  I am so glad my mom bought the fondant because I wouldn't have, and in the end the details made the cake look so much better.  Thanks mom.<br />
48. <br />
49. When my little boy saw the cake, he covered his happy smile with his perfect little hands, screamed in delight, and immediately said,"it is perfect, thank you Mommy."<br />
50. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
51. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-22IL68prlnGIYRzhi1qjM4AMN1Y5MM5wWnfKBT0e4dRoh7PTViYw6jt1T3M-6JvNwDO5ebscOFQLIh7FdzorU5fjiW6T5oMwVcOlVpwSkYTwF1ueGaB_uZAk-FbAfIpqdisUWyAiqA1Y/s1600/P1040463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-22IL68prlnGIYRzhi1qjM4AMN1Y5MM5wWnfKBT0e4dRoh7PTViYw6jt1T3M-6JvNwDO5ebscOFQLIh7FdzorU5fjiW6T5oMwVcOlVpwSkYTwF1ueGaB_uZAk-FbAfIpqdisUWyAiqA1Y/s320/P1040463.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
52. <br />
53. <b><i>My lesson learned -- </i></b><br />
54. <b><i><br /></i></b>
55. <b><i>Even when you think your child's expectations of you are too high, start reaching even higher. Happy Birthday Aidan, you are a Blessing.</i></b><br />
56. <br />
57. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/4018820524726298368/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/10/darth-vader-cake-and-amazing-ilene.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/4018820524726298368'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/4018820524726298368'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/10/darth-vader-cake-and-amazing-ilene.html' title='Darth Vader Cake and            &quot;AMAZING ILENE Buttercream FROSTING&quot;'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLy0syyshovYXC0WNid2LXHDRQLBOEIFGFA85HAl6-UaDecAk7_Ooy8mu3Uay0Y_uVZ1tLDk5mGtMa00Mj0DWbPvXLBOMGxK5wS2J8uBaL23dapBedmKbe2JX_YLvQEbb8Qymvctp5v2kF/s72-c/P1040446.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-4490633244388506278</id><published>2013-08-22T10:42:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2013-08-22T10:42:11.585-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="easy minnie mouse cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Minnie Mouse cake"/><title type='text'>Minnie Mouse Cake</title><content type='html'>I am going to flashback to a little over a year ago when my daughter wanted a Minnie Mouse theme for her second birthday.&amp;nbsp; She sweetly refers to Minnie Mouse as MeeMee. &amp;nbsp;This was an easy cake to make, and she loved it. &amp;nbsp;So I thought I would share this successful birthday cake. I used one 9 inch round cake pan and two ramekins. The hardest part was making sure I filled all three pans to the same height. &amp;nbsp;I used a toothpick to measure the height of each. The second difficulty I had was getting the icing to be BLACK BLACK and not sort of black grey. &amp;nbsp;In the end, it wasn&#39;t as black as I wished it could have been. &amp;nbsp;But my sweet little two year old daughter didn&#39;t even notice. &amp;nbsp;She squealed with delight when she saw it and yelled, &quot; MeeMee .... MeeMee I love you.... thank you Mommy... thank you.&quot; &amp;nbsp;I got a great big wonderful hug that melted my heart. And honestly..... the way I choose to remember this cake .... is the way my daughter remembers it .... as the perfect Mee Mee cake. &amp;nbsp;Here it is ......&lt;br /&gt;
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60. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJhfe-Hl2TCZiglZFWkkRiEiSHsXAftQithVckDzgfygCHRdRgY-YlHTUOYZaFSClHIQJHKGj84mlemxKwltSFgKvheMd7pM3YErip5tTXTUlGZDTNAf1pKXAOTtbwgKrXD_I5BwT-Fnv/s1600/P1020203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJhfe-Hl2TCZiglZFWkkRiEiSHsXAftQithVckDzgfygCHRdRgY-YlHTUOYZaFSClHIQJHKGj84mlemxKwltSFgKvheMd7pM3YErip5tTXTUlGZDTNAf1pKXAOTtbwgKrXD_I5BwT-Fnv/s320/P1020203.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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65. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/4490633244388506278/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/08/minnie-mouse-cake.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/4490633244388506278'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/4490633244388506278'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/08/minnie-mouse-cake.html' title='Minnie Mouse Cake'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJhfe-Hl2TCZiglZFWkkRiEiSHsXAftQithVckDzgfygCHRdRgY-YlHTUOYZaFSClHIQJHKGj84mlemxKwltSFgKvheMd7pM3YErip5tTXTUlGZDTNAf1pKXAOTtbwgKrXD_I5BwT-Fnv/s72-c/P1020203.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-3831073753519318292</id><published>2013-08-14T08:43:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2013-08-14T08:43:42.948-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="cut out sugar cookies"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="easy cut out cookies"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="sugar cookie recipe"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="sugar cookies"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="sugar cookies for kid birthday party"/><title type='text'>The BEST Rolled Sugar Cookies</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
66. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfiLpoEKoeL_Z2FmVHconOrm8iB1Ja_IvUanSKMrR_U2YKMhU-RvIiG1NNBHsF44sqh3f-zDFZxJyFMl-VGUoDeDT3cD0Ji8MV0vbVkGF3IIfexzy_yB4lomreC7ZIa10ZgjvrKK0FAsTK/s1600/IMG_2417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfiLpoEKoeL_Z2FmVHconOrm8iB1Ja_IvUanSKMrR_U2YKMhU-RvIiG1NNBHsF44sqh3f-zDFZxJyFMl-VGUoDeDT3cD0Ji8MV0vbVkGF3IIfexzy_yB4lomreC7ZIa10ZgjvrKK0FAsTK/s400/IMG_2417.JPG" /></a></div>
67. These are my go to cookie for birthday parties, special occasion-guest-take-home-gift, anytime sugar cookie recipe.  They are easy, you can make them into any shape or cut out cookies you want, you can make them ahead of time (they keep beautifully), and oooooh I almost forgot the best part --- they are super yummy and soft.  I have made these cookies into dinosaures, trains, butterflies, flowers, crosses, firetrucks, and monkeys --- just to name a few.<br />
68. <br />
69. <b>Here is the Golden Cookie Award winning recipe -- I received this award from the Academy of OUR Family.  This Academy has members in it ranging from age 2 to 80.  All have selected this cookie recipe as the favorite.  The question is will your family agree?  This recipe came from allrecipes.com</b><br />
70. <b><br /></b>
71. <b><span style="font-size: large;">Best Rolled/Cut Out Cookie Recipe</span></b><br />
72. <b><br /></b>
73. <b>Ingredients:</b><br />
74. <br />
75. 1 1/2 cups butter, softened<br />
76. 2 cups white sugar<br />
77. 4 eggs<br />
78. 1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
79. 5 cups all purpose flour<br />
80. 2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
81. 1 teaspoon salt<br />
82. <br />
83. powdered sugar for rolling surface<br />
84. <br />
85. <br />
86. <b>Directions:</b><br />
87. <br />
88. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, combine flour baking powder, and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in three different batches.  Do not over beat.  Place the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap, cover and wrap tightly for at least an hour or even for overnight.  Take the dough out and cut off a chunk that is manageable for you to work with. Once the dough gets too warm from your hands, it is becomes difficult to work with -- hence keep the dough pieces you cut manageable.  Sprinkle your counter with some powdered sugar.  I use powdered sugar instead of flour because the extra flour makes the dough tough.  Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch in thickness and then use the cookie cutter of your choice. When you have extra dough, but there is not enough to cut into more cookies or it has become too warm from your hands, put it back into the refrigerator to get cold again.<br />
89. <br />
90. Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for 6-8 minutes. The cookies stay pretty light in color. It may take a few times to figure out the exact time for your oven;  8 minutes is perfect for my oven.   Remove them from the pan and let them cool.  Decorate or leave plain they are wonderful any way you choose to eat them.  If you keep the cookies in an airtight container, they save well.  When I make these for party favors, I put one or two in a small clear baggie and tie a ribbon on the top.   You can make these cookies 5-7 days before your party, the guests will never know -- the cookies are that good.<br />
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93. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYsP09uAuyL6i4AZi72l-IW3V4kDv4BNCIhfep7oZckk8FBFx3gb_xFL5gBp_VruydFmbORknL7PErIYdKQea1Z5BLYb7QG6-KeGt5dFzBmTdrGF1l9rlfB4SraaFElbbprs2V9JNMPl3/s1600/IMG_2427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYsP09uAuyL6i4AZi72l-IW3V4kDv4BNCIhfep7oZckk8FBFx3gb_xFL5gBp_VruydFmbORknL7PErIYdKQea1Z5BLYb7QG6-KeGt5dFzBmTdrGF1l9rlfB4SraaFElbbprs2V9JNMPl3/s320/IMG_2427.JPG" /></a></div>
94. I have decorated these cookies using M&Ms; I did this when I decorated butterfly, flower, and dinosaur cookies.  Mix a bit of water and a bit of powdered sugar into a paste. Use this paste to "glue" M&Ms onto cookies. I have used Royal Icing to decorate these cookies too.  I have also served them plain.  No matter what you choice, you cannot lose with this cookie.<br />
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96. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhIGJcCBTIb65eGnVERvrYHcE8Z8ZLx_HtJ9VY_FSAYgamAJyIp6-uoTbdis-V7ibNJ1RyBWkeH01eCPu3zNPkZJbL8kadWtJOiFp964b-NDwj0pfBTIhivBPfxktkAxD3vF0h1hQ087q/s1600/IMG_2420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhIGJcCBTIb65eGnVERvrYHcE8Z8ZLx_HtJ9VY_FSAYgamAJyIp6-uoTbdis-V7ibNJ1RyBWkeH01eCPu3zNPkZJbL8kadWtJOiFp964b-NDwj0pfBTIhivBPfxktkAxD3vF0h1hQ087q/s320/IMG_2420.JPG" /></a></div>
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111. I have also put together cookie baskets for those who I love so that they can give cookies out at their special occasion.  For example when my dear friend, Kristen, had a Baptism for her little boy Carter; I made a cookie basket for her to give out cookies to her guests as a thank you gift.  I also made a similar basket for Nel, a friend of mine, who recently got married. <br />
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113. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKwuPH7R1z8-A18PgkZfbWh6VRCXuhgA6CYUDBYHVvVitmAudNeqshOYZ6Wiwe-Umq-5a8rxeNu8S2Qh-MKzdPl-ExXEGp6ePb_urmsO8eSrOvYrYpEyRxnSTtiSGgqVI7OI4nNCpZyuo/s1600/P1020177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKwuPH7R1z8-A18PgkZfbWh6VRCXuhgA6CYUDBYHVvVitmAudNeqshOYZ6Wiwe-Umq-5a8rxeNu8S2Qh-MKzdPl-ExXEGp6ePb_urmsO8eSrOvYrYpEyRxnSTtiSGgqVI7OI4nNCpZyuo/s320/P1020177.JPG" /></a></div>
114. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
115. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHKC5ITADvEcuBzapkVncE2nwd4sGNMe4WYFJip3ad6gyVNidA_fi0pVOI8WsfEMhyphenhyphenKjApHNDHXv-HbNczkkXRi9oHC5wd-lyXVpjRWfapi4_O8iMtzlJrXQbhVE6pQg1Rpu1Zhau5ckl/s1600/P1020180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHKC5ITADvEcuBzapkVncE2nwd4sGNMe4WYFJip3ad6gyVNidA_fi0pVOI8WsfEMhyphenhyphenKjApHNDHXv-HbNczkkXRi9oHC5wd-lyXVpjRWfapi4_O8iMtzlJrXQbhVE6pQg1Rpu1Zhau5ckl/s320/P1020180.jpg" /></a></div>
116. <br />
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120. So no matter how you choice to use this recipe.  Know that it will be a winner. And people will ask you if you are serving your yummy sugar cookies.<br />
121. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Buon Appetito!</b></span><br />
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125. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/3831073753519318292/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/08/the-best-rolled-sugar-cookies.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/3831073753519318292'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/3831073753519318292'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/08/the-best-rolled-sugar-cookies.html' title='The BEST Rolled Sugar Cookies'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfiLpoEKoeL_Z2FmVHconOrm8iB1Ja_IvUanSKMrR_U2YKMhU-RvIiG1NNBHsF44sqh3f-zDFZxJyFMl-VGUoDeDT3cD0Ji8MV0vbVkGF3IIfexzy_yB4lomreC7ZIa10ZgjvrKK0FAsTK/s72-c/IMG_2417.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-1919740851677519447</id><published>2013-07-27T12:09:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2013-07-27T17:44:18.901-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="best peach cobbler"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="cobbler"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="easy dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="easy peach cobbler"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="peach cobbler"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="peach cobbler recipe"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="summer dessert"/><title type='text'>Peach Cobbler</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
126. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHvyWpLJVRaGbSkQ4ZABm0ELit-g4mVyu_wCBhpCqR52o6UL9mkYL3ZQ9N8ZM9kD7XWzrHCzn0pkFmaw0HWJHIGiGsifq6EbBBv7Yi_vqwotZpS1kOndo12kllGj7gkcUjgd-D0bHhfQt/s1600/P1040264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHvyWpLJVRaGbSkQ4ZABm0ELit-g4mVyu_wCBhpCqR52o6UL9mkYL3ZQ9N8ZM9kD7XWzrHCzn0pkFmaw0HWJHIGiGsifq6EbBBv7Yi_vqwotZpS1kOndo12kllGj7gkcUjgd-D0bHhfQt/s400/P1040264.JPG" /></a></div>
127. My mom and dad were visiting with friends who shared with them "the BEST peaches" they have eaten since being in Italy.  I guess there is this man who drives a refrigerated truck filled with peaches and blueberries from Georgia, parks in a parking lot, and sells the fruit right out of his truck.  I am not sure how people find out about the location, but they do.  I guess his business mantra is, "deliver the peaches, and they will come."<br />
128. <br />
129. Anyway, my parents decided to meet this trucker and buy some of his Georgia peaches and blueberries. My parents are very generous people.  They bought this wonderful fruit and shared it with my brother and his family and me and my family.  There is nothing like spending a wonderful day at the zoo and coming home to a kitchen counter filled with perfectly ripened fruits and a note from your parents explaining the gift that was left for you and the family.  And those are some of the Blessings in my life.<br />
130. So after eating several of the peaches, the baker in me decided to make something perfectly summer like with them.  Funny thing is, I called my mom to tell her what I was going to do with some of the peaches only to find out that her and my dad did the very same thing the night before. I guess this only stands to reason, I was raised in her kitchen.<br />
131. <br />
132. The following recipe I am about to share is a variation on a recipe I found online at myrecipes.com.  I looked up many cobbler recipes and the basics of this cobbler recipe can be found all over. Here is the recipe I used with the changes I made.<br />
133. <br />
134. <b><span style="font-size: large;">Peach Cobbler</span></b><br />
135. <br />
136. <b><u>peach part</u></b><br />
137. <br />
138. 7-9 peaches depending on the size or about 5 cups (pealed and sliced)<br />
139. 1/2 - 3/4 cup of sugar<br />
140. 1/2 cup of water<br />
141. 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice<br />
142. <br />
143. Start by blanching your peaches (quickly boiling your peaches) to get the skin off.  Unless you prefer to keep the skin on the peaches; that is just a personal preference. To blanch your peaches, bring water to a rolling boil.  Use a knife to place an X on the bottom side of your peaches (to help the boiling water loosen the skin).  Place the peaches in the boiling water for about 45 seconds -- to 1 minutes if they are less than perfectly ripe.  Take the peaches out and put them immediately into an ice bath; this stops the cooking process.  Once the peaches are cool, it should be easy to take the skin off.  Now cut the peaches into bite sized pieces.  Place the peaches, sugar, water, and lemon juice into a pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Set aside and cool.<br />
144. <br />
145. <b><u>cobbler part</u></b><br />
146. <br />
147. 1/2 cup of butter<br />
148. <br />
149. 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour<br />
150. 2 Tablespoons of baking powder<br />
151. 1/2 - 3/4 cup of sugar<br />
152. a pinch of salt<br />
153. 1 1/2 cups of skim milk<br />
154. 1 teaspoon of vanilla<br />
155. some cinnamon<br />
156. <br />
157. powdered sugar for garnish<br />
158. pecans for garnish (toast nuts in a dry pan)<br />
159. <br />
160. <br />
161. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  This recipe can be made in one 13 x 9 or one 7 x 11 and one loaf pan.  Melt the butter the baking dish with high sides you chose to use.  While butter is melting, make cobbler part.  Mix dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Once blended, slowing add milk and stir making sure you don't get any lumps.  Lastly, add the vanilla.  Once butter is melted, add cobbler mixture to baking dish, but DO NOT stir mixture into butter; just let it sit there.  Lightly, add peaches and liquid on top of cobbler mixture.  As the cobbler bakes it will rise to the top and pass up the peaches .  Trust me it is worth the wait. If you want, this is the point I added a dash of cinnamon. Bake for 40-45 minutes.  Keep checking your cobbler; it should be light brown on the edges.  Take out of the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes. <br />
162. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
163. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuBX1luSA0iUQTyD2gy-K4jfIC5mI_0hPShJ6j1ZTOf7wVbdLG2ovcftHLm1j5qK0_4m7IxRWCq8PFBBGjoc1DiL25CUd_e_MB277JdOKQOzI1vWK2oIQXzxA4vRrddlVGJE8UmYeSR_H/s1600/P1040262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuBX1luSA0iUQTyD2gy-K4jfIC5mI_0hPShJ6j1ZTOf7wVbdLG2ovcftHLm1j5qK0_4m7IxRWCq8PFBBGjoc1DiL25CUd_e_MB277JdOKQOzI1vWK2oIQXzxA4vRrddlVGJE8UmYeSR_H/s320/P1040262.JPG" /></a></div>
164. <br />
165. While cobbler is cooling, heat pecans in a dry pan.  Once you smell the pecan, they are done.  Don't warm them for too long or you will burn them.  Serve your cobbler warm, garnish with some powdered sugar and warm pecans.  If you are looking to make this perfect dessert even more perfect, serve it with a bit of vanilla ice cream.<br />
166. <br />
167. After you make this the first time, don't be surprised when your family starts requesting it -- I know mine did.<br />
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169. <b>Thanks Mom and Dad for your generous gift of the perfect summer peaches -- what a treat!</b><br />
170. <b><br /></b>
171. <b>Buon Appetito! </b><br />
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173. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
174. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitBaOoIBBWdM3OgHuqx6dKl5KG7erbJLDad6qus2yKgI8K3JXPf3CYAfPidtLUVMf-2TY9iymJR8ufKVvtVZsVCnLMgAwlBVES-TJ3Q6DAdpMrexNxAqswJuNkxBsjEpoS1M8dejHCvfRM/s1600/P1040268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitBaOoIBBWdM3OgHuqx6dKl5KG7erbJLDad6qus2yKgI8K3JXPf3CYAfPidtLUVMf-2TY9iymJR8ufKVvtVZsVCnLMgAwlBVES-TJ3Q6DAdpMrexNxAqswJuNkxBsjEpoS1M8dejHCvfRM/s400/P1040268.JPG" /></a></div>
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177. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/1919740851677519447/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/07/peach-cobbler.html#comment-form' title='4 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/1919740851677519447'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/1919740851677519447'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/07/peach-cobbler.html' title='Peach Cobbler'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHvyWpLJVRaGbSkQ4ZABm0ELit-g4mVyu_wCBhpCqR52o6UL9mkYL3ZQ9N8ZM9kD7XWzrHCzn0pkFmaw0HWJHIGiGsifq6EbBBv7Yi_vqwotZpS1kOndo12kllGj7gkcUjgd-D0bHhfQt/s72-c/P1040264.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>4</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-5887185645083398059</id><published>2013-07-22T10:59:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2013-07-22T10:59:57.793-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="doll in cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="girl birthday cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="princess cake"/><title type='text'>Princess Birthday Cake</title><content type='html'>My little Bambolina (little doll in Italian) wanted to have a Princess birthday party this year, a Sleeping Beauty Aurora party to be precise. &amp;nbsp;She loves Sleeping Beauty Aurora, she loves pink, and she loves anything princess. &amp;nbsp;So I knew I had to make the princess cake that Wilton and Betty Crocker have been making since ... well way before I was born. &amp;nbsp;You know the one. &amp;nbsp;The one with the little doll sticking out of the top and the cake is the girl&#39;s dress. &amp;nbsp;Yep, that was the one I needed to make. &amp;nbsp;There are all sorts of You Tubes about this type of cake out there for any baker to watch. &amp;nbsp;And here is my story about my first princess cake for my daughter&#39;s 3rd birthday.&lt;br /&gt;
178. <br />
179. First thing I did was try to figure out what bowl I was going to bake my cake in.  I looked at all my bowls and didn't see the tell tale markings on the bottom that would make me think I could bake safely in any of my bowls.  So I called my dear friend Lene; I knew she would have a baking bowl.  And she did.  She also had a Wilton baking book to help inspire my dress decorating side.  This book as she said was "ancient."  But I have to tell you the cakes in that book are beautiful to look at; and I am not sure if the home baker today attempts cakes like this anymore .... nope I am sure .... most home bakers today do not attempt cakes like this.  The princess cakes in the book were elaborate, and I knew I didn't have that level of expertise.  But the book did give me ideas for some pretty lines of decorations that I could put on Sleeping Beauty's dress.<br />
180. <br />
181. The next step was making the cakes.  I chose to make a yellow cake in Lene's bowl, which would become the part of the dress closest to the doll's waist.  And two chocolate 9 inch round cakes.  I figured this would give me four layers of cake (the bowl cake gets split into two layers because it the bowl is so deep) and a good sized dress. <br />
182. <br />
183. Once the cakes were done and cooled, it was time to start stacking the layers.  But first, I needed to create the hole which the princess would stick out of.  So I took a round cookie cutter and cut a hole in both chocolate round cakes.  Then I cut the bowl cake on the horizontal first. <br />
184. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
185. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyCGuoq7hQAqOCMP3QS14OE_Hs730C9eE9M0S-Egc7FwKuMS44FSkD1cgw-Zup60JguCYRGvrCAsdpnWnM8V4GSi0azmwHbGT_wJxkgTOPOXlWB-KoKbxG0wQBWxPnXiyNcUlycgVs_TQ/s1600/P1030886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyCGuoq7hQAqOCMP3QS14OE_Hs730C9eE9M0S-Egc7FwKuMS44FSkD1cgw-Zup60JguCYRGvrCAsdpnWnM8V4GSi0azmwHbGT_wJxkgTOPOXlWB-KoKbxG0wQBWxPnXiyNcUlycgVs_TQ/s320/P1030886.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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198.  Lastly I cut the same round cookie hole in both parts of the bowl cake.  Time to start stacking.  I made a butter cream frosting to use between each layer. <br />
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200. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2K_Shb520f5fr4GRRyoDTrsWe1RqZxZIaNPB8WwyOLsnn4bPYVoYSOQK_K34BCTzz6wIQPkwMFczrvR7wzZhg9pnoO_CnGNKVVL6Xdbv1vE-eoGFnXP80E6UjBNa8I-9CqAFiTnqeJyb/s1600/P1030894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2K_Shb520f5fr4GRRyoDTrsWe1RqZxZIaNPB8WwyOLsnn4bPYVoYSOQK_K34BCTzz6wIQPkwMFczrvR7wzZhg9pnoO_CnGNKVVL6Xdbv1vE-eoGFnXP80E6UjBNa8I-9CqAFiTnqeJyb/s320/P1030894.JPG" /></a></div>
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216. Then I put a crumb coat over the whole cake.  This is just a thin layer of frosting used to hold the crumbs down, so that when you put on your final layer of frosting there are no crumbs to be seen.  It makes your cake look more professional.  After putting this crumb coat on, I put the cake in the refrigerator for an hour or so to let the frosting set hard.<br />
217. <br />
218. This is where I ran into trouble. It was  time to finish the cake.  I took the cake out of the refrigerator, put plastic wrap around the Sleeping Beauty doll I bought my daughter.<br />
219. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
220. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijv1sBOs6Nao4g0ohqIlq34t2F7eYvv40bRdBQ0znOL-yQqvA5vDF8qmERE65CCZNqwr50-Vefbv8T1ds9UtMZ0T3ZIyu8wvm626eHrEKg4U1ufbvv29WH_2Uzfu3lwnmGJ47CGq_b1Uam/s1600/P1030900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijv1sBOs6Nao4g0ohqIlq34t2F7eYvv40bRdBQ0znOL-yQqvA5vDF8qmERE65CCZNqwr50-Vefbv8T1ds9UtMZ0T3ZIyu8wvm626eHrEKg4U1ufbvv29WH_2Uzfu3lwnmGJ47CGq_b1Uam/s320/P1030900.JPG" /></a></div>
221. <br />
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223. <br />
224. I place the doll into the hole I made and........... The cake / dress came up to the doll's mid thigh.  I forgot to measure how much dress I needed.  I just assumed that  four tiers (two 9 inch rounds and 1 bowl cut in half) would be enough.  I clearly needed another 9 inch round.  Since there was nothing I could do to make the cake taller, I used one of my daughter's less expensive knock off Barbie dolls because it was easy to take the doll apart at the waist. Now with only half a doll (from the waist up) I was able to place her in the hole I made and use a couple of  toothpicks to support her floating torso.  <br />
225. <br />
226. Now it was time to decorate the dress.  I had fun with this part. I made the dress pink with dark pink embellishments and small little pearl candies.<br />
227. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
228. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDu4KC1CXqf1HyC912oKqZaw-rMTO1iYr8DtOP2kkQR0kWbGammRCoHDJ3Z_td4CHkakvkyrwoODmPxWjbISLbjQXH9XAVHWpFKXMveeLLV5FOm2r6D37Van50DadadlivhPzdF8EyEX7z/s1600/P1030903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDu4KC1CXqf1HyC912oKqZaw-rMTO1iYr8DtOP2kkQR0kWbGammRCoHDJ3Z_td4CHkakvkyrwoODmPxWjbISLbjQXH9XAVHWpFKXMveeLLV5FOm2r6D37Van50DadadlivhPzdF8EyEX7z/s320/P1030903.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
229. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to put the doll's hair in an "updo" so it wouldn't get into the cake.</td></tr>
230. </tbody></table>
231. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
232. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmAS8uAHyq7gIhpowEAftcklr7yrFiBupgbKIzrVrbkO6ePwppbn9xI2wYyaK6bKJrZl-2UP-oBUpnhRmQkwXaB_njR27JBghWBk56FgMxkrFvwjFDYVD3yftjd86YsNx-8ynZOYB-vnT/s1600/P1030905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmAS8uAHyq7gIhpowEAftcklr7yrFiBupgbKIzrVrbkO6ePwppbn9xI2wYyaK6bKJrZl-2UP-oBUpnhRmQkwXaB_njR27JBghWBk56FgMxkrFvwjFDYVD3yftjd86YsNx-8ynZOYB-vnT/s320/P1030905.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
233. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to add a lot of dark pink flowers to the back of </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">her dress to help hold her floating torso up.</td></tr>
234. </tbody></table>
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273. <br />
274. The BEST PART .... my son made my daughter close her eyes, so she could be surprised when she saw the cake for the first time.  And was she surprised? YOU BET SHE WAS!  I will always remember her face and that beautiful smile.  The first thing she said was," oh.... thank you Mama!"<br />
275. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
276. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvwSKEEIPCVr6rsccRGXL_Ny6gm7A2QDmRY-RxPJ8W4lopTuOpehD-hNUCP_ghfJdBqCY-u2pBFXOpd8ar7UzF_ZPVWCEpKlg0qWaJcbCfCJjo4_9z13i6taxc8mAB7-tWWE40nOvnGwT/s1600/P1030913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvwSKEEIPCVr6rsccRGXL_Ny6gm7A2QDmRY-RxPJ8W4lopTuOpehD-hNUCP_ghfJdBqCY-u2pBFXOpd8ar7UzF_ZPVWCEpKlg0qWaJcbCfCJjo4_9z13i6taxc8mAB7-tWWE40nOvnGwT/s400/P1030913.JPG" /></a></div>
277. <br />
278. <br />
279. Happy 3rd Birthday my Little Princess.  I love you. Mama<br />
280. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
281. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_paWeLOZL_4rIzhhlxlJcoQrZJCI0z3LchOZDXWFG5e2Jsxk_kRJTneA_c3FVUfH9kToPjLGQa3eyay5_aZ6vTiwuUYQpEl2d_ibimSiqQi8dvZBNEF1HEgkby82-ake4CQA6SL8Q6gX/s1600/P1030915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_paWeLOZL_4rIzhhlxlJcoQrZJCI0z3LchOZDXWFG5e2Jsxk_kRJTneA_c3FVUfH9kToPjLGQa3eyay5_aZ6vTiwuUYQpEl2d_ibimSiqQi8dvZBNEF1HEgkby82-ake4CQA6SL8Q6gX/s400/P1030915.JPG" /></a></div>
282. <br />
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287. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/5887185645083398059/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/07/princess-birthday-cake.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/5887185645083398059'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/5887185645083398059'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/07/princess-birthday-cake.html' title='Princess Birthday Cake'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyCGuoq7hQAqOCMP3QS14OE_Hs730C9eE9M0S-Egc7FwKuMS44FSkD1cgw-Zup60JguCYRGvrCAsdpnWnM8V4GSi0azmwHbGT_wJxkgTOPOXlWB-KoKbxG0wQBWxPnXiyNcUlycgVs_TQ/s72-c/P1030886.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-3957447711091482314</id><published>2013-06-02T12:44:00.004-05:00</published><updated>2013-06-02T12:44:34.084-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="French cookies"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="madeleine cookie recipe"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Madeleine cookies"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="tea cakes"/><title type='text'>Madeleine Cookies </title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
288. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLB1y1HKJDF0QtqYB_9nYyeiZppGkz_sjE4GTZGvAMoGvkbiDikfDly1pmCRzVsL0bdObIZtbyuRurRVVPuEDfwt1smdod3D2mFy9ddiXKvz0f2YkiCXK2AuNrQa8Fmk29OqMz_8BSpGg/s1600/P1030878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLB1y1HKJDF0QtqYB_9nYyeiZppGkz_sjE4GTZGvAMoGvkbiDikfDly1pmCRzVsL0bdObIZtbyuRurRVVPuEDfwt1smdod3D2mFy9ddiXKvz0f2YkiCXK2AuNrQa8Fmk29OqMz_8BSpGg/s400/P1030878.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
289. <b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
290. <b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
291. <b><span style="font-size: large;">Madeleine</span></b> cookies for my little girl <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Madeleine</b></span>. <br />
292. <br />
293. When I was a kid my mom used to make Madeleine cookies.  They were such a special treat.  Instead of simply dropping cookies on a cookie sheet, these cookies required their own special pans.  They look like small individual sized cakes in the shape of an elegant shell that has been lightly dusted with powdered sugar.  They are a French treat.  Little did I know then that I would be making those cookies with my mom's pans for my daughter, Madeleine. <br />
294. <br />
295. Madeleine turns three this week.  I love remembering significant events by reliving and telling the stories of that day.  I do this with special days like birthdays and vacations.  But just ask my husband and kids, I also do this with a random Thursday.  I love remembering, appreciating, and celebrating the special in the everyday.<br />
296. <br />
297. This week leading up to Madeleine's birthday, I have been telling baby Madeleine stories to the kids.  It is fun to watch their expressions and excitement when learning about themselves in the past --- the very close past -- like within the last three years.  To us adults, it seems like yesterday.  And yet in the short lives of our babies, these are memories that are so far in their past that they don't even remember. So reliving their beginnings with them is like telling them a wondrous story with very special characters (themselves).<br />
298. <br />
299. I told Madeleine that the first time I made these cookies in her honor she was not able to enjoy them because it was for her Baptism party, and she wasn't eating cookies yet.  She said that makes her sad because she missed out on eating them.  I told her that she would make up for it this year for her third birthday; she can eat all the cookies she wants. <br />
300. <br />
301. So this is my mom's recipe for the elegant Madeleine cookies from my childhood (there are a few changes I made).<br />
302. <br />
303. 10 Tablespoons of butter (melted and cooled)<br />
304. 2 eggs<br />
305. 1 cup sugar (I used 2/3 of a cup)<br />
306. 1 cup flour<br />
307. 1 Tablespoon rum<br />
308. 1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
309. <i>(this time around I added a little lemon zest ... it turned out great ... that is the fun part...making a recipe your own)</i><br />
310. <br />
311. <br />
312. Melt butter and allow it to cool.  Heat eggs and sugar in a double boiler until lukewarm, remember to stir it constantly over low heat --- you don't want to scramble your eggs. Remove from heat and beat slowly until creaming and frothy.<br />
313. <br />
314. When cooled, add flour gradually.  Then melted butter, rum, and vanilla. <i>This is where I added the lemon zest.</i>  Stirring constantly.<br />
315. <br />
316. Spray Madeleine pans then scoop a teaspoon or so of the batter into each shell (about 3/4 full).<br />
317. <br />
318. Bake at 375 degrees for 11 - 15 minutes.  When they come out of the oven use a small pairing knife to gently cut around the edges to help the delicate cookies pop out when you turn the pan over.  Lightly dust with powdered sugar while cookies are still hot.<br />
319. <br />
320. Trust me ..... when you eat your first bite....you will be transported to a small cafe in Paris.  Until you hear your three year old in the background yelling at your other child.  Oooppps!  That is my story ... not yours. Bon Appetit!<br />
321. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/3957447711091482314/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/06/madeleine-cookies.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/3957447711091482314'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/3957447711091482314'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/06/madeleine-cookies.html' title='Madeleine Cookies '/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLB1y1HKJDF0QtqYB_9nYyeiZppGkz_sjE4GTZGvAMoGvkbiDikfDly1pmCRzVsL0bdObIZtbyuRurRVVPuEDfwt1smdod3D2mFy9ddiXKvz0f2YkiCXK2AuNrQa8Fmk29OqMz_8BSpGg/s72-c/P1030878.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-3678272610253069029</id><published>2013-03-08T15:54:00.001-06:00</published><updated>2013-03-08T15:54:16.547-06:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="cookies"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="cookies recipes"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="oatmeal cookies"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="oatmeal raisin cookies"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Quaker"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Quaker oats"/><title type='text'>Quaker Oats Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kwYG5-ZkoWGR22ClOLpMkcyrlCZDybjaowi5fw_1WZFDCVHPqrzOTOE7PDYyFjcmcAPs2jPqQdYkhdkegbrBVsnlrgPcYpGTMDfxc-evL0Uzx77RcNQXNMV11-sZvY7g_yGzHziXyC97/s1600/P1030623.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kwYG5-ZkoWGR22ClOLpMkcyrlCZDybjaowi5fw_1WZFDCVHPqrzOTOE7PDYyFjcmcAPs2jPqQdYkhdkegbrBVsnlrgPcYpGTMDfxc-evL0Uzx77RcNQXNMV11-sZvY7g_yGzHziXyC97/s320/P1030623.JPG&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
322. So we have been sick at home for awhile now.  It is time to make cookies.  I need a cookie recipe where I have all the ingredients in the house, as I haven't been out of the house in .... what day is it again? So you see what I mean.  My two year old daughter and I eat Quaker oatmeal for breakfast about five days a week.  We love it.  And it is super easy.  Here is how we make it.<br />
323. <br />
324. <br />
325. <br />
326. <br />
327. <br />
328. <br />
329. <b><span style="font-size: large;">Quaker Oatmeal -- quick 1 minute oats</span></b><br />
330. <br />
331. use a microwave safe bowl<br />
332. <br />
333. 1/2 cup oatmeal<br />
334. 1 cup skim milk<br />
335. splash of maple syrup (real maple syrup not pancake fake stuff)<br />
336. sprinkle of cinnamon (the spice not cinnamon sugar)<br />
337. Microwave for 1 and half minutes (90 seconds)<br />
338. <br />
339. "YUMMY" and that is a direct quote from my daughter Madeleine.<br />
340. <br />
341. Since we eat this almost everyday, I see this Vanishing cookie recipe all the time.  I have also notice that I have all the ingredients on hand. <br />
342. <br />
343. This is Quaker's recipe; I just added honey.  They turned out great so I thought I would share.<br />
344. <br />
345. <b><span style="font-size: large;">Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies</span></b><br />
346. <br />
347. 1/2 cup plus 6 tbsp. butter, softened<br />
348. 3/4 cup packed brown sugar<br />
349. 1/2 cup granulated sugar<br />
350. 2 eggs<br />
351. 1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
352. 1 1/2 cups flour<br />
353. 1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
354. 1 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
355. 1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
356. 3 cups Quaker oats (quick or old fashion uncooked)<br />
357. 1 cup raisins<br />
358. I added some honey<br />
359. <br />
360. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXNqD48HFa42PFSYTGlOgZ1BlIWS-lsvhvNsjqeAeVuyFRclv2-MTjrE9KLtvQEShmgjanH5pEIHzo0hzeaQoc-uJ-bhg37Y8jB6JIxvoPdfQrs27on2YPlSjR8_1d5d3x1I67vYqFucb/s1600/P1030613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXNqD48HFa42PFSYTGlOgZ1BlIWS-lsvhvNsjqeAeVuyFRclv2-MTjrE9KLtvQEShmgjanH5pEIHzo0hzeaQoc-uJ-bhg37Y8jB6JIxvoPdfQrs27on2YPlSjR8_1d5d3x1I67vYqFucb/s200/P1030613.JPG" width="200" /></a>
361. Preheat oven 350.  Cream butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet.  Then add oats and raisins.  This is where I added some honey.  Drop small rounded tablespoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 8 - 10 minutes.  I cooked mine for 10 minutes.  They turn a light golden color.  Cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet.  Cool completely on a wire rake.  Store in a covered container.  Makes about 4 dozen. <br />
362. <br />
363. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EmG0dJroI_nlOzq9u5ShL4Qa9xObJLDwEti4CqElHR-2FlNgmOa4oHv4C-uohHlFQ9zKuqutG47rLXZcEK8Ipl4b3Ku5BtdncuVP7NtvoMb-4yVIgL6ZEGfuHgRePd57I_TEA44GadOC/s1600/P1030617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EmG0dJroI_nlOzq9u5ShL4Qa9xObJLDwEti4CqElHR-2FlNgmOa4oHv4C-uohHlFQ9zKuqutG47rLXZcEK8Ipl4b3Ku5BtdncuVP7NtvoMb-4yVIgL6ZEGfuHgRePd57I_TEA44GadOC/s320/P1030617.JPG" /></a><br />
364. <br />
365. I have to say they were easy to make, and the kids loved making them --<br />
366. but they loved eating them even more.
367.  
368. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdMYcVYrxWHxSmYPVbSotr5EQeynBTNYABqxxDJX8S2-8kG5A2i_2sAeqv01J98Fe0sa6KJKye0LCeG8wq-xpOVGcHgyDE-CoIjBPssJ4rRWDLPy2a8HKIsSKJLvahUke31IUGZhi8QES/s1600/P1030622.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdMYcVYrxWHxSmYPVbSotr5EQeynBTNYABqxxDJX8S2-8kG5A2i_2sAeqv01J98Fe0sa6KJKye0LCeG8wq-xpOVGcHgyDE-CoIjBPssJ4rRWDLPy2a8HKIsSKJLvahUke31IUGZhi8QES/s320/P1030622.JPG&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/3678272610253069029/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/03/quaker-oats-vanishing-oatmeal-raisin.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/3678272610253069029'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/3678272610253069029'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/03/quaker-oats-vanishing-oatmeal-raisin.html' title='Quaker Oats Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kwYG5-ZkoWGR22ClOLpMkcyrlCZDybjaowi5fw_1WZFDCVHPqrzOTOE7PDYyFjcmcAPs2jPqQdYkhdkegbrBVsnlrgPcYpGTMDfxc-evL0Uzx77RcNQXNMV11-sZvY7g_yGzHziXyC97/s72-c/P1030623.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-3348817774051248973</id><published>2013-01-11T14:56:00.000-06:00</published><updated>2013-01-12T08:18:17.434-06:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="milk shake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="stay at home  mom"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="vanilla milk shake"/><title type='text'>Milk Shakes for the Kids because... why not?</title><content type='html'>There are plenty of difficult parts involved in being a stay-at-home-mom.&amp;nbsp; No need to list.&amp;nbsp; Of course&amp;nbsp; there are built in perks, and there are those perks that are a mommy&#39;s prerogative to create. Today I used my mommy power to create Milk Shake Friday.&lt;br /&gt;
369. <br />
370. No reason to do it. But no reason not to.  My two year old daughter asked me for a milk shake.  I have never made her one.  I don't know how that idea popped into her head.  My guess is a cartoon. Or one of her story books has some fairies drinking milk shakes.  Anyway she asked me.  They just finished their lunch, and I could not for the life if me think of a reason to say no.  So I said yes.<br />
371. <br />
372. *Side note -- I have never made a milk shake before, so I this is what I did.  I am not sure if this is what the experts do, but it worked perfectly.<br />
373. <br />
374. <br />
375. <b>Vanilla Milk Shake</b><br />
376. <br />
377. these are approximate -- I just eyeballed it<br />
378. <br />
379. Vanilla ice cream (3-4 scoops)<br />
380. Some milk (1 cup)<br />
381. Splash of vanilla extract (1 Tablespoon)  <br />
382. Whipped cream for decoration <br />
383. Strawberry for decoration<br />
384. <br />
385. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>I made the kids sit at the table<span style="font-size: large;">, </span>close their eyes, and wait for their surprise.</b></span>  <span style="font-size: large;"><b>This was their reaction when they opened their eyes -- <u>truly priceless</u>! </b><b> </b></span><br />
386. <br />
387. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>This is the reason I decided to stay at home and stop teaching.  I <u>loved</u> teaching high school<span style="font-size: large;"> English</span>, but I love this more.</b></span><br />
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408. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwsG6deJGA9p7MTPMLVEvyrHY3iv9lVOwqKMsQwy8AXjQMYclJtMqwz6EjfCSyAfyfaPdvGopRVW7K4mG36Tg6ZAJ1X7fIay1IYuFcHVaMowRqBpL9MGcxhdGNOdyz99wtefDIYQ9laxB/s1600/P1030447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwsG6deJGA9p7MTPMLVEvyrHY3iv9lVOwqKMsQwy8AXjQMYclJtMqwz6EjfCSyAfyfaPdvGopRVW7K4mG36Tg6ZAJ1X7fIay1IYuFcHVaMowRqBpL9MGcxhdGNOdyz99wtefDIYQ9laxB/s400/P1030447.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
409. <br />
410. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;Milk shakes at 1:30 in the afternoon on January 11, 2013.&amp;nbsp; What life is ALL about.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/3348817774051248973/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/01/milk-shakes-for-kids-because-why-not.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/3348817774051248973'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/3348817774051248973'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2013/01/milk-shakes-for-kids-because-why-not.html' title='Milk Shakes for the Kids because... why not?'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwsG6deJGA9p7MTPMLVEvyrHY3iv9lVOwqKMsQwy8AXjQMYclJtMqwz6EjfCSyAfyfaPdvGopRVW7K4mG36Tg6ZAJ1X7fIay1IYuFcHVaMowRqBpL9MGcxhdGNOdyz99wtefDIYQ9laxB/s72-c/P1030447.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-605262411544905815</id><published>2012-12-12T20:36:00.000-06:00</published><updated>2012-12-12T20:36:08.046-06:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="best french toast recipe"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="oreo"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Oreo balls recipe"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="oreo recipe"/><title type='text'>Oreo Balls</title><content type='html'>&lt;br /&gt;
411. <br />
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413. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2KaaNOlvCH0yuXrDAc9Mbg1MMx9La4ntbD0tOiB1Yn1Z5p3KTqOgBS1jLT0lCHIct87iwS2Ds8Fm_RYq6mtYyRZ6utnPbI1-FszRbKfpQF6AWA5NSxbpjBmac8aTADKzSeLkb4waYxGe/s1600/images-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2KaaNOlvCH0yuXrDAc9Mbg1MMx9La4ntbD0tOiB1Yn1Z5p3KTqOgBS1jLT0lCHIct87iwS2Ds8Fm_RYq6mtYyRZ6utnPbI1-FszRbKfpQF6AWA5NSxbpjBmac8aTADKzSeLkb4waYxGe/s320/images-1.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
414. Oreo Balls!    I first time I tried these I was at my friend Cheryl's home.  She is the mother of my beautiful Godson, Quinn.   When you taste one of these for the first time, you remember where you were.  I had never tasted something so rich and perfectly Oreo before in my life.  The Oreo taste is unmistakable, but the texture is dreamy, soft, and rich.  I asked her for the recipe, and she happily passed it on because she said she got the recipe from a friend of hers.<br />
415. <br />
416. Yesterday, my sister-in-law, Becky, called looking for this recipe to take to my brother, Tony's, work Christmas party. These are a perfect treat to take to a party.  They are easy to make and always a big hit.  It touches some heart strings from most people's childhood -- Oreo cookies.  Because it is made out of this childhood cookie.  It is a bit nostalgic and a bit sinfully decadent; let's face it, most of us don't eat Oreos anymore --- most of us -- I am not saying all.  My home has Oreos; thank you husband for your little craving.  Baking isn't Becky's passion, but I know she will successfully make these Oreo balls. And I am sure they will make her a big hit at my brother's Christmas party.<br />
417. <br />
418. Here is the recipe sister----<br />
419. <br />
420. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Oreo Balls</b></span><br />
421. <br />
422. 1 regular size package of oreos<br />
423. 1 package of cream cheese 12 oz (brick, not tub) softened (leave out on counter for awhile)<br />
424. 1 package of almond bark or 2 packages of white chocolate (I always use the almond bark)<br />
425. a pinch of salt <br />
426. <br />
427. Crush the Oreos by hand with a rolling pin in a sealed plastic bag or in a food processor. Completly mix cream cheese, crushed Oreos, and a bit of salt.  Cover bowl and place in refrigerator until firm.  Take mixture out of refrigerator and form into small bit sized balls about 1 inch in size. Place balls on wax paper on a cookie sheet and put in the refrigerator for about an hour. Melt almond bark by placing some (not all) in a glass bowl and putting in the microwave on high for 2 minutes. Take bark out of microwave stir until melted and then add more bark and put back into the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until all bark has been added and is melted. Or you could use a double boiled; it is up to you.   Once bark is melted, use tooth picks to dip the Oreo balls in the white bark and then place them back on waxed paper and back into the refrigerator.  Once hardened, place balls in a sealed container.  Store in refrigerator.   Enjoy these rich little treats with the nostalgic taste !<br />
428. <br />
429. <br />
430. <br />
431. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/605262411544905815/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/12/oreo-balls.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/605262411544905815'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/605262411544905815'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/12/oreo-balls.html' title='Oreo Balls'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2KaaNOlvCH0yuXrDAc9Mbg1MMx9La4ntbD0tOiB1Yn1Z5p3KTqOgBS1jLT0lCHIct87iwS2Ds8Fm_RYq6mtYyRZ6utnPbI1-FszRbKfpQF6AWA5NSxbpjBmac8aTADKzSeLkb4waYxGe/s72-c/images-1.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-458724974174529115</id><published>2012-12-11T11:01:00.001-06:00</published><updated>2012-12-11T12:01:23.558-06:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="breakfast"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="coffee cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="coffee cake recipe"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="delicious coffee cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="easy coffee cake"/><title type='text'>Ilene Gail Delicious Coffee Cake</title><content type='html'>&lt;br /&gt;
432. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
433. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgpLsnZclnDofV5ZVyz77nT-iD9DfntOe6nTpDnm1kl4PgugBMjxOMPpM6xjRRL0R69Xcz7Vhb2B8Wu7G5qynKcAB1rTMdUBOt0y3Qd8xM5cnVbnygO8Dajnn21U7ZJR-BOXYpOfrhc7x/s1600/P1030226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgpLsnZclnDofV5ZVyz77nT-iD9DfntOe6nTpDnm1kl4PgugBMjxOMPpM6xjRRL0R69Xcz7Vhb2B8Wu7G5qynKcAB1rTMdUBOt0y3Qd8xM5cnVbnygO8Dajnn21U7ZJR-BOXYpOfrhc7x/s400/P1030226.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
434. A couple of years ago, I was looking for a great coffee cake recipe, and I knew my girlfriend Ilene would have one.  Ilene didn't have a great recipe; she had a <b>Delicious Coffee Cake recipe</b>.  Years ago, Ilene's friend Gail made this coffee cake; Ilene and her family thought it was delicious.  Ilene has been making Gail's Delicious Coffee Cake ever since. So I guess the recipe that I am about to share is Ilene's Friend Gail's Delicious Coffee Cake --- for the sake of time, we are just going to call it .......<br />
435. <i><b>Ilene Gail Delicious Coffee Cake</b></i>.<br />
436. <br />
437. So often you hear the name of a recipe and it oversells itself.  The BEST cookie recipe, The YUMMIEST Chocolate cake, INCREDIBLE brownies.... you follow the recipe, and you look back at the recipe's name and think.... I am not sure about that.  Was that REALLY the BEST?  Anyway, the reason I am saying this is......this coffee coffee cake really is Delicious. <br />
438. <br />
439. The changes I made to the recipe made it even more delicious for my family's tastes.  I added nuts and took away some icing.  But I will note where I made the changes because you may find the original recipe fits your family's taste or you may tweek it a bit in a different direction. <br />
440. <br />
441. Either way, this coffee cake is easy to make  right before guests arrive.  It is delicious served warm; it is excellent served at room temperature. It gets the mmmmmmms and yummmmmies you love to hear as a host to any gathering.  It is a wonderful compliment to any breakfast or brunch.  I like to make it Thanksgiving morning and bring it warm to my parents' home.  It is one of those recipes that can easily become part of the fabric of any tradition.<br />
442. <br />
443. A warm delicious thank you to Ilene for finding this treasure in her friend Gail's kitchen and passing this gem along to me.  It is interesting to think about how far a recipe can travel and for how many years.<br />
444. <br />
445. And here is the <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Ilene Gail Delicious Coffee Cake</span></b><br />
446. <br />
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520. <b>           <i> Blend
521. together until creamy</i></b></div>
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523. (1)
524. stick butter</div>
525. <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 37.0pt; tab-stops: .5in 37.0pt 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 6.5in 7.0in 7.5in 8.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1.0pt;">
526. (1)
527. cup sugar<br />
528. <b><br /></b>
529. <b><i>Add</i></b></div>
530. <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 37.0pt; tab-stops: .5in 37.0pt 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 6.5in 7.0in 7.5in 8.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1.0pt;">
531. (2)
532. eggs</div>
533. <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 37.0pt; tab-stops: .5in 37.0pt 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 6.5in 7.0in 7.5in 8.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1.0pt;">
534. (1)
535. tsp. vanilla</div>
536. <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 37.0pt; tab-stops: .5in 37.0pt 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 6.5in 7.0in 7.5in 8.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1.0pt;">
537. (1)
538. cup sour cream</div>
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540. <br />
541. <b>            <i>Sift
542. together the following and then add to the above wet ingredients</i></b></div>
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544. (2)
545. cups flour</div>
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547. (1)
548. tsp. baking soda</div>
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550. (1)
551. tsp. baking powder</div>
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553. a
554. pinch of salt<br />
555. <br />
556. <b><i>Grease a jelly roll pan (this is a pan with small sides) and spread the above mixture.  Use two wet spoons to help you spread it ; it is a bit gooey so don't be surprised if it doesn't spread perfectly.  No worries -- it is homemade; it should look that way. </i></b></div>
557. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
558. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5ZN0oFOZQkO4Oga5u4wf2GxKf9p9772J5G92BRU6gU7tVmPmhAUtv2OUHXS93odCAVigJiukaReev_TPYvIFgjsxOLpdeJXFOEpDyiWi0DJ6STH5wiGX8KgGmmafchX3TPS0UEKstM9w/s1600/P1030223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5ZN0oFOZQkO4Oga5u4wf2GxKf9p9772J5G92BRU6gU7tVmPmhAUtv2OUHXS93odCAVigJiukaReev_TPYvIFgjsxOLpdeJXFOEpDyiWi0DJ6STH5wiGX8KgGmmafchX3TPS0UEKstM9w/s320/P1030223.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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560. </div>
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562. <br />
563. <br />
564.            <b><i> Cream</i></b></div>
565. <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 37.0pt; tab-stops: .5in 37.0pt 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 6.5in 7.0in 7.5in 8.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1.0pt;">
566. (1)
567. stick margarine</div>
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569. 1/2
570. cup sugar</div>
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572. <br />
573. <b><i>Then
574. add</i></b><br />
575. (1) cup flour and <b><i>mix together with a fork until crumbly.</i></b></div>
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577. </div>
578. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
579. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYEf1-kObRAfLb8SE_prv1jUNmP1wzC3gN93dp9jgCAUIXJop4Hadskv3Ab7hK-6YfdhUmlgjQ3xirlr3RnJkDS4UEAxbLoGD2fb9WurjcR4UdiqE-VWzUHdCORch-kVeVETstBMbM5B9m/s1600/P1030224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYEf1-kObRAfLb8SE_prv1jUNmP1wzC3gN93dp9jgCAUIXJop4Hadskv3Ab7hK-6YfdhUmlgjQ3xirlr3RnJkDS4UEAxbLoGD2fb9WurjcR4UdiqE-VWzUHdCORch-kVeVETstBMbM5B9m/s320/P1030224.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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581. <br />
582. <br />
583. <b><i> Sprinkle mixture over the top of the first mixture.  Bake
584. at 350 for 20 minutes--check after 15 minutes.  As
585. soon as you take the coffee cake out of the oven, toss some nuts (optional) on top and drizzle with icing.</i></b></div>
586. <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 37.0pt; tab-stops: .5in 37.0pt 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 6.5in 7.0in 7.5in 8.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1.0pt;">
587. <br />
588. <br />
589. <br />
590. <br />
591. <br />
592. <br />
593. <br />
594. <b><i>Nuts:</i></b><br />
595. a couple of handfuls of chopped pecans <i><b>(optional -- my family likes nuts)</b></i><b><i> </i></b><br />
596. <br />
597. <b><i>Icing:</i></b><br />
598. (2)
599. cups powder sugar <b><i>(I used <u>1 cup</u> - we like it a bit less sweet)</i></b></div>
600. <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 37.0pt; tab-stops: .5in 37.0pt 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 6.5in 7.0in 7.5in 8.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1.0pt;">
601. (1)
602. tsp. vanilla</div>
603. <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 37.0pt; tab-stops: .5in 37.0pt 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in 6.5in 7.0in 7.5in 8.0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1.0pt;">
604. A
605. little milk <i><b>(I used water)</b></i><br />
606. <i><b><br /></b></i>
607. <b><i>I put the coffee cake in the oven about 15 minutes before the guests arrive. </i></b><br />
608. <b><i>                                     Trust me it is DELICIOUS!</i></b></div>
609. &lt;!--EndFragment--&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/458724974174529115/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/12/delicious-coffee-cake.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/458724974174529115'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/458724974174529115'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/12/delicious-coffee-cake.html' title='Ilene Gail Delicious Coffee Cake'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgpLsnZclnDofV5ZVyz77nT-iD9DfntOe6nTpDnm1kl4PgugBMjxOMPpM6xjRRL0R69Xcz7Vhb2B8Wu7G5qynKcAB1rTMdUBOt0y3Qd8xM5cnVbnygO8Dajnn21U7ZJR-BOXYpOfrhc7x/s72-c/P1030226.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-3434883878519219698</id><published>2012-11-21T11:42:00.001-06:00</published><updated>2012-11-21T11:42:45.227-06:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="bunt cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="easy dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="pumpkin cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="pumpkin recipe"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Thanksgiving dessert"/><title type='text'>Pumpkin Cake</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;S&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;o it is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.&amp;nbsp; There are people all over America cooking and making preparations for tomorrow.&amp;nbsp; My mom has hosted Thanksgiving dinner my entire life.&amp;nbsp; She has always made the entire meal from scratch.&amp;nbsp; She is a wonderful cook and baker.&amp;nbsp; Even as a little girl, I have never liked pumpkin pie ---- I know I know -- some of you are bugging your eyes out at the computer screen.&amp;nbsp; I am sorry but it is just not my dessert of choice.&amp;nbsp; SO if I ever blog about a great pumpkin pie recipe, you will know I found the BEST recipe out there -- and I promise I will share it. &lt;br /&gt;
610. <br />
611. Now although I have never really enjoyed pumpkin pie, I do love the taste of pumpkin.  My mom found this recipe, that I am about to share, years ago.  I really don't remember a Thanksgiving without this pumpkin cake.   It is moist, yummy, and pumpkiny -- and it goes great with a cup of coffee in the morning on the days following Thanksgiving.  It is not overly sweet, it is not had to make, and it is not pie.  This year I have the pleasure of making the pumpkin cake for our celebration because my mom asked me to help her.  I decided to have the kids help me with making this easy recipe. <br />
612. <br />
613. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
614. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcUykHOqSr72gIKyQ83JJyKZPMNkLvzEN2OCP7GAKg9RgvgH2dQIIEH1vUVrhylXsQ6Pvk9M_tjNdxAvQXR_Fz3K3ua8hPlxmnfwN9iLBvVRlPu-2QKmy6wfFmV9e69vZbsJU13zfF15f/s1600/P1030201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcUykHOqSr72gIKyQ83JJyKZPMNkLvzEN2OCP7GAKg9RgvgH2dQIIEH1vUVrhylXsQ6Pvk9M_tjNdxAvQXR_Fz3K3ua8hPlxmnfwN9iLBvVRlPu-2QKmy6wfFmV9e69vZbsJU13zfF15f/s320/P1030201.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
615. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids mixing dry ingredients.</td></tr>
616. </tbody></table>
617. Here is my favorite pumpkin recipe<br />
618. <br />
619. <b><span style="font-size: large;">Pumpkin Cake</span></b><br />
620. <br />
621. 3 cups of flour<br />
622. 1 tsp salt<br />
623. 2 tsp baking powder<br />
624. 2 tsp baking soda<br />
625. 1 tsp cinnamon<br />
626. 1/2 tsp ginger<br />
627. 1/2 tsp nutmeg<br />
628. 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)<br />
629. 1 1/2 cups of oil<br />
630. 2 cups canned pumpkin (1 can)<br />
631. 2 cups sugar<br />
632. 4 eggs<br />
633. <br />
634. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
635. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuPRFtvdiLQk33w9uHnkTN7RsBg_L62bVqO7poyq5syYD0FY0EB7eRqTiQ1hrvEVqhA19IvFe40LbTFTn27TBPFwNXKdGQVNkHi6oBMnTgZCoVHmbVrPLw0aTZUXyy2f-3dBWrZ3fP6cg/s1600/P1030202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuPRFtvdiLQk33w9uHnkTN7RsBg_L62bVqO7poyq5syYD0FY0EB7eRqTiQ1hrvEVqhA19IvFe40LbTFTn27TBPFwNXKdGQVNkHi6oBMnTgZCoVHmbVrPLw0aTZUXyy2f-3dBWrZ3fP6cg/s320/P1030202.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
636. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aidan's face after cracking his first egg -- "it's yucky mommy!"</td></tr>
637. </tbody></table>
638. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
639. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaDXU9PGfKzg0A980f4072KD8Bf6dicVzGDh_BSUE8-edUIWZfJIlqFYBOdejIaIEqwvfrKo-t3M0f-5cwTrfnZ44RGhjeqYJKNFxmFtfUr4rMoHZBoKE3NfMbCSVKWajfbww_PCg3MCt/s1600/P1030203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaDXU9PGfKzg0A980f4072KD8Bf6dicVzGDh_BSUE8-edUIWZfJIlqFYBOdejIaIEqwvfrKo-t3M0f-5cwTrfnZ44RGhjeqYJKNFxmFtfUr4rMoHZBoKE3NfMbCSVKWajfbww_PCg3MCt/s320/P1030203.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
640. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zuzu's face after I asked her if she wanted to crack an egg -- "yucky!"</td></tr>
641. </tbody></table>
642. Preheat oven to 350.  Place all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix.  Then place all wet ingredients in another bowl and mix them.  Finally add the wet to the dry and mix just until blended.  Place the mixture in a well greased bunt pan.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Before serving sprinkle with powder sugar.  Told you it was easy.<br />
643. <br />
644. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
645. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPOOTOU6ORofCpHWGxxOqm8K35g8MTgIKMUBDlM6MBEezA1W3QIjqeJcJCa9fLjXnzBD8Nfdbj3B2qOvOv2zjC1fWHCUO0uqxSIjgiHq0pfRXgB1Sj6EI8-2zVKkyKzVWc8pNko6Pp1Ev/s1600/P1030212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPOOTOU6ORofCpHWGxxOqm8K35g8MTgIKMUBDlM6MBEezA1W3QIjqeJcJCa9fLjXnzBD8Nfdbj3B2qOvOv2zjC1fWHCUO0uqxSIjgiHq0pfRXgB1Sj6EI8-2zVKkyKzVWc8pNko6Pp1Ev/s320/P1030212.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
646. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Licking the bowl clean</td></tr>
647. </tbody></table>
648. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
649. <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLqv8Czr6oe3NfopzTMGxqhg9aOOks4UDhoDO5ucLYRiJd5rWDWF5I49yQRgGE1EeYZkhlJFDRUEzFBCFyJQ2sGyRv3ewEyuZadyhrs7ym4PSyI74lTnnqyGiK1HqFFUTdSiI4CDtHlpQ/s1600/P1030216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLqv8Czr6oe3NfopzTMGxqhg9aOOks4UDhoDO5ucLYRiJd5rWDWF5I49yQRgGE1EeYZkhlJFDRUEzFBCFyJQ2sGyRv3ewEyuZadyhrs7ym4PSyI74lTnnqyGiK1HqFFUTdSiI4CDtHlpQ/s400/P1030216.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
650. <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smiling next to their finished cake -- so sweet!</td></tr>
651. </tbody></table>
652. <div style="text-align: center;">
653. <b>Happy Thanksgiving 2012.</b></div>
654. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/3434883878519219698/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/11/pumpkin-cake.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/3434883878519219698'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/3434883878519219698'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/11/pumpkin-cake.html' title='Pumpkin Cake'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcUykHOqSr72gIKyQ83JJyKZPMNkLvzEN2OCP7GAKg9RgvgH2dQIIEH1vUVrhylXsQ6Pvk9M_tjNdxAvQXR_Fz3K3ua8hPlxmnfwN9iLBvVRlPu-2QKmy6wfFmV9e69vZbsJU13zfF15f/s72-c/P1030201.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-7132749166857655770</id><published>2012-10-30T08:30:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2012-10-30T08:31:45.575-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="family fun magazine pumpkin cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Halloween cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="jack-o&#39;-lantern cake"/><title type='text'>Halloween Jack-o&#39;-Lantern Cake</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
655. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuY-Bk2uvDC7uxo_yw85fLjzsLwMIkrXYCIU4qTAapxv0cUEnm1uXeUsXPAtlRjTokLr40rRAjxpB1ImhXFe9MhURQiOoF2qtDm-yW0LVdV4cuHAIKJjURypg2O5hEJkl2sPe88WoxVWX/s1600/P1010114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuY-Bk2uvDC7uxo_yw85fLjzsLwMIkrXYCIU4qTAapxv0cUEnm1uXeUsXPAtlRjTokLr40rRAjxpB1ImhXFe9MhURQiOoF2qtDm-yW0LVdV4cuHAIKJjURypg2O5hEJkl2sPe88WoxVWX/s400/P1010114.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
656. My kids are so excited about Halloween this year; they are four and two years old.  They helped me decorate, they have asked if it is Halloween everyday for the past two weeks, and they randomly yell boo at people in public.  My mom hasn't helped the situation .... she has had candy sitting out in a bowl in her foyer since October1st, so my kids have been trick or treating at her house ever since; hence, they have spend the month in a bit of a candy/sugar high.  My son will be a pirate again for the second year and my daughter will be a lady bug.  My son just barley agreed to let her be a lady bug.  I say this because last year he wanted her to be Sneed to his Captain Hook, which she agreed to of course. This year he asked for the same combo, but she had lady bugs in the brain and wouldn't give into him and his desires. <br />
657. <div>
658. <br /></div>
659. <div>
660. They are both looking forward to their preschool Halloween party and at some point a few weeks ago my son started talking about having a party at his home. My son is quite the entertainer; he loves inviting people over.  This worked out perfectly this time because my girlfriend Marian, her husband, and their daughter are coming over to trick or treat on Wednesday.  Marian's daughter Alessandra is three, so I figure the three kids (4, 3, and 2) will only trick or treat for a little while in this chilly weather.  Then the plan is to bring them back to our home, play some Halloween games, have some chili, and eat cake. Sounds like a toddler style Halloween to me. </div>
661. <div>
662. <br /></div>
663. <div>
664. I have already shared my crock pot chicken chili.  It is super easy and very yummy.  Key mommy words <b>easy</b> and <b>yummy</b>.<br />
665. <br />
666. But I thought I would also share the cute cake idea  -- a Jack-o'-lantern cake -- I got from Disney Family Fun magazine.  I made it last year for the first time and the kids loved it.  How could I not make it again?  It is easy and looks so cute.  The kids can even help you decorate it.  All you do is make two bunt cakes. Place the first cake upside down (flat side up) and place the second cake on top of it flat side down -- and you have a pumpkin. I stuck an ice cream cone, minus the ice cream, upside down in the center to create the stem.  Then I frosted it dark green.  Some orange frosting on the cake and black frosting for the jack-o'-lantern parts and that is a cute cake for a Halloween party.   Thanks Disney Family Fun -- great idea -- it will part of out Halloween tradition for years to come.<br />
667. <br />
668. <br /></div>
669. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/7132749166857655770/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/10/halloween-jack-o-lantern-cake.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/7132749166857655770'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/7132749166857655770'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/10/halloween-jack-o-lantern-cake.html' title='Halloween Jack-o&#39;-Lantern Cake'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuY-Bk2uvDC7uxo_yw85fLjzsLwMIkrXYCIU4qTAapxv0cUEnm1uXeUsXPAtlRjTokLr40rRAjxpB1ImhXFe9MhURQiOoF2qtDm-yW0LVdV4cuHAIKJjURypg2O5hEJkl2sPe88WoxVWX/s72-c/P1010114.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-1208841161845255399</id><published>2012-08-10T15:36:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2012-08-14T06:37:54.507-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="August 8"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="crafts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="National Zucchini Day"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="sneak a zucchini porch day"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="zucchini bread recipe"/><title type='text'>Zucchini Bread</title><content type='html'>August 8th is National Zucchini Day (aka &quot;sneak a zucchini on your friend&#39;s porch day&quot;); this day was established by Tom Roy a Pennsylvanian who thought it was a good way to spread out the overwhelming amounts of squash being harvested at this time of year. &amp;nbsp;Tom Roy wanted to encourage the sharing of the overzealous vegetable crop.&lt;br /&gt;
670. <br />
671. "Sneak a Zucchini on your Friend's Porch Day" was a big success this year for my family.  My son is almost four and my daughter is two; they really got into it this year.  Aidan wanted to make a pirate zucchini man.  Which was not a big surprise, since he has been dressing up as a pirate at least twice a week since last September when Target starting selling Halloween costumes, and I bought his pirate costume.  He has actually gotten to the point of introducing himself as Pirate Aidan, Arrrrrr.  And it is always at that point where I happily say, "yes, my son is a pirate." And my daughter decided she wanted a Mee Mee (aka to the rest of the world as Minnie Mouse) zucchini girl. So the three of us were off to crafting a pirate and a Minnie.<br />
672. <br />
673. We put a pirate scarf on one and Mee Mee (Minnie) ears on the other one. A sword and a couple of sets of eyes and we had accomplished our task; they turned out adorable.  It was time to make the zucchini bread.  This is the recipe I used; I found it on <b>www.allrecipes.com</b>.  It had all sorts of great reviews, so I thought I would give it a try.  The only tweek I made was adding some nutmeg.  I cannot make a recipe without adding something.  Nutmeg was an easy no-brainer to add. I have to say the zuuchini bread turned out moist and yummy; I would make it again.<br />
674. <br />
675. <br />
676. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Zucchini Bread </b></span><br />
677. <br />
678. 3 cups of flour<br />
679. 1 teaspoon salt<br />
680. 1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
681. 1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
682. 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon<br />
683. 1 teaspoon nutmeg (this is what I added)<br />
684. 3 eggs<br />
685. 1 cup vegetable oil<br />
686. 2 1/4 cups sugar<br />
687. 3 teaspoons vanilla extract<br />
688. 2 cups of graded zucchini (I chopped it finely)<br />
689. 1 cup of chopped walnuts (optional) <br />
690. <br />
691. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and nuts.  Mix all wet ingredients: zucchini, eggs, oil, and vanilla.  Mix wet and dry just until combined.  Place batter into greased and floured pans.  This will either make 2 loaf pans or 4 mini loaf pans. Bake at 325 for 40 - 60  minutes.  I made 4 mini loaf pans and it took 55 minutes.  They turned out perfect.<br />
692. <br />
693. <b>Back to the Zucchini Day...</b><br />
694. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
695. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmdVvERprcMalNLbo-pHHpyCFT2EdZCQ_sit_zXTp_j7I6ywMOZOz6zeslH1vedW8WU_fqptgi4sLdZyND6fSIf0G31U8dO88stFlOxT_dwddtD9orYiu3c43al6Gp7tI20DbmdEFiQFs/s1600/P1020481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmdVvERprcMalNLbo-pHHpyCFT2EdZCQ_sit_zXTp_j7I6ywMOZOz6zeslH1vedW8WU_fqptgi4sLdZyND6fSIf0G31U8dO88stFlOxT_dwddtD9orYiu3c43al6Gp7tI20DbmdEFiQFs/s320/P1020481.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
696. <br />
697. My kids were so cute as they creeped up our neighbor's driveway to leave Pirate Zucchini, Ms. Minnie Zucchini, and the mini zucchini bread.  They were very proud of themselves as they ran back to the car.  The only glich in our plan was my daughter; she started to run back to the car with her beloved Minnie Zucchini still in her tight little grasp.  I had to pry it out of her hot little hands.  A few hours later, our neighbor, my kids call her Ms. Dawn, called to say she knew only two little kids who would leave a little pirate and Minnie zucchini on her front porch.  The kids laughed with delight as she teased them and told them how much she appreciated the squash people and the zucchini bread. <br />
698. <br />
699. Another successful year celebrating August 8th, Zucchini Day.  But it's not about the silly "National Holiday;" that is just my excuse today.  It is about creating traditions and memories with my children who have stolen my heart and soul and filled them with love.  I adore spending time with them; and on that note, I'm closing the laptop so I can go and play with them.<br />
700. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
701. </div>
702. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
703. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5AtkWp38MjZkFMjG3cTTWk0s5cr28PL2dcyunLH8oqqWMzWZZIDWgH9YJI8X2eAQcV7siuaijftlZ63EFd9KYhst4dl5iYxzdPqaBftVFv1jb5hTuW0gpJp_hSqzaZiRB_oF2dtiO6jH/s1600/P1020493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5AtkWp38MjZkFMjG3cTTWk0s5cr28PL2dcyunLH8oqqWMzWZZIDWgH9YJI8X2eAQcV7siuaijftlZ63EFd9KYhst4dl5iYxzdPqaBftVFv1jb5hTuW0gpJp_hSqzaZiRB_oF2dtiO6jH/s320/P1020493.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
704. <br />
705. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/1208841161845255399/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/08/sneak-zucchini-on-your-friends-porch-day_10.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/1208841161845255399'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/1208841161845255399'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/08/sneak-zucchini-on-your-friends-porch-day_10.html' title='Zucchini Bread'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmdVvERprcMalNLbo-pHHpyCFT2EdZCQ_sit_zXTp_j7I6ywMOZOz6zeslH1vedW8WU_fqptgi4sLdZyND6fSIf0G31U8dO88stFlOxT_dwddtD9orYiu3c43al6Gp7tI20DbmdEFiQFs/s72-c/P1020481.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-8272659326767342672</id><published>2012-07-19T09:22:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2012-07-19T09:23:16.866-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Family activities July"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="ice cream cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="National Ice Cream Day"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="National Ice Cream Month"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="recipe"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Ronald Reagan"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Third Sunday July"/><title type='text'>National Ice Cream Day</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
706. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfX9xuO_XbDiMJt8nSQ4YmMLcm3juFsVHilPWrb2hwZvDg5ypQiTZRplK0u4he7x4J_Ba497ifdZuCHlJbkPH3fh_PeQl6A6IiZEEiza3IZlP2WagE9hyphenhyphenCT0OGhG-7vnK6sEpHMJ4jUjF/s1600/P1020361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfX9xuO_XbDiMJt8nSQ4YmMLcm3juFsVHilPWrb2hwZvDg5ypQiTZRplK0u4he7x4J_Ba497ifdZuCHlJbkPH3fh_PeQl6A6IiZEEiza3IZlP2WagE9hyphenhyphenCT0OGhG-7vnK6sEpHMJ4jUjF/s320/P1020361.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
707. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
708. </div>
709. Sunday, July 15 was National Ice Cream Day.  Did you miss it this year?  No worries, July is ice cream month. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and specifically the third Sunday of July as National Ice Cream Day. So if you missed celebrating ice cream on the 15th, you still have the rest of the month to make sure you get at least one family celebration in.<br />
710. <br />
711. This year I decided to make an ice cream cake with my kids. Picture this, Sunday morning about 9 am I say to my kids, "Who wants to help mommy make an ice cream cake? Do you feel like eating some ice cream?" The screaming and "yum yumming" that ensued after those two questions was loud enough that I was sure that the neighbors were wondering what was going on at my house. It was at that point that our family's celebration of one of our Nation's treasured days began.<br />
712. <br />
713. I explained to my kids and my husband that it was National Ice Cream Day. My son wanted to know if we were going to eat ice cream all day long.  I said that is not exactly the approach our family was going to take when celebrating this year, but we were going to start the day with making an ice cream cake and eating some along the way.  Then that evening we were going to a neighbor's house and we were going to share our ice cream cake with our friends.
714.  
715.  
716. <b> </b><br />
717. <br />
718. <b>Family recipe for Ice Cream Cake and Family Fun</b><br />
719. <br />
720. 1 package of Oreos (use one row for each of your three layers: bottom, middle, and top)<br />
721. 1 half gallon of _______ (ice cream of your choice)  <br />
722. 1 half gallon of _______ (ice cream of your choice)<br />
723. Spring form pan (I used 9 inch)<br />
724. Tin foil <br />
725. Ziplock bags<br />
726. Toy hammers for your kids<br />
727. Bowl of warm water to place spatula in (helps spread ice cream)<br />
728. <br />
729. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
730. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKwIb8gwEln-lNH_WCFhxWLMwEsa5GYBdJWP8oJC4aHmps1_4UuT6HUHK6zvhOL5YCldyEUDX0W4ioX3ERHp_IDplSyLyGCiSVaorK-NSavIpPE6OQMgCTeyTytFys45bQm4cZi16Omet/s1600/P1020346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKwIb8gwEln-lNH_WCFhxWLMwEsa5GYBdJWP8oJC4aHmps1_4UuT6HUHK6zvhOL5YCldyEUDX0W4ioX3ERHp_IDplSyLyGCiSVaorK-NSavIpPE6OQMgCTeyTytFys45bQm4cZi16Omet/s200/P1020346.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
731. This is where the fun begins.  I gave each of my kids a hammer and a Ziplock baggie filled with Oreos and told them to smashing the cookies.  You can picture how that went -- they loved every minute.  Prior to the announcement of this holiday, I put the two half gallons of ice cream out on the counter so they would start to get soft. Don't leave the ice cream out long enough that it melts completely -- you want it soft not back to a liquid state.<br />
732. <br />
733. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
734. </div>
735. Once the cookies are smashed, it is time to start to layer your ice cream cake.  I used a spring form pan so that it would be easier to serve.  I placed some tin foil under the pan in case there was any leakage, which there was not.  Start by putting some smashed cookies on the bottom of a spring form pan to form the crust of the cake.  Then I put one of the ice cream flavors (we used mint chocolate chip)<br />
736. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
737. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2RUFo6M8SH3cxmrgGC0ZYAK63OtHi-K5DvGntTSyk9x6MZ4uJ8VE4aAMNJKZqcjrFhiUVSJ_VTe1Av2_qfL_CeMW565QGBALYZfVYfzHUwDXE97IBtiPrQUthSwqeplry3tJQ5rki-Ln/s1600/P1020348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2RUFo6M8SH3cxmrgGC0ZYAK63OtHi-K5DvGntTSyk9x6MZ4uJ8VE4aAMNJKZqcjrFhiUVSJ_VTe1Av2_qfL_CeMW565QGBALYZfVYfzHUwDXE97IBtiPrQUthSwqeplry3tJQ5rki-Ln/s200/P1020348.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
738. on top of the cookie crust. I used a spatula to spread ice cream out evenly.  Use a bowl of warm water to dip your spatula in to help spread the ice cream.  Top again with smashed cookie crumbs (middle layer).  Add your second flavor of ice cream and spread again. Lastly, top with remaining cookies. <br />
739. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
740. </div>
741. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
742. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQ_C1LTP3D_wUJkFCOM29KKtzU71ldoSnFdy5eVSIz2FWYv5FRVL1MYAmvgE1ZqLTV44APjveSRuZwAyqynIPffCnxtO-JEMcjwhrqMk_ZZaPTkejyL-l7ySVnaJ8Dmu_bVkT7LcHhpqI/s1600/P1020353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQ_C1LTP3D_wUJkFCOM29KKtzU71ldoSnFdy5eVSIz2FWYv5FRVL1MYAmvgE1ZqLTV44APjveSRuZwAyqynIPffCnxtO-JEMcjwhrqMk_ZZaPTkejyL-l7ySVnaJ8Dmu_bVkT7LcHhpqI/s200/P1020353.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
743. Place some tin foil on top of your cake and refreeze for a few hours before serving.  If you used a spring form pan, it is super easy to serve.  Take spring form off --- dip your knife in warm water, slice, and serve.  Lastly, look around the room at all the happy faces.  Maybe President Reagan was right -- our Country needed a National way to honor ice cream.<br />
744. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
745. </div>
746. <br />
747. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
748. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIIRWiE9tlrxmPvoCK0-2fTQk-AQHfOdc57nbxnCnL1dVX3tO-x3vdJ0guYqLY9vDlVNf12iDiQpWb5JwEX7QQpWBDNuh6psB4t-hf9pAODqgJClur8uIoBwlkjI65u7d1Of_tLriimLx/s1600/P1020354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIIRWiE9tlrxmPvoCK0-2fTQk-AQHfOdc57nbxnCnL1dVX3tO-x3vdJ0guYqLY9vDlVNf12iDiQpWb5JwEX7QQpWBDNuh6psB4t-hf9pAODqgJClur8uIoBwlkjI65u7d1Of_tLriimLx/s320/P1020354.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
749. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;Make sure you put National Ice Cream Day on your calendar for next year -- remember it is the third Sunday in July.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/8272659326767342672/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/07/national-ice-cream-day.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/8272659326767342672'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/8272659326767342672'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/07/national-ice-cream-day.html' title='National Ice Cream Day'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfX9xuO_XbDiMJt8nSQ4YmMLcm3juFsVHilPWrb2hwZvDg5ypQiTZRplK0u4he7x4J_Ba497ifdZuCHlJbkPH3fh_PeQl6A6IiZEEiza3IZlP2WagE9hyphenhyphenCT0OGhG-7vnK6sEpHMJ4jUjF/s72-c/P1020361.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-356459270575842597</id><published>2012-04-26T14:00:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2012-04-26T14:02:11.383-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="best pound cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="homemade pound cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="pound cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="recipe"/><title type='text'>Nonna&#39;s Moist Pound Cake</title><content type='html'>My Nonna used to make this pound cake all the time. She made it for holidays and regular days alike.&amp;nbsp; It was a staple.&amp;nbsp; She made it in a tube pan, but my mom says that she made everything in a tube pan.&amp;nbsp; My mom bought me this Wilton long loaf pan for Christmas.&amp;nbsp; I love it.&amp;nbsp; One of the highlights of the pound cake is the yummy buttery golden crust on the top of the cake.&amp;nbsp; This is why I wouldn&#39;t suggest using a bunt pan; all the yummy buttery golden crust ends up on the bottom of the cake. That is one of the reasons I love my new pan; it allows for more yummy buttery golden crust.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
750. <br />
751. <br />
752. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
753. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObkJpOUL60N204YGPG3-_C7F7mOA-akjY9o6TEHNCZ4fnh8j0ogqJ_Nkc2ehNGO0UvVIIRMCWjR0eZlUIo8sNVGqcUWMJWO8U11BYQJpGqWGJ_RARw84VQGbRrRDuntrfoKrD6ipZbP_W/s1600/P1010682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObkJpOUL60N204YGPG3-_C7F7mOA-akjY9o6TEHNCZ4fnh8j0ogqJ_Nkc2ehNGO0UvVIIRMCWjR0eZlUIo8sNVGqcUWMJWO8U11BYQJpGqWGJ_RARw84VQGbRrRDuntrfoKrD6ipZbP_W/s320/P1010682.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
754. <br />
755. <br />
756. <br />
757. <br />
758. <br />
759. <br />
760. Here is the long Wilton loaf pan.<br />
761. <br />
762. <br />
763. <br />
764. <br />
765. <br />
766. <br />
767. <br />
768. <br />
769. This recipe couldn't be easier.  It is a traditional pound cake: a pound of butter and a pound of sugar.  But it is worth every calorie. The batter is thick.<br />
770. This pound cake goes great with a cup of coffee. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do in my family. <br />
771. <br />
772. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Nonna's Pound Cake</b></span><br />
773. <br />
774. <b>Ingredients:</b><br />
775. 1 pound of butter (4 sticks)<br />
776. 1 pound box of powdered sugar <br />
777. 6 eggs (add two at a time)<br />
778. 3 cups of flour<br />
779. 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla<br />
780. 1 teaspoon lemon extract<br />
781. 2 teaspoons brandy extract<br />
782. 2 teaspoons rum extract<br />
783. <br />
784. <b>Directions:</b><br />
785. Cream together butter and powdered sugar. Then add two eggs at a time.  Add extracts and flour.  Place batter in a greased large loaf pan, two smaller loaf pans, or a tube pan.  Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 20 minutes (if using one large loaf pan or tube pan).  If using two smaller pan, you might want to start checking it around 45 minutes.<br />
786. <br />
787. Enjoy your coffee break - you deserve!  <br />
788. <br />
789. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
790. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlP0OGM9ldkhQ3kJqx5GF07b8Srl5kKzo3zFOnXOdVYQW402DqN5B-9D-NR7rpk0JDnatmliAy8zHz6rG8pMGF_M7s4BcvTPmXbnb3Z8Amt_G6RxEH-E4It0wQtQJa1eo5CfnNmJVWKd2/s1600/P1010725.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlP0OGM9ldkhQ3kJqx5GF07b8Srl5kKzo3zFOnXOdVYQW402DqN5B-9D-NR7rpk0JDnatmliAy8zHz6rG8pMGF_M7s4BcvTPmXbnb3Z8Amt_G6RxEH-E4It0wQtQJa1eo5CfnNmJVWKd2/s320/P1010725.JPG&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/356459270575842597/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/04/nonnas-moist-pound-cake.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/356459270575842597'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/356459270575842597'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/04/nonnas-moist-pound-cake.html' title='Nonna&#39;s Moist Pound Cake'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObkJpOUL60N204YGPG3-_C7F7mOA-akjY9o6TEHNCZ4fnh8j0ogqJ_Nkc2ehNGO0UvVIIRMCWjR0eZlUIo8sNVGqcUWMJWO8U11BYQJpGqWGJ_RARw84VQGbRrRDuntrfoKrD6ipZbP_W/s72-c/P1010682.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-3215143727806461447</id><published>2012-04-08T12:51:00.005-05:00</published><updated>2012-04-09T07:53:57.581-05:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="7-up cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Easter lamb cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Easter traditions"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="lamb cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="lamb cake did not rise"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="lamb cake lost its head"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="recipe"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="stand up lamb cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="wilton lamb"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="wilton lamb cake pan"/><title type='text'>Sweet Little Easter Lamb Cake</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBEYpXF0ghn-kYwv8KaZoZdXZXt2HhePZWWFPv2EJGMHg60Fk7PqjaP2ORdSu9LGji1_3tjHYgsYlMjIVXMoB03ZJ9nmNLWmGzYjm1xvv9SLwbMmUBZG_uNxi0-y0i9tGauFYwjiw1WMC/s1600/P1010920.JPG&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;240&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBEYpXF0ghn-kYwv8KaZoZdXZXt2HhePZWWFPv2EJGMHg60Fk7PqjaP2ORdSu9LGji1_3tjHYgsYlMjIVXMoB03ZJ9nmNLWmGzYjm1xvv9SLwbMmUBZG_uNxi0-y0i9tGauFYwjiw1WMC/s320/P1010920.JPG&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
791. <br />
792. I have always loved those sweet little stand-up lamb cakes you see for Easter. You know the ones I am talking about; they are usually covered in swirly icing or white coconut and lay on a bed of green coconut grass and jelly beans. With my little ones at three and almost two, I look at each holiday as a time to create memories with new traditions.<br />
793. <br />
794. My dear girlfriend Lene (Ilene), has made a lamb cake for Easter for her family for years.  Her kids are grown now, yet they still come over to celebrate Easter and look forward to this very special lamb cake.  It is always striking to me how powerful and important traditions are, especially when those traditions are begun and continued throughout a little one's childhood.  The traditions parents start and foster throughout a child's life are the same traditions that keep them coming home. <i> </i>Everyone wants to hold on to the positive warm parts childhood.  <br />
795. <br />
796. It is part of our make up as humans.<br />
797. It is those traditions that create the foundation of a child's memory.<br />
798. It is those traditions that help to create the stability in a child's life that help him to feel safe and secure.<br />
799. <br />
800. So when I have a desire to create a tradition like making the lamb cake for my kids for Easter, it is not really about the cake.  It is about creating memories, traditions, and stability in my children's lives.<br />
801. <br />
802. I went out and bought my Wilton Stand-up Lamb Cake Pan at Joanne Fabrics.  I immediately called Lene for the perfect lamb cake recipe; of course, she had the perfect recipe - the 7-up pound cake. It is a 1950's classic pound cake that was known for its light and airy texture because of the soda. It gained popularity again as a bunt in the 1980s.  It has a lemony taste and the perfect texture needed to stand up to the cake pan.<br />
803. <br />
804. I was set; I had the idea, the pan, and the cake recipe. Then why was I so nervous about making a mistake and my cake flopping.  It was my first attempt at creating a tradition for Easter, and I didn't want it to flop.  Of course the only one who would know that it flopped would be me because the three year old and the two year old would have no idea what it was supposed to look like.  Plus, they are kids; they just get excited when they are about to eat cake -- any cake. I called Lene three times during the baking process.  <b><i>Call #1</i></b> What temperature do I bake it at -- your cake directions or the pan directions?  <b><i>Call #2</i></b> How do you tie the pan up? It only has one set of holes -- won't the cake be forced open on the other side?  <i><b>Call #3</b></i> The back of the lamb's head isn't round - it is flat -- what do I do? In the end, Lene said to follow the directions she gave me for the cake, tie the cake pan in three places to secure it, and it doesn't matter if the back of the lamb's head is flat. She calmed me down - as usual.<br />
805. Here is the recipe:<br />
806. <br />
807. <b>Lene's Sweet Little Lamb Cake / 7-up Cake Recipe</b><br />
808. <br />
809. <b>Ingredients:</b><br />
810. 3 sticks of room temperature butter<br />
811. 3 cups of sugar<br />
812. 5 eggs<br />
813. 3 cups of flour<br />
814. 2 Tablespoons lemon extract<br />
815. 3/4 cup of room temperature 7-up <br />
816. <br />
817. <b>Directions:</b><br />
818. <br />
819. <i><b>*mommy hint - you will have extra batter if you make the lamb cake.  So you can make cup cakes or another small loaf pan cake.  </b></i><br />
820. <br />
821. Use a standing mixer. Beat butter and sugar until creamy, about 20 minutes. Add each egg one at a time. Mix in flour and lemon extract.  Fold in by hand or on your slowest speed the 7-up.  Place cake in your well greased and floured pan (lamb pan if its Easter). Tie your lamb pan around the neck, body, and through the manufacturer's hole to secure pan from moving up during the baking process. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 50 - 55 minutes.  Check cake. If toothpick comes out clean (use the manufacturer's hole), take the back of lamb pan off and finish cooking for 5 - 10 minutes. Total cooking time should be about 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes.<br />
822. <br />
823. For taking lamb cake out of the pan follow the directions that are given to you when you buy the lamb pan.  Take cake out of oven. Let cool for 5 minutes. Put back of pan back on.  Flip the cake over so it is sitting on its back side and wait another 5 minutes.  Then take face of lamb pan off, and let it cool off for about 4 hours before completely taking it out of its pan and decorating it.<br />
824. <br />
825. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Well</b></span>, those are the directions to follow. Lene has been making this cake for years without as much as a hiccup, let alone something as tragic as the lamb being unable to stand (like the cake pan promises) or  I hate to say it, losing the sweet little lamb's head.  I cannot say the same thing for myself.  Time for me to be honest.  I called Lene during the baking process to make sure I didn't make any mistakes.  When the little lamb came out of the oven, I knew there was a problem.  It didn't rise as much as I thought it would.  Hence the base of the lamb was half as big and sturdy as it was meant to be.  But I pushed through and started to decorate my-flat-back-no-rise-lamb-cake.<br />
826. <br />
827. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJEY4AhewZewg4xA1fy0IhP21nj0gigGXuL2lrf00_vjXyh21Zjew-uqE79Ohyphenhypheng-89z1vRM7TX9WpkzsgPwmlSeOP912GQXdTvEmNauk1ogY3vZuZfFO4yHnrA33M35uHZqCHr6DE5icQ/s1600/P1010876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJEY4AhewZewg4xA1fy0IhP21nj0gigGXuL2lrf00_vjXyh21Zjew-uqE79Ohyphenhypheng-89z1vRM7TX9WpkzsgPwmlSeOP912GQXdTvEmNauk1ogY3vZuZfFO4yHnrA33M35uHZqCHr6DE5icQ/s320/P1010876.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Everything was going well; the sweet little lamb was turning out so cute. I finished; I was about to take a picture. Then it started to happen.  It fell on its very flat back.  I put it up.  It fell again.  I put it up.  It fell again.  I started to panic.  The kids and my husband came into the kitchen. I could feel the anxiety building in my chest. I yelled to my husband to help me; I said, "help its falling!" He said, "what's falling?"  I said, "are you kidding? The lamb -- can you not see it is falling on its back and its about to lose its head!"  He starts to panic because he doesn't want to see me so disappointed. He started to prop it up with some carrots from the frig.  He started to take a picture of the sweet little lamb before it lost its head --- I hate even typing that -- but it is true. It was about to lose its head!  There was panic and stress in the air.<br />
828. <br />
829. AND THEN IT HAPPENED.... Not what you are expecting.  It was my three year old son.  Above my husband and my stressed voices you could hear my son's sweet voice saying,"ooooh it's so cute.  Take a picture of me next to it. Take a picture Mommy."<br />
830. <br />
831. His sweet voice and request stopped me in my tracks.  It wasn't about the cake.  It was always about my kids and their memories. As far as he was concerned it was a perfect little lamb ready for a photo shoot.  He thought it was cute even with the carrots supporting it from behind.  In that moment, that is all that mattered to me.  I stopped running around trying to save the cake; I started taking pictures of my kids, Aidan and Zuzu, with the sweetest little lamb cake that was ever made.  Looking back at the situation now (with only 12 hours of hindsight), I already know that this unstable little lamb cake will probably always be my favorite cake because of the lesson my son taught me.<br />
832. <br />
833. Our kids see their world as wonderful; they see life as wonderful.  They are not looking for perfection. I am not sure when that changes, but I know it does. And that makes me sad.  But for now, I know I want to try to see life through my kids' eyes. I want to stop looking to be perfect and stop looking to fix things. I simply want to smile and appreciate everything and everyone around me.  And every once in awhile I'd like to stop and say," take a picture of me next to..."<br />
834. <br />
835. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEH6mfpCOWr3a1hVYydhZ3ohU9diSHyW1JZouTHSht-xxC5icjzno0AzQOzgdkg3InG0VkIE04-sq5LjUsKI4K_Pq5Oy6wV0nzI36u_HTLrmqmWj7egfZIqO1aMCi1drXKWoqHu1bOYsz/s1600/P1010872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEH6mfpCOWr3a1hVYydhZ3ohU9diSHyW1JZouTHSht-xxC5icjzno0AzQOzgdkg3InG0VkIE04-sq5LjUsKI4K_Pq5Oy6wV0nzI36u_HTLrmqmWj7egfZIqO1aMCi1drXKWoqHu1bOYsz/s320/P1010872.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
836. <br />
837.     <br />
838. <br />
839. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;It is all about the memories; it is not about the cake.&amp;nbsp; What was your &quot;lamb cake&quot; this Easter season?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/3215143727806461447/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/04/sweet-little-easter-lamb-cake.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/3215143727806461447'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/3215143727806461447'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2012/04/sweet-little-easter-lamb-cake.html' title='Sweet Little Easter Lamb Cake'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBEYpXF0ghn-kYwv8KaZoZdXZXt2HhePZWWFPv2EJGMHg60Fk7PqjaP2ORdSu9LGji1_3tjHYgsYlMjIVXMoB03ZJ9nmNLWmGzYjm1xvv9SLwbMmUBZG_uNxi0-y0i9tGauFYwjiw1WMC/s72-c/P1010920.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-5769426884693834736</id><published>2011-09-10T12:21:00.006-05:00</published><updated>2012-03-10T17:07:59.617-06:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="appetizer"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="butterfly cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="butterfly cookies"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="butterfly cupcakes"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="flower cookies"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="ladybug appetizers"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="liitle girl garden partys"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="strawberry lady bug"/><title type='text'>Butterfly Birthday Cake and Ladybug Appetizers and other Yummy Treats</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;My baby girl&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt; just turned one. Since she is too young to pick out her own theme for the party, I selected a garden theme.  Butterflies and ladybugs we the insects of the day.  I had fun researching cute bug ideas. I decided on two kids of ladybug cheese and crackers for appetizers. &lt;br /&gt;
840. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
841. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zNRhP6m9eOWp7TDTyrRZvNi41vvhWItvlMgSVFj5bDFLHvGVVR_-hW4EFmKRcxbpcjj7VSL9DCDS6BaMjgjL41VDBki2imZEk0Zn1b_NYB0v7H_qEFqmUrfH1GwOANnPZYphYDuLUV_W/s1600/IMG_2437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zNRhP6m9eOWp7TDTyrRZvNi41vvhWItvlMgSVFj5bDFLHvGVVR_-hW4EFmKRcxbpcjj7VSL9DCDS6BaMjgjL41VDBki2imZEk0Zn1b_NYB0v7H_qEFqmUrfH1GwOANnPZYphYDuLUV_W/s200/IMG_2437.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br />
842. This is a Ritz cracker with some garlic cream cheese spread I made.  But you could easily use a store bought spread.  Cherry tomatoes halved and then quartered (to make lady bug wings).  Use half of a black olive for the head and two small cuttings of chives for the antennas. Use gel food coloring to die a small amount of the cheese spread black.  Place black cheese spread into a sealed plastic baggie (making a pipping bag) and place tiny spots on the lady bug wings.  To die for cute. <br />
843. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7SAgEFdOqdY47L5Qzsh1buKzrJ8B2EbGmMmNxyMZ9vugzOfiOTaRY71aAoNeF0uvUeWOgLjioV0ic6zbeYaUWZe6pABlHTrWT5e2qDvO9ZFO5Zb3A9Ldrgl5mZl9j3l-Ml7UFBCgk_Qy6/s1600/IMG_2440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7SAgEFdOqdY47L5Qzsh1buKzrJ8B2EbGmMmNxyMZ9vugzOfiOTaRY71aAoNeF0uvUeWOgLjioV0ic6zbeYaUWZe6pABlHTrWT5e2qDvO9ZFO5Zb3A9Ldrgl5mZl9j3l-Ml7UFBCgk_Qy6/s200/IMG_2440.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
844. <br />
845. These were simple too.  Ritz crackers, a piece of pepperoni, a round piece of cheese cut in half, and half of a black olive for the head. Cutting the cheese was the hardest part.  I use Mini BabyBell cheese.  And I cut each wheel in thirds.<br />
846. <br />
847. <br />
848. <br />
849. <br />
850. <br />
851. <br />
852. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPtT8nK8KmZW_-GU_ctvkcCoWtHxLoi1M3Z3iuxdu2twlochR5Woqm5CWq8wIjNkahwbGHVyEj_BM-TQC-9Cthr5LnyF-PJCIwk7NZDLZvQcLyjpS4G1D3YOXt3zPgj7x7P2CFjrs0D_T/s1600/IMG_2425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPtT8nK8KmZW_-GU_ctvkcCoWtHxLoi1M3Z3iuxdu2twlochR5Woqm5CWq8wIjNkahwbGHVyEj_BM-TQC-9Cthr5LnyF-PJCIwk7NZDLZvQcLyjpS4G1D3YOXt3zPgj7x7P2CFjrs0D_T/s200/IMG_2425.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
853. <br />
854. This is the butterfly birthday cake I made.  The butterfly on top of the sheet cake is made out of a 9 inch round cake pan.  The butterflies body is made out of yellow M&Ms.  Licorice was perfect for the antennas.<br />
855. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnOzZ3tMe7CyuRnWI4BfD5LkUR7I_fmWXMqQVath7oD2kL9A-ejoeBaE9J3IcQ0BW-25eGMzp9qm1bHv0ekH1Xh0XPEE2giHlwGlDeIgagQWkRMRAGKoncyBsXVOkqbgN-wkYoTPKFzx_/s1600/IMG_2454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnOzZ3tMe7CyuRnWI4BfD5LkUR7I_fmWXMqQVath7oD2kL9A-ejoeBaE9J3IcQ0BW-25eGMzp9qm1bHv0ekH1Xh0XPEE2giHlwGlDeIgagQWkRMRAGKoncyBsXVOkqbgN-wkYoTPKFzx_/s320/IMG_2454.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
856. <br />
857. <br />
858. These butterfly cupcake were easy to make.  I used pretzels for wings,  an M&M for a head, black licorice for antennas, and the body was pipped in using pink frosting. A cute yummy treat.<br />
859. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FqMSiS1AqvC4OhPUp12DgXCa_67fUsdzrt9NNXGPsP4sytrcce-KhXHof_uLgrJji8-KAdlXO8ZG43uXYt4JW_cNp_92I7OdQfyHqpvUmKfpTTxoDDgQY4W0131WXa88m8lcdPq-HJBN/s1600/IMG_2433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" separator="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FqMSiS1AqvC4OhPUp12DgXCa_67fUsdzrt9NNXGPsP4sytrcce-KhXHof_uLgrJji8-KAdlXO8ZG43uXYt4JW_cNp_92I7OdQfyHqpvUmKfpTTxoDDgQY4W0131WXa88m8lcdPq-HJBN/" style="clear: both; text-align: center;" /><br />
860. </a></div><br />
861. <br />
862. <br />
863. This was her smash cake.  She didn't do much smashing.  She didn't like getting messy. But she loved eating it.<br />
864. <br />
865. <br />
866. <br />
867. <br />
868. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjl5kztszJMt9h1qcDozY9zFfRFacoPaRgVP0AMTmnfgrd_UxYddyW4M3VFJ2_wwxmoCbnzMCNm-Dx1Q8K3mF1tNWHxOKtSK4QAoyG4wlFVl47ohiEdK2rmNmY00THOZVMtn4_RHcyZJc/s1600/IMG_2427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjl5kztszJMt9h1qcDozY9zFfRFacoPaRgVP0AMTmnfgrd_UxYddyW4M3VFJ2_wwxmoCbnzMCNm-Dx1Q8K3mF1tNWHxOKtSK4QAoyG4wlFVl47ohiEdK2rmNmY00THOZVMtn4_RHcyZJc/s200/IMG_2427.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
869. Lastly, each guest was given two cookies to take home and eat --<br />
870. one butterfly and one flower.<br />
871. <br />
872. <br />
873. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;O&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;verall, it was a fun party to plan.&amp;nbsp; I know my daughter will not remember this party.&amp;nbsp; But that is besides the point.&amp;nbsp; It was a wonderful celebration of her fabulous first year of firsts. &amp;nbsp; I enjoy having my family and friends over and sharing with them the food I created in honor of my daughter. &amp;nbsp; It is one of the best ways I know how to show my love --- my love for the little girl I was honoring (my daughter) and the guests I invited.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/5769426884693834736/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2011/09/baby-girls-first-birthday.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/5769426884693834736'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/5769426884693834736'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2011/09/baby-girls-first-birthday.html' title='Butterfly Birthday Cake and Ladybug Appetizers and other Yummy Treats'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zNRhP6m9eOWp7TDTyrRZvNi41vvhWItvlMgSVFj5bDFLHvGVVR_-hW4EFmKRcxbpcjj7VSL9DCDS6BaMjgjL41VDBki2imZEk0Zn1b_NYB0v7H_qEFqmUrfH1GwOANnPZYphYDuLUV_W/s72-c/IMG_2437.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8982327713765908921.post-7619139258948806780</id><published>2011-02-27T08:28:00.002-06:00</published><updated>2012-03-10T17:04:57.075-06:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="dessert"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="desserts"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="family tradtions"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="monkey birthday cake"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="recipe"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="train birthday cake"/><title type='text'>Monkey Cake and Train Cake</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;I love the idea of making birthday cakes for my kids.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
874. As a mom, we all create traditions for our family.  Some of those traditions come from our childhood homes and the traditions that were started way before we had kids. And some traditions we develop on our own. It is traditions that create a sense of home and family and safety in our children's lives.  I don't think it matters what those traditions are, but I think it is essential that traditions exist.  It gives kids something to look forward to --- something to come home to when they are all grown.  One of my traditions is the birthday cake.<br />
875. <br />
876. Now, I know I have only had two birthday parties so far.  My son is 2 1/2, and my daughter is 8 months.  They both have summer birthdays.  So this summer I will be creating my son's 3rd cake and my daughter's first cake.  So I don't claim to have a lot of experience in this area, but I am excited about the concept of creating birthday cakes for my children.  My heart is definitely willing; even though my experience is saying buying cakes is much easier.<br />
877. <br />
878. My son's first birthday party had a monkey theme.  Here are the cakes. This cake hinged on my flimsy<br />
879. art skills.  I drew the monkey on the cake by pipping small stars. I based the monkey face on a small rug (I bought from Bed Bath and Beyond) in my son's bathroom bath. <br />
880. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGSWYm5hgmg66YBWrePgMFqEY-7tPAjdKnIV09NFUE6X90YlN-PVDN5DUIiGmC5tqIrJj69p978pTql-zeg9JEtjq1q8QcEYCY5Zq065HDgED9lPLEHTTdxMA3lc-MnHXWsRYMF-sJvPkg/s1600/IMG_1256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGSWYm5hgmg66YBWrePgMFqEY-7tPAjdKnIV09NFUE6X90YlN-PVDN5DUIiGmC5tqIrJj69p978pTql-zeg9JEtjq1q8QcEYCY5Zq065HDgED9lPLEHTTdxMA3lc-MnHXWsRYMF-sJvPkg/s320/IMG_1256.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
881. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeyzL6oxAHRLXFzQr84YPTkY4Uk1nIKH2aYns4jWUnEIw-3-AY9tGyRtCEcOpChlnYpI47r6hNC3c_iSf6IsDOHPVDEjgmhAPAnQCxQUYMEStTozSGWa8IxH4kWIw6uaPU5e4CJbykK8T/s1600/IMG_1257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeyzL6oxAHRLXFzQr84YPTkY4Uk1nIKH2aYns4jWUnEIw-3-AY9tGyRtCEcOpChlnYpI47r6hNC3c_iSf6IsDOHPVDEjgmhAPAnQCxQUYMEStTozSGWa8IxH4kWIw6uaPU5e4CJbykK8T/s320/IMG_1257.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
882. <br />
883. <br />
884. My son's 2nd birthday party had a train theme.  Here is that cake.  The train cake was tons of fun to make.  And Aidan, my son, loved eating it. I filled the train cars with pretzels (log car), M&Ms (because they are colorful and cute), animal crackers (zoo car), and crushed Oreos (coal car).<br />
885. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRdy9o_K1VZalqwrbYY2la6pKnsmq5ZZCj_JO0MdQo7xGIz4Hj4vvUTGkK_7S-OCm0XW5WUiMSLFvceH_t2tj0hfubTwc5ipfOO0y_z-hJXNrX4lpJL5jtJF_m-LVpaAwUG1M5ByKdtD0/s1600/IMG_0859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRdy9o_K1VZalqwrbYY2la6pKnsmq5ZZCj_JO0MdQo7xGIz4Hj4vvUTGkK_7S-OCm0XW5WUiMSLFvceH_t2tj0hfubTwc5ipfOO0y_z-hJXNrX4lpJL5jtJF_m-LVpaAwUG1M5ByKdtD0/s320/IMG_0859.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
886. <br />
887. I have not come up with the theme for his 3rd birthday yet -- or my daughter&#39;s theme for her first birthday. &lt;b&gt;Let me know if you have any ideas.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp; Remember I have very little artist ability, but I make up for the lack of ability with a wiliness to try anything.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/feeds/7619139258948806780/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2011/02/importance-of-traditions-in-our-family.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/7619139258948806780'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8982327713765908921/posts/default/7619139258948806780'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.mommyplustwo.com/2011/02/importance-of-traditions-in-our-family.html' title='Monkey Cake and Train Cake'/><author><name>Christine</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/16247980444535553110</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='28' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW9HOHwc1Kiliid-OkziAiy8dNk-lAu9K99ExfnoLPn0HbeIOEVblzx_i1A80L5fEPEUvGImJIptX8gZSvnlC2F1dTlA-goOX0NSYvlroNeucEO-Cz1VgueQZuduTHI/s220/portrait_BW.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGSWYm5hgmg66YBWrePgMFqEY-7tPAjdKnIV09NFUE6X90YlN-PVDN5DUIiGmC5tqIrJj69p978pTql-zeg9JEtjq1q8QcEYCY5Zq065HDgED9lPLEHTTdxMA3lc-MnHXWsRYMF-sJvPkg/s72-c/IMG_1256.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>

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