2016: year of cakes!

Undated: 6/5/2016

It seems I've been making cakes all the time lately.

It's been kinda fun to be creative that way :)

Balancing my little guys with baking at home has been challenging (especially when the little guy tries to lick the icing bowl), but it has been fun for the most part. 

Making cakes has kind of become my creative outlet. There is an emotional attachment with every cake. A story that needs to be told. A process to every layer. The joy from making someone's day. 

And of course the delight of eating your "masterpiece", lol :)

 

Leah's bday cake. 

Chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream  icing. 

Jacaui's bday cake.

Gluten free/grain free cake with buttercream icing. 

Epp's baby shower cake.

Strawberry cake with vanilla icing and buttercream icing. 

Grandpa Glen's bday cake.

Chocolate cake with chocolate icing. 

"Florida Orange" cake, that we donated to a funraiser. 

Orange-sickle cake with orange flavored buttercream icing. 

My lovely Lea's 21st bday cake.

Strawberry cake with buttercream icing. 

My Ian's 5th bday cake.

Yellow cake with buttercream icing covered in marshmallow fondant, with candy legos as accessories. 

My hubby Will's 30th bday cake. 

Yellow cake with buttercream icing. 

Ashley's baby shower cake.

Yellow cake with buttercream icing. Fondant turtle on top.

Greg's bday cake.

Cookies N Cream cake.

Christi's bday cake.

Gluten free /grain free cake with dark chocolate drizzled on top.

 

Isaiah's bday cake.
Yellow cake with homemade buttercream icing. 

 

 

 

My grandbaby Zane's first bday cake =)
Yellow cake with homemade buttercream icing. Covered and decorated with homemade marshmallow fondant. 

 

Sneaky Broccoli Alfredo

 

So my little guys don't enjoy veggies (big surprise I know).

So I decided to try out the tried and sometimes true method of sneaking them in. In this case it worked. Yay!

 

 



Here is the quick and easy way I managed this oh so hard meal (note the sarcasm).

 

What you need:

 

And a blender of some kind.

 

 

While water is heating up to cook pasta, I like to put my broccoli in the microwave in my veggie steamer (but steaming on stove works too).

 

I gather a mixing bowl, whisk, alfredo sauce, sour cream, and any other spices I feel like using.

 

Then I break up the mini dispute the boys have invariably started.

 

Take steamed broccoli and puree smooth.

 

Combine: broccoli, alfredo sauce, sour cream, and spices. Whisk smooth. If needed add some milk to thin out.

 

Add to pasta. And test out on the critics.

 

 

 

And it's a hit! They don't suspect a thing.

Whoohoo!!!

 

Hopefully there will be more sneaky food items to come  =)

 

 

*Side note: We do try to have boys eat veggies on their own, without tricking them. This is to make up for the times when they won't eat them.

Comfort Food: Banana Pancakes

Sometimes, you just want to have breakfast for dinner.

And when that happen, at our house, pancakes are the way to go!

 

Whether it's regular banana pancakes or gluten free (or even no flour),

we've got you covered!

 

 

I am what you would call a "wing it and see what happens" cook.

Why not "spice" up your cooking?

And when it comes to pancakes, this is definitely true.

I am always adding new things and seeing what works.

But what I would consider a regular around my house, is banana pancakes!

 

Usually for my little guys and hubby, I make regular pancakes using a

just add water pancake mix to start with. And for me I use a gluten free baking mix.

Then the fun starts!

 

What you will need:

-Pancake mix, just add water kind (4 serv.)

-A ripe banana

-sugar (to taste)

-vanilla extract (1 tsp.)

-water (pour to desired consistency)

-mixing bowl

-whisk

-a small measuring spoon (to scoop onto griddle)

-griddle (mine was set to 300)



What you will need:

-Gluten free all purpose baking mix (1 serv.)

-A ripe banana

-1 egg

-sugar (to taste)

-vanilla extract (1 tsp.)

-baking soda (1 tsp.)

-water (pour to desired consistency)

-mixing bowl

-whisk

-a small measuring spoon (to scoop onto griddle)

-griddle (mine was set to 300)

 

And for my friends who can't have any type of grain (gluten free included):

 

What you will need:

-A ripe banana (or 2 depending on how much you need)

-1 egg

-sugar (to taste)

-vanilla extract (1 tsp.)

-water (pour to desired consistency)

-mixing bowl

-whisk

-a small measuring spoon (to scoop onto griddle)

-griddle (mine was set to 300)

 

For this post I made regular banana pancakes for the boys for dinner.

I like to "wing it" when I make pancakes. I pour the mix in a bowl until it looks good.

Add a ripe banana. Add some sugar (I did learn that the mix to sugar ratio does need to be: more mix to less sugar. Or you will make cookies instead. Maybe we will make some Banana cookies some time. Yum). Add vanilla extract. With whisk, gently mash banana. Add a little water at a time, and slowly whisk together until you reach your desired consistency.

 

Since this is comfort food night, I was a bit unhealthy and used butter on the griddle.

You don't usually have to with griddles (they are supposed to be non-stick). It makes it tastier though.

 =)

 

To Do:

-let griddle heat up for a bit

-use little measuring scoop to pour batter onto buttered (or unbuttered) griddle.

-wait to flip until the pancake starts to "bubble up"

-after flipping, wait a minute, then take off

 

 



Now to have them critiqued.

 

 

 

Yay, it was a success!

 

*posts about making pancakes are intended to be silly. hey, everyone has an off night and needs an easy meal, and an easy post  =)