Tomorrow is Thanksgiving

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And there is so much to be done!

For starters, there are cupcakes, Chex Mix, and a cake for Sunday.
But there's also a turkey to bake, pies to bake, potatoes to bake (and then mash), casseroles to bake, bread to bake...  You get the idea.

I'm in charge of desserts, though, so that's why I'm making cupcakes today.  And maybe some cookies, if there's time.  (Chocolate chip cookies, except we're out of chocolate chips.  Gee, I guess I'll just have to use the dark chocolate M&M's...)  I can't remember if Dad bought a pecan pie or not at Kroger today, but I sure hope so.  I love pecan pie.

The Chex Mix, I am aware, is not a dessert, but it is a family staple, and as I wandered down the cereal aisle at Kroger for what seemed like the hundreth time, I saw the box of Rice Chex, the box of Wheat Chex, and the box of Corn Chex.  And I realized:  we have to have Chex Mix.  Normally my mom or aunt makes it, but I seem to recall that last year, either everyone forgot or they thought someone else was making it when in fact, no one was.  So I took it upon myself this year to make the Chex Mix.

And what about Sunday?  Sunday is the first day of Advent.  I know!  It snuck up on me too!  I had so much on my plate that I totally forgot that this is the last week of the liturgical calendar!  So, of course, as a tradition, I have to make a cake.  I already have a really good, tasty plan formulated, which I shall share in the near future.

As I am baking up a storm and trying not to make a mess in the kitchen, so that there's enough room to make a mess tomorrow, I shall leave you with this amazing video that I found on YouTube:

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  I just want to let you know that I am very thankful for all of you for your kind comments, suggestions, and ideas.  All the comments and e-mails I recieve from my wonderful blog readers means so much to me!  It's been a year since my first post (actually, I'm 2 days late), but it's been a great year and I look forward to many more!  I could not have done it without all of you: THANK YOU!




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Ni-Hao, Cake!

 

My baby brother is 5 years old!  Can you believe it?  The little guy is growing up!  In fact, we visited the Georgia Aquarium recently and I can remember when we went to the Tennessee Aquarium years ago when Adam was only 2.  He sat in a stroller and wasn't nearly as excited about seeing big fish or "Dory" fish like this time. He was still cute back then though!

If you are unfortunate enough not to have a little person in your home who does not watch Nick Jr., then you are probably wondering who the heck is on Adam's cake.  Meet Rintoo!  He is a fun-loving, albeit mischievous five-year-old tiger on Ni-Hao, Kai-Lan, the most adorable show on TV ever.  (To give you some quick background in your are unfamiliar with Kai-Lan and co.:  it's a show about a little bilingual Chinese girl who teaches kids how to speak Chinese-- like Dora the Exporer-- and also about the culture while teaching important lessons like sharing.)

Anyway, Adam asked me to "please make a Rintoo cake (!!!!!!)" so even though I had no idea how I was going to decorate this lemon cake 24 hours before it was completed, I knew Rintoo would be there.  (In fact, I didn't even know if he wanted a "circle" cake or a "rectangle" cake until I was about to pour the batter in because he kept changing his mind!)  But I found a cute image of the happy tiger and decided that he needed a speech bubble to wish Adam a happy birthday, and I used that to make a frozen buttercream transfer.  (I remembered to reverse the image!!)

The flowers and mushrooms make the cake look a little girly in my opinion, but I tried to make the cake themed around the show as much as possible.  The icing was thinned down to make the transfer, so the flowers are a little droopy.  Something else that I would've done differently:  the words are written with a #5 tip but I think a #3 would work out better.

Overall, I'm pleased with this cake, especially considering that I didn't start baking until 9pm the night before the party and that I decorated between coaching Adam's soccer team, working at the concession stand, and watching James' soccer game.  Saturday was very busy!  Adam was pleased with the cake too, I believe, even if he didn't actually eat any at the party (?).  James, however, had two slices (and remember, he's the one who claims not to like cake) and Mom liked it too.  Although, the cake was lemon flavor, so that might have something to do with it.  I thought it tasted alright (I used a Duncan Heines box mix with an extender).  But it looked cute!

I won't be posting for a while because Hillary's birthday cake is up next and she has requested that I keep her cake a complete secret until reveal time, including blog posts.  So I won't have any updates about that until the beginning of next week.  In the meantime, perhaps you could check out my Facebook, Flickr or Twitter.  See you next week! ;-)

Strawberry Cheesecake Predicament

Mother's Day is fast approaching, and like any good daughter who likes to make desserts, I am preparing to make a cheesecake in celebration of my mom (and my grandma, too, since we always go to her house and my dad makes omlettes for everyone!).

I have a couple obstacles to overcome (not to mention that I can't spell obstacles without a spell-checker):

1. I don't have a springform pan. (And who knew there would be so many different kinds, anyway?) And, although I'm not sure (never having made a cheesecake before), but I think that's important.
2. I don't know what recipe to use.

In answer to the second predicament, I have Googled "Strawberry Cheesecake Recipes," and this is what I've come up with thus forth,

• Easy Classic Strawberry Cheesecake
• Cheesecake Petit Fours with Creamy Strawberry Glaze (I wasn't actually planning on making this one, but it sounds interesting, so I'm saving it for later use)
• Individual No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake (No springform pan!)
• Sour Cream Cheesecake

That's all I've got so far. I love Alton Brown, and his sour cream cheesecake would be good with fresh berries on top... but that gosh darn pan... And I like Rachel Ray's individual cheesecakes, but they would be hard to take to my grandparent's house (maybe I'll make the cake in one large pie pan)...

Hmm, I guess I'll just have to think about it. Until then, enjoy for your viewing pleasure, the video that taught my 4 year old brother about "predicaments" :-) (Maybe it's not about cake, but it's still adorable!)

SUGAHH

I love this episode of Good Eats. Maj. Cookie is hilarious (although I must admit that his relative, Cookie Monster, is a pretty cool guy too).

Here are the recipes for cookies that Alton was making:

• The Puffy
• The Thin (my personal favorite, and milk's best friend- move over Oreos!)
• The Chewy
• The Chewy (gluten free)

From the episode Three Chips for Sister Marsha

This lady is amazing!

This lady has skill! And she has a nice Scottish accent too. =) I looked at her website, which only reaffirmed what I think about her skill level. When she makes a gum paste rose, she makes it look easy. As I watched the video, I though: I could do that! It looks much simpler than a buttercream or royal icing rose, which, although pretty, still look a bit sad when I make them.

(Ew, fuzzy picture, sorry!!)

I would love to get the gumpaste kit that Wilton makes. Michael's sells them for $20, but I have a 50% off coupon, dropping the price down to $10. If only I could get a ride out to the shopping center where Michael's is located, I'd be in business. Did I mention that my grandparents gave me gumpaste as part of my Christmas gifts? Probably not since I haven't posted since before Christmas. All I need now are the tools (and the practice!) and I can be a gumpaste flower queen! ...Or at least try to be one!