I am no Betty Crocker.
My role model in the kitchen growing up was my mom. She was a great cook - but not a baker. In our house, Christmas baking was green and red jello. No lie.
So, when the kids became toddlers I decided to take the bull by the horn...or, well, the cake pan by the spatula. I have been improving and now we have baking Thursdays. Usually the boys and I make cookies or muffins. It is great fun and they now do most of the work in terms of pouring and stirring. This is great since it teaches them new skills and allows me a scape goat if our project is a flop!
December is the universal baking month. Many of my friends actually start earlier than December and turn out dozens and dozens of cookies.
I have no time for that! I have birthday parties galore to prepare for and even Betty Crocker knows cakes are more challenging then cookies - heck, cakes are about 100 times larger, of course they are more difficult and puny little cookies!
So, now that my December baking is completed, I wanted to brag a bit and show off my baking and culinary skills!
1) Birthday Meal like no other!
We kept with our annual tradition and made our now famous meatloaf cakes for the boys' birthday party! Here are the two finished meatloaf cakes...yep, they are meatloaf, iced in mashed potato!!! I use food colouring on a bit of the mashed potato to decorate the cakes. When you cut into the cakes they look like real cake since each layer is iced with mashed potatoes!
We kept with our annual tradition and made our now famous meatloaf cakes for the boys' birthday party! Here are the two finished meatloaf cakes...yep, they are meatloaf, iced in mashed potato!!! I use food colouring on a bit of the mashed potato to decorate the cakes. When you cut into the cakes they look like real cake since each layer is iced with mashed potatoes!
2) Birthday cakes for real!
This year the cakes turned out great, if I do say so myself! DJ had requested orange icing and chocolate cake and Anderson wanted a chocolate cake and blue icing. I think I nailed both! No cake pan molds were used...all my own work...as if you could not tell!
This year the cakes turned out great, if I do say so myself! DJ had requested orange icing and chocolate cake and Anderson wanted a chocolate cake and blue icing. I think I nailed both! No cake pan molds were used...all my own work...as if you could not tell!
3) Christmas Open House Cake
This evening we are having a bunch of friends over for a Christmas gathering. I attempted to be cute and artsy with my baking. I used a ring cake pan to make a Christmas wreath...I hope people can figure that out!!!
Oh...and we also made chocolate cookies this morning...Betty Crocker - eat my dust!
11 comments:
very Martha in a good sort of way!
You've inspired me to get baking!
WOW. Color me IMPRESSED my friend. I would say your degrees better than old Martha! Those are awesome.
I'm impressed. You undoubtedly have a lot of birthdays in December and I thought I had it rough with one!
I love your meatloaf...that is too, too cool.
The cakes look good, too.
Yum.
Heidi
Wow Laura - those look great. How do you find the time? You're my hero!
Ug. Haven't gotten around to baking yet. There's a part of me that wants to have my kids help...but then there's the part of me that thinks I must be crazy. I have ten days to decide!!
Okay, the cakes look GREAT! You've turned into a pro!
Wow, that's a lot of baking. I'm no cook AND no baker. I end up buying all our cakes and cookies every year!
I have just started baking with my son, and it is a lovely time together. But nothing we make looks that good!
these all look TERRIFIC!
excellent baker, you!
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