I seem to be on a recipe-following streak these days. New recipes, mostly, too. I'm pretty proud.
The most recent recipes were for Baby Girl's Happy Birthday cake. She's now two, so maybe not quite a baby anymore. She had some very specific ideas about what should be present at a birthday: cake, candles, balloons, hats, song. Anything else was just gravy, but those were repeated frequently. After the actual event, where the presents were all opened by an older cousin (four-ish) because my Girl didn't quite get the point, presents will always be a part of the list for future birthdays.
I wanted to make sure the cake was sufficiently cake-like that it wouldn't be confused for the favorite muffin, but not completely unhealthy for a very low-sugar-consuming small one. I decided on an applesauce spice cake with lemon cream cheese frosting. The recipes came from the classic Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook that was on my M-I-L's shelf when I went looking. I followed them ALMOST to the letter. I increased the apple sauce quantity a little and the lemon was an addition to the frosting, which also went short by about a cup and a half of sugar to keep it a little less cloying. It was a hit with both kids and adults, which was the goal.
I've recently followed a couple other recipes, but I can't quite think of what they were. I swear that I did it, though. Husband and I have both put on a little weight since the shorter days set in, preventing late evening exercise time. So I'm thinking that I might try to make super-healthy soups twice a week to provide some vegetable-rich, filling, but lower-cal dinners and leftover lunches for the winter. I happen to have six or seven quarts of home made stock in the freezer right now, so that will provide some good inspiration. I have plenty of soup-rich cookbooks, so more recipes will probably follow.
The most recent recipes were for Baby Girl's Happy Birthday cake. She's now two, so maybe not quite a baby anymore. She had some very specific ideas about what should be present at a birthday: cake, candles, balloons, hats, song. Anything else was just gravy, but those were repeated frequently. After the actual event, where the presents were all opened by an older cousin (four-ish) because my Girl didn't quite get the point, presents will always be a part of the list for future birthdays.
I wanted to make sure the cake was sufficiently cake-like that it wouldn't be confused for the favorite muffin, but not completely unhealthy for a very low-sugar-consuming small one. I decided on an applesauce spice cake with lemon cream cheese frosting. The recipes came from the classic Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook that was on my M-I-L's shelf when I went looking. I followed them ALMOST to the letter. I increased the apple sauce quantity a little and the lemon was an addition to the frosting, which also went short by about a cup and a half of sugar to keep it a little less cloying. It was a hit with both kids and adults, which was the goal.
I've recently followed a couple other recipes, but I can't quite think of what they were. I swear that I did it, though. Husband and I have both put on a little weight since the shorter days set in, preventing late evening exercise time. So I'm thinking that I might try to make super-healthy soups twice a week to provide some vegetable-rich, filling, but lower-cal dinners and leftover lunches for the winter. I happen to have six or seven quarts of home made stock in the freezer right now, so that will provide some good inspiration. I have plenty of soup-rich cookbooks, so more recipes will probably follow.
woo hoo! I always await recipes. I miss your photos, too.
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