Red Cake meets Whoopie Pies

In my family, red cake (more specifically the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe of the 1970's - Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Cake) is a tradition.  It's delicious, yes, but for us it's all about the memories.  You had to beg (BEG!) for one for your birthday, but I'm pretty sure my grandma just liked to see us squirm.  She enjoyed eating it as much as the rest of us, but it is a PITA to make (for those of you abbreviationally challenged, that's Pain In The A$$).  You aren't truly a member of the family if your mixer isn't covered in blood-red stains from creating this beloved concoction.

However.  My Grams would have LOVED the idea of using a boxed cake mix for this.  Truly, she was all about shortcuts.  The problem is, it's the icing that makes the cake and, well, that's the tricky part.  It's not hard, per se, but it's...tricky.  So, because I wanted me some red cake but didn't want the hassle of having my kitchen look like a butcher shop, I bought the mix.  And then I got to looking at the box and lo and behold, there was an epiphany waiting to happen!  There was a photo of "red velvet sandwich cookies" - which is to say they looked like red velvet whoopie pies.  (If you don't know what whoopie pies are, I kinda pity you.  Google it.  You can thank me later.)  But wait!  What if I made the red cake part and then!  AND THEN!  Filled it with the Red Cake ICING!! 

Oh, yes.  I did:

 (Uncle Mark, stop licking the screen now...)

Luckily, my parents were here on Sunday to taste-test.  Lemme tell ya, I really had to twist their arms! ;)  I had to laugh while we were, uh, sampling them because I was just licking the icing off from the outside of mine when I looked at my parents and they were BOTH doing the same dang thing!  It really is the best part.  Good news, family!  I'm going to make these for Christmas and tint the icing green!  Whoopie!

And, because this just makes me smile every time I see it and also because - after starting to run again after OVER A MONTH of injury - it's exactly how I felt:

PS - Even with the box mix, my kitchen still looked like a butcher shop.  Also, I adjusted the recipe per the reviews and added an extra egg and 2 TBSP vegetable oil.  They came out delish but flat.

A Milestone and Elderberry Pie

Last night - for the first time in almost 9 and a half years - there was no one officially sleeping in our nursery. :(  We moved Little One into Baby Girl's room (now officially called "The Girls' Room") and she slept in there.  We will move up to a big girl bed - right now it's a crib mattress on the floor (a smart move considering I went in last night to check on her and her head was hanging over the edge).  The idea is that she will stay in her OWN bed all night.  On paper, it seemed like a good idea.  In reality?  Notsomuch.  She seems to think that she can't get out on her own still, so when she wakes up, instead of coming into our room like her siblings (who STILL do it), she sat up and screamed for me.  Good thing her sister can sleep through a freight train!

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We have a bumper crop of elderberries growing in our yard this year.  I've been watching and waiting for them to get ripe for what seems like FOREVER and yesterday - when the birds were attacking the bushes - I knew it was time.  Perfect timing, too, because my parents come over on most Sundays and I knew if I made elderberry pie at least I would have someone to share it with.  It's really all about memories.  My Grams used to make pie with elderberries every year - I think it was one of her favorites.  I love pie.  Of ANY kind. 

Baby Girl and Grandma picked the berries off of the bushes (you cut the whole stem) and brought them to me. Youngest Boy, Baby Girl and I picked them off of the stems and into the bowl (4 cups?  That's a whole lotta berries, yinz guys!).  It took more than a hour for that whole process.  I had already made the crust so it didn't take long to get the pie in the oven and, even though we had to eat it when it was probably a tad too warm, it was worth the effort and stained fingers (and front porch).

For your baking pleasure:

Flaky Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening - CHILLED
1/2 cup butter - no substitutes (TRUST ME) - cold
up to 6 TBSP ice water

Using a food processor, combine flour, salt, shortening and butter.  Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Drizzle in ice water, a tablespoon at a time, JUST until dough comes together.  Divide in half and wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours) before rolling out between two pieces of waxed paper.  Makes 2 9" crusts.

I used this Elderberry Pie recipe (I ended up adding a bit more cornstarch). (I also forgot the lemon juice)

Snow = Cinnamon Rolls

I woke up yesterday morning to a winter wonderland of snow. It wasn't a lot, per se, but it was enough for a school cancellation. I don't understand it, but there's a need inside of me to bake something warm, gooey and yummy when the weather is none of those things (Can weather be gooey?).

I wanted my mom's cinnamon rolls. Turns out, I don't have her recipe. I used this one. They fit the bill but they just weren't quite the same. I iced them (really, what's the point of a cinnamon roll WITHOUT icing?) and they were ready to serve when the older 3 and I came in from shoveling the drive. OK. I shoveled. They pelted each other with snowballs played nicely and made lovely snow angels.

The big problem with this scenario is that I was the only one eating the gooey deliciousness that was my baking chore for the morning. {SIGH} Good thing I shoveled. Oh, and I ran for the whole 2 miles this morning. GO ME!

Lesson learned: Ask mom for her recipe. NOW!

Wedding Traditions

I've been a little lax in blogging this week (although I am still haunting all of my regular grounds) and there's a good reason. I mentioned before that my brother, E, is getting married. The wedding is this Sunday, which means there's a lot of last minute things to attend to: I need new shoes (per my husband's suggestion, I might add), Baby Girl needs a "pretty" to wear in her hair, the boys need a few sundries and such and then there's the cookies...

There's a tradition in our neck of the woods that I didn't realize wasn't universal until I attended a wedding in another part of the country. It's called "the cookie table". If you don't know what that is, you don't know what you're missing! It is hundreds upon hundreds of different cookies - around here they would call them "wedding cookies" - and it is a sight to behold! When you make a reservation for a hall, they will typically ask you if you want them to arrange the cookies for you - because it's expected. If you have a reception here and don't have a cookie table, well, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes!

The cookies are almost always homemade. For my wedding to Mr. MOTH, I made quite a few myself and froze them in the deep freezer. Naturally, for my brother's wedding I volunteered to do the same. Afterall, my buckeyes are requested on a regular basis! (Don't know what buckeyes are? You can use this recipe. It's close, but you have to be related by blood for me to give you Grandma A's recipe. Beanski, this is the recipe that I sent you. Guard it with your life!). Of course, all this means that I have spent a lot of time in the kitchen - baking and then hiding the cookies. I do have 4 kids. And one very persistent husband. Who, I'm pretty sure, married me for my cookies! ;)

After this weekend things should be back to their normal chaotic ways and I'll be able to update with photos from the actual wedding. In the meantime, here's a picture of our handsome boys! (Don't worry...shoes were on the list of "sundries and such")

Recipe links

I would be remiss if I didn't share some of my new favorite recipes. Seriously, folks, you gotta try these.

First up: Streusel Pumpkin Sweet Rolls. Oh my holy heck. Now, I may have a thing for pumpkin. And by "thing" I mean that I bake an entire (extra) pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving with the sole purpose of eating it all by myself. And that's when I'm NOT pregnant! But these rolls are fan-freakin'-tastic! Mom, I would put the glaze from your cinnamon rolls on these and then enter them in a contest. You'll win!

Next: French Bread Rolls to Die For. These are best when eaten the day of, but I think if you made them into mini french bread shapes you could easily use them for french bread pizza. The name says it all!

And last but not least: Chip Chicken Lollipops. I know from experience how hard it is to find something that every kid will eat that doesn't involve a trip through a drive-thru! These simple little bites fit the bill. I wouldn't necessarily call them "healthy" but they're baked (not fried) and they won't break the bank. I make ours from a single chicken breast and I get about 15-20 "pops". My kids prefer sour cream and onion chips. Oh, and this recipe is how I figured out that if I put it on a toothpick? Baby Girl will try darn near anything!

Happy Baking!

Holiday Madness and Memories

This year has been insane. I’m not even kidding when I say that at least one person has been sick every.single.day since the day after Thanksgiving. It’s CRAZY! Unfortunately, this is NOT the kind of Christmas Crazy that the Burgh Baby is talking about. I am so far behind in damn near everything it’s unreal. It is December 22nd at 4:36PM as I type this and not one stinkin’ gift is wrapped. NOT ONE! I just finished icing half of the sugar cookies (BTW, if you’ll be attending any Christmas event where you might have the opportunity to actually EAT one of my sugar cookies, be forewarned…Youngest Boy helped decorate. And he may or may not have licked the icing, sprinkles, or cookie itself. Just sayin’). I still have 2 other types of cookies that I'd like to make. Maybe.

I am trying desperately not to panic. And not to bite everyone’s head off. But I’d like to remind you that I’m also PREGNANT and therefore slightly hormonal (read: nuts). And I’ve been sick myself since last Monday. Disgustingly so. I just feel so…gross. Today I’m almost back to normal. My poor husband has taken to hiding in the basement (although he claims to LIKE working down there, but still). Ahh, memories.

And that brings me to the next portion…memories! What kind of memories would I like to create for my kids? Well, some of my fondest ones are of baking, so I’ve tried to involve them in that as much as possible. Tomorrow I will tackle the most difficult baking adventure that I dare to take on. The Red Cake. This may sound like your average every day cake, but besides being very tricky to master, it holds unbelievable memories for me and for the rest of my family (excluding my husband and children).

My Grams used to make this cake for special occasions. You could ask her to make it any time, but usually she only granted the request if it was your birthday. It’s a pain in the ass to make. But it is sooooo goooood. I’ve finally mastered the actual making of the cake (by making it once a year FOR MYSELF on MY birthday), so I decided to make it for Christmas Eve so that the rest of my extended family (her children and their spouses) could enjoy it as well. But, and here’s where I get daring, not only am I going to make the cake. I’m going to try making it a four-layer cake. That’s right folks. I bought a cake splitter and I’m going for broke. Lord help me.

Our Star of the Week

Oldest Boy's Kindergarten class does something that they call "Star of the Week". Each week, one special child gets to be the star. They get their picture on the bulletin board, along with their baby picture and pictures of their family. They get all sort of special treatment - like their own personal show-and-tell and lunch with the family member of their choosing - and they also "get to" bring in a treat for the entire class. This week is his turn.

What this means is that mommy now has to find an appropriate recipe that does not contain any nut residue. I have been panicking about this since the first day of school and I found out there were nut allergies in his class. This is truly serious business, I know. I immediately contacted my good friend whose twins have nut allergies and asked for HELP! She hooked me up somewhat, and apparently, as long as every ingredient is nut-free, I can make something from scratch. I'm planning to make sugar cookies in the shape of stars. I'm guessing they leave out the "nut-factor" of the person doing the baking...

Regardless, the timing of his being "Star of the Week" really couldn't have been better. It means he'll get to be the center of attention all week at school and hopefully won't balk this weekend when his brother is the center of attention at home. Youngest Boy's birthday (and, this year, his party) fall on Sunday. Normally, each child gets their party day and then on their calendar birthday they get special attention from us at home. I make their favorite meal and a special cake of their choosing. This year, Youngest Boy's is all wrapped up into one glorious day! He wants all things dinosaur, so I'm trying to comply. I'm going to give all of the meal components a pre-historic name and we've gotten enough dinosaur decorations that he should be pleased. I'm having a little trouble coming up with "dinosaur" ice cream, but I'll think of something:).

Cake Balls

My parents come to visit the kids every Sunday. I use this time (free babysitting!) to do one of two things: Nothing or Everything. When the kids have been sick or teething, I do nothing. If everyone is relatively healthy and I've gotten the prescribed amount of sleep, I do Everything. Yesterday, I did Everything.

I like to cook, so I usually try something a little bit more elaborate when my parents are here. It's just easier when there are a couple of extra pairs of hands and eyes to help keep the munchkins safe and out of my hair. Yesterday I made my now-famous lasagna, fresh-baked Italian bread from scratch (although I cheat and use the bread machine for the dough), and an absolutely wonderful little confection called Cake Balls. I know, who names something that tastes so wonderful something so goofy? I can't say the name without snickering. Yep, I'm sooo mature. Anyhow, these things are absolutely sinful. They are super easy to make, although they do take some time, but they may be my new favorite thing. You basically bake a cake-mix cake, mix the finished cake with a can of icing, roll them into balls and dip them in chocolate. YUUUUMMMMYYYYY! The number of combinations are infinite. Here's the recipe. You gotta try it. REALLY. And then let me know how they worked and what your favorite was. I used yellow cake, milk chocolate icing and chocolate coating. Mr. MOTH says they tasted like a Ho-Ho! Delish! I can't WAIT to try other flavors! I'm such a dork.

On another note, the fever that Oldest Boy had and that I was blaming on his getting his 6-year molars, was for real. Youngest Boy has it now and I'm just waiting for a report from our playdate pal that her son has it, too. It's surely just a matter of time before Baby Girl gets it. Oldest Boy now has the sniffles, which concerns me because Youngest Boy was diagnosed with asthma last year (technically, the specialist calls it "virally-induced lower respiratory disease", which just means he only has asthma when he's got a cold). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he does not need breathing treatments and steroids because he hates it. With all of the pooping issues we've got going on right now, I don't think it would be fair to have to put him through breathing treatments every four hours as well. Here's hoping (and praying).

Cake Decorating 101

After I became The Mommy, something strange happened. No, I'm not talking about peeing when I sneeze. I discovered that I actually like to cook! I've always enjoyed baking (this is my form of stress release - if Mr. MOTH comes home and finds cookies, he almost immediately asks me what's wrong), but now I also like to cook! It used to be that I would just cook so that I could eat but it's more than that now. I think I've transferred my scientific abilities to the cooking realm. I take a recipe and slowly make it mine. I make notes about all of the variables that I change (being careful to never change more than one at time - in true scientific nature).

However, this means that, until I feel a recipe has been perfected, it's never the same twice. This drives some people nuts, but I like the variety. Sometimes it's better. Sometimes not. But overall, I don't really care much about the presentation of the food. If it tastes good, it's a winner. If it doesn't look good, well, that's OK. That being said, I tried to make my mom a "fancy" birthday cake yesterday. The boys love to help me with baking and decorating, so technically I could blame the finished product on them. It's supposed to be a sand castle. The fact that I have to tell you what it's supposed to be before you actually see the picture should tell you the outcome. Oldest Boy said, "It doesn't exactly look like the one in the magazine..." But it was delicious!


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Note to George Lucas: If you're looking for an actor to play a young Obi-Wan Kenobi, I've found your man...