Musical Puppy!!

I have always known that my youngest daughter Chelsea was a music lover because she would do a sort of dance in my belly whenever she heard music! My ribs knew she loved music as well. Her love of music has only grown since then. She will literally stop whatever she is doing and dance along when she hears a song or beat she likes. She is equally enamored of dogs. Big or small ones, it doesn’t matter. She starts out with “Mommy, its a DOG!!!” then takes a mad dash to go pet said quadruped. Being the parent I am I tell her to wait and ask the owner if she can pet the animal first, but even the furry set can’t resist an enthusiastic blonde haired sweetie with an ear to ear grin that literally oozes with happiness just because that animal exists.

    

     So when it came time to plan for her second birthday party, the theme was a no brainer…music and puppies. So I got to work on cutting out music notes and paw prints that were going to hang down with the balloons. I found a picture of a cute dog that I blew up and printed out for a rousing game of Pin The Paw on the Puppy and hand stitched a paw for a puppy version of Hot Potato. Then I hit the dilemma of what kind of cake was I going to do. I didn’t want to buy a special shaped pan in the event that she outgrows the four legged obsession. So while surfing the internet one day I came upon another blog one day by Bonobo Cakes. On there was this adorable shaped dog cake that she had done for a client and I thought that it would be perfect for my little girl!

  

    

         

     So I started building “Beethoven”. His flavors resemble a Cherry Cola Soda float. His cake is Coca Cola cake with a Cream Cheese filling and a Chocolate Cherry Buttercream Icing. His white musical notes spots and eyes are Cherry Buttercream.

 

 

 

     To say that my daughter was excited is a vast understatement! She saw the cake when it was all finished she jumped up and down saying dog over and over again. She didn’t quite understand that she couldn’t pet this particular dog or give his a kiss on the nose, but she loved it none the less! In the end I have to say that I was happy that I found this puppy that day. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of making him and making my daughter happy on her birthday. 

      The day of her party, she giggled and danced in her seat when she finally got to kiss Beethoven on the nose!

Cheeseburger cake for my Hubby!

           No one can accuse my husband of being a herbivore! Whenever we go out to eat there are 3 possibilities on any menu that he considers….Something Parmesan, Something BBQ and Cheeseburgers. Most times he gets the cheeseburger with fries.
 

            One day while perusing Food Network Magazine I saw a picture of a cake for the Cheeseburger lovers out there and naturally I thought of my husband. I was going to make it for his birthday but as with most things when I see something new I just HAVE to try it out right then and there. I am an unabashed instant gratification kind of girl when it comes to certain things! Luckily we were invited to a friends house for a BBQ so I decided to make it for them.
 

             I adapted the design a bit to match what my husband (or most people) likes to get on his burgers and added “tomatoes” and “pickles”. I then made “ketchup” and “mustard” bottles for our friend’s two kids. The result of all my hard work was better than I thought it would be and it was a HUGE hit. I have a few ideas for the next one I make which will make it the “deluxe” version.

with tomato, pickles, lettuce, mustard and Ketchup

Happily Ever After 6/10/11

     This past June, I had the opportunity to make my own wedding cake.  When I first set out to design and make the cake I was slightly apprehensive. A wedding cake is a daunting undertaking for someone who has never done one before. So I gathered all my materials and made the royal icing for the scroll work. When I started baking the cake, my confidence kicked in and I thought “I can do this” with a mental dance in my head that resembled the dance Rocky did when he reached the top of the steps. Anyone who has ever planned a wedding, whether is a small family affair such as mine or if it’s the big traditional wedding, knows the amount of stress that over comes the bride the week of the event.  So the mental Rocky dance was my way of calming down so to speak. When the whole cake was done I actually did a Rocky like dance in my kitchen, which amused my daughters and my husband to no end! In the end it was a lovely wedding with close family and friends accompanied by  a very tasty white and dark chocolate cake with a lemon curd and raspberry filling. The wedding cake did not defeat me after all, only made me stronger and excited to be able to do another one someday!

 

Hello!!!

Hello to one and all!!

        For over a decade now, I have nursed a love of all things cooking and baking. I knew from a young age that the kitchen is where I am most happy (when I can't get to a beach that is)! During high school, I went to a vocational school part time to hone my skills in the culinary arts. My teachers there opened my eyes and turned what was then just a hobby into a lifelong passion. 

         

         Now that I’m a mom I can pass down the love of cooking and baking to my daughters. There’s a certain magic that lights in a child’s eyes when they discover their own special talents.

          Cooking, especially baking, is like molding clay. You get your hands in there and shape your medium into a work of art. Whether it’s the David or a layer cake that you’ve worked so long and hard on, the end result is the same. You see the smiles and hears the sighs emitted when your client takes that first bite. You know that look….the smile and closed eyes as they taste something so delicious that it won’t soon be forgotten. That’s that look that keeps me going and feeds my passion. I enjoy working with new materials and making things that are not as common but still feels like a “made like mom makes” kind of meal or dessert.
     

          So here is where I will end. I hope you all enjoy my blog and follow me in my travels! I raise a glass of my favorite vino and say thanks for joining me!

 

Amanda