I don't live on Pinterest... but thankfully my kids don't care!

by RobinsFlight
The holidays around our house are interspersed with birthdays, which makes for some interesting compromises.  Gift lists must be rationed so that you don't run out of ideas before one occasion or another.  Christmas decorations must be put up only after a certain date so that the birthday before it doesn't get overlooked- and maybe more importantly so that the houseful of children at a birthday party don't knock over the Christmas tree.  And forget trying to burn off that Thanksgiving pumpkin pie before loading up on Christmas cookies, because there's birthday cake in there too.  And once those Christmas cookies are gone, look out... here comes another birthday cake.  The New Years resolution to lose those pounds become the Ides of March resolution, which just doesn't seem the same.

We tend to do birthday parties at home.  Not only does my bank account balk at spending hundreds of dollars on a party while I'm also trying to budget for Christmas presents, but there's something a bit more meaningful about having a handful of close friends over for some fun rather than a gaggle of classmates all running around someplace with barely enough time to scarf down some pizza and cake and tear the wrapping off a pile of presents, not knowing what's from whom.  A few years back I made the realization that it's easier to throw a party for boys than for girls.  Girls like crafts and activities and organized games.  Boys just want to play with the toys at someone else's house and dust out the back of the closets playing hide and seek.

This year the little boy (who consistently tells me that he's not little anymore) wanted a Lego party.  Fine, no problem- we have plenty of Legos, and it seems pretty easy to throw down a sheet, dump the Lego collection on the floor, and let them build and play to their hearts' content, or at least until their parents come to pick them up.  But it seems like there should be some way to make more of a theme to this party.  So I have the bright idea of a Lego cake.  Shouldn't be too hard, right?

I am a mom, a crafter, an Etsy seller- no stranger to the wonders of Google and Pinterest.  So Lego themed baking ideas were easy to find.  I even found some "easy" ones, which was a definite must.  I am particular when it comes to my crafting- mistakes in sewing and crochet get fixed immediately.  But when it comes to baking, not so much.  My recipes often are more like "a handful of this and a dash of that" rather than exact measurements.  When it comes to frosting a cake I go with the "decorative swirls" mostly because it kind of hides the visual imperfections that all of my cakes have- a professional cake decorator I am not.  Things taste good (well, usually... with the exception of my beet red velvet cake experiment... I'll tell you about that some other time) but they just don't generally look professionally decorated.

So I'm not quite sure what I was thinking when, in addition to a Lego cake and Lego ice cream sandwiches, I decided that Lego head marshmallow pops would be fun.  Looks easy, right?  It's just a marshmallow on a stick, coated in yellow tinted white chocolate with an M&M on top.  No problem.

The Marshmallow Blob

Thankfully, I didn't start them the morning of the party.

The problems started with the marshmallows.  I had a bag of marshmallows in the pantry left over from vacation last summer, I didn't need fresh ones, right?  Uh, wrong.  What I had in the pantry was one large hunk of marshmallow, the individual pieces having stuck together long ago, along with bits of sand from that beach bonfire where we last made s'mores.  Ok, so maybe I did need fresh ones.

At least the sticks weren't hard- they sell lollipop sticks pretty much anywhere nowadays thanks to the popularity of cake pops.  Great!  And fresh marshmallows go on the sticks without a problem.

Marshmallow on a Stick- that's the easy part

Now for the chocolate.  I put the white chocolate chips in a bowl, threw it in the microwave for a bit... and burnt my hand trying to pull it out of the microwave!  Oops- apparently I picked the cereal bowl that gets hot in the microwave!  Turns out, this was a good thing- the heat of the bowl kept my chocolate melted for longer, I think.  Didn't help me hold the bowl steady though.  I had to use a napkin to hold it while stirring 3 drops of yellow food coloring into the quarter cup of melted chocolate, and while coating the marshmallows.



 Ok, here we go... I tried dipping the marshmallow into the chocolate, but apparently the chocolate (or maybe just the bowl) was too hot.  The marshmallow just started melting into the chocolate.  *sigh*

Spreading the Chocolate

Round 2.  Marshmallow on stick, dip into cooled chocolate.  Nope.  This time the marshmallow just spun on the stick, came loose, and fell into the bowl!  Ok, so maybe this dipping thing isn't going to work.

Round 3.  Marshmallow on stick, spread chocolate on with a knife.  Well, this is a bit trickier to get smooth, but do-able.  At least the marshmallow stayed on the stick, and the chocolate stayed on the marshmallow.  With a little work I got the chocolate fairly smooth, and stuck a yellow M&M on the top.  Forget covering the M&M with chocolate- it's already yellow.  Looking good now though, I've got it figured out, it'll be smooth sailing from here on.

Oops- now what do I do to keep the thing upright while it's drying?  I wandered around the kitchen for a bit, looking for a crevice to wedge it into.  I finally decided on an empty egg carton (thankfully, I had had eggs for breakfast), turned upside down, with small slits cut in the bumps where the eggs had sat.  Not the most stable thing, and I had to be careful that the pops didn't fall into each other, but it was better than wandering around the kitchen with a yellow marshmallow on a stick in my hands waiting for it to cool.

Hairball Marshmallow

 Alright, one down, and I know what I'm doing, right?  Another marshmallow on a stick, spread the chocolate... except in my search for a stand the chocolate had cooled down too much.  This pop looked more like something the cat coughed up (never mind that we don't have a cat).  Hmmm, not attractive.

Round 4.  Heat up chocolate again- but not too much, so the marshmallow doesn't melt.  Spread, smooth.  Oh, good.  Maybe I am getting the hang of this.  After a few tries, I figured out that it was easiest to cover the top and bottom, then spread and smooth the sides.  And to reheat the chocolate for only about 10 seconds after coating 2 pops.

Ooh, this one looks pretty good!

Practice does make perfect, or at least better.  I ended up with 12 pops, none of which are perfect but only 2 of which look pretty horrible.  And somehow I doubt the kids will mind the imperfections- after all, what kid ever argued about eating chocolate covered marshmallows?  But remind me next time to stop with the cake and ice cream.  Sometimes that "little extra" is more work than it's worth.  But then, maybe my little boy is worth the extra work.  Regardless, it's obvious I don't live on Pinterest.  But I'm ok with that- there are more important things in life than an impeccable marshmallow pop.


This holiday season, may you enjoy the important things in life!

Robin

Finished Pops

Carrot Cake Recipe

by RobinsFlight

I have a confession to make: I love carrot cake.  I've even been known to eat it for breakfast.  Actually, what I think I really love is the cream cheese frosting it generally comes with.  But cream cheese frosting tastes best on carrot cake...though a good red velvet cake might come in a close second.  And apparently I've stumbled onto the best carrot cake recipe around, or so I'm told.  I've even converted carrot cake haters into aficionados with one bite.  Now this cake is the favorite in our house- even beating out the ever popular marble cake with chocolate frosting.  I'm not sure where the recipe came from.  I think it started out from one of those popular cookbooks like Betty Crocker or Better Homes and Gardens, and then I tweaked it a bit here and there.  Feel free to do some tweaking of your own, and let me know if you find an improvement!


Carrot Cake

1 c. white (granulated) sugar
1 c. light brown sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. nutmeg
1 lb. bag carrots, peeled and finely shredded
1 c. finely chopped nuts

Note: I use my food processor to quickly chop the nuts, then switch to the shredder and shred the carrot in the same bowl.  It saves a lot of time, compared to hand grating, and you don't get orange hands either!






Preheat oven to 350*F.  Grease 9"x13"x2" pan, grease and flour two 8" round cake tins, or grease or line 18 muffin tins. 
In a large bowl, mix sugars, oil, and eggs.  Beat by hand one minute. 
Stir in other ingredients, except carrots and nuts, until moistened, beat one minute by hand.  (No need for that upper arm workout after this step!) 
Stir in carrots and nuts until well mixed. 
Bake 40-44 min. (9x13 pan), 45-50 min. (rounds) or 25-30 min. (cupcakes) until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool 10 minutes before removing from round pans, if necessary.  Allow to cool completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting (see below).  Enjoy!!


Cream cheese frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
4 c. powdered (confectioners) sugar

With an electric mixer, cream butter, cream cheese, milk and vanilla until smooth and fluffy.  Beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until spreadable.  If frosting is too soft, chill before frosting or add powdered sugar until desired stiffness.  Store in refrigerator.

NEVER LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH?

The subject of gift giving is on my mind at the moment because this week my family will be celebrating the birthdays of both my husband and mother. Over the years, I have found it increasingly difficult to come up with brilliant gift ideas. (Not that I ever thought of any brilliant ideas, though one has hopes). Luckily, my husband and mother accept presents graciously and never make me feel inadequate in that department.

I remember the first time I bought, unassisted, a birthday present for my mom. I must have been around 9, and overheard her offhandedly mention we needed new salt and pepper shakers. Gathering up my cache of allowance money, I hurried to the nearest mini-mall gift shop. After examining the prices, I purchased a set of salt and pepper shakers made of textured glass, with silver metal tops. Quite proud of myself, I scampered home. I had not thought to buy a gift box, so handed my mother the brown paper bag that contained her present. She opened the bag, and expressed her delight at what I realize now were some pretty ugly S & P shakers. Her considerate response created a gratifying moment I will never forget.

The outcome of gift giving or receiving is not always what one hopes. It is interesting to note the varying responses people have when they receive a present they do not want or cannot use. Generally, individuals fall into one of two categories; those who accept the spirit of the gift and say nothing, or those who are more practical and tell the gift-giver the truth. Except in cases involving children, I believe there are good arguements for both responses, as long as the intention is not mean-spirited.

I recall one Christmas when my late mother-in-law gave my husband and me some sort of bubble generating device one could put in a bathtub, which would supposedly simulate the effects of being in a Jacuzzi. What she failed to consider was that our bathtub measured 23" X 54", less than 2 feet wide and 6 feet long. My husband is over 6' tall and could not fully stretch out in that tub. Plus the device itself was not small. My MIL was very proud at her inventiveness in choosing a present that would truly be a surprise, so we accepted the gift with enthusiasm. The bubble device sat in our garage for several years before we admitted to ourselves we would never use it, and donated it to a charity organization. My late MIL did not have a lot of money, and we still feel bad that some was wasted. Would it have been better to tell her the truth, return the item, and get something we actually would have used?

One could be safe and only purchase gift cards as presents. I have a couple of those, which were given to me a few years ago. Now where did I put them?