venery

Next cake!

T's favorite movie of the past year was Cars, so I browsed Pinterest for ideas, as I knew that's what I wanted to do for his theme. I didn't want to make a car cake (I have the Wilton pan, thanks to a friend cleaning out her cupboards), as that one makes a lot of cake, so I tried to see what else was out there.

Then, while just scrolling through my feed, a John Deere cake popped up and a light bulb went off. The Frank scene turned into one of T's favorites, so I decided to adapt a farm scene, especially once I found a small sized toy that would fit on a 9" cake!

Because O requested chocolate, and P requested chocolate, I didn't let T have a choice* and went with yellow.

Then time to lay everything out and start piping wheat!

This cake was a complete surprise, so I was glad my SiL could take T for a while--I wanted a big reveal at dinner. And it worked! He said 'that's Frank!' in a Mater voice (sort of) and immediately wanted to take the toys off and play with them. We made him wait for us to do candles, though**.

Then we dove in. T only ate the jelly bean rocks, but for the rest of the week, he enjoyed a slice at breakfast every day!

This is pretty true to the colors.

*It would be chocolate.
**The singing freaked him out. As in, he left the room...

ninjutsu

Get ready for a cake barrage! Several birthdays in a row means several cakes to show you!

It was spring break for MN family, so they came down for part of the week and that happened to coincide with O's birthday. His request was a Kai cake (from Ninjago), so I did a little searching for ideas on Pinterest.

He also asked for chocolate.

I found one that I really liked and then set about planning how I would actually do it. I had hoped to find yellow sugar sheets, but the stores I had time to visit only had packs of colors, which I did not want to have sitting around. So I got white and color mist to be able to make the face!

Then a pile of red food coloring (which dried to the perfect red) and I started layering.

Adding folds of 'material' to the mask.

I decided to make the edges his 'hair' and this simplified the process (I could make it wavy instead of smooth). A quick circle of dots completed the whole thing. O got to watch me make his cake, as I assembled it on his actual birthday. By the end, he approved.

I sent most of the leftover home with them, as I had another cake to make in two days for T's birthday!

larruping

Birthday time again*!

We went for a similar theme again this year and kept things autumnal for activities and decorations. The cake, however, was all about the inside this year.

M came up to me in church about a month before her birthday and said she wanted a cookie dough cake. I said ok, I'll do some research**.

After I found a few ideas, I got together with her again to discuss details. She requested chocolate, chocolate, chocolate (surprise!). Then, after thinking a bit, she decided she actually would enjoy a little color, so we talked how to spruce up the design.

Per usual, I split things up a bit and baked the cakes first, as well as made the cookie dough filling a couple days beforehand. Then I had Sandra take T for a morning to so I could make all the frostings. Then I assembled and frosted the day before the party.

I was quite glad to have lots of time to get everything sorted out--I feel like I rushed her cake last year. This one turned out just like she requested:

Then it was the nerve-wracking drive to her house for the party!

Then because not everyone likes cookie dough (ahem, that would be me), I actually made a second cake. Turns out three of the party goers were glad of a second option. Also, it was really fun to do what I wanted with the design!

*Funny how that happens every year, right?
**Man, I love Pinterest. Yeah, it has flaws, but it is my kind of bookmarking system!

offbeat

I love it when food jumps out at me while reading a good book--I file that tidbit away immediately for a future Novel Food Event!

The book this round is Free to Fall, another dystopian teen novel, but this one has some elements that could be happening now (and, as you keep reading, you realize seeds are planted in the early 2010s... creepy!) and may give readers pause to focus so much on technology. Rory is an excellent student, so it's no surprise when she is accepted into Thedan Academy, an elite post high school program in Boston. Her life turns upside down, though, when she discovers her mother (who died giving birth) also went to this school, and left under mysterious circumstances. Rory is determined to uncover the truth, and along the way, uncovers a scandal so big, she isn't sure what to do with her new information.

One of the major plots of the book ties into the food I've chosen to feature. Lux is the thinking app and basically runs your life for you--she (or he, depending on how you set it up) lets you know how long it will take to get somewhere, the best way to spend your weekend and even what coffee order to place. Rory is in a coffee shop, ready to order her usual vanilla latte, when the barista insists she try something else. This turns into a strange friendship, but one that helps Rory break out of Lux's grasp. North, the barista, invites her to join him for lunch.

I was expecting a fast-food place, but Giovanni's was a sit-down restaurant with a handful of white-clothed tables. Giovanni himself was in the kitchen. He greeted North with a bear hug that left a tomato sauce stain on the back of North's T-shirt and quickly went to work on the sandwiches, which, North explained, weren't on the menu. (p 118-119)

He took a bite of his sub. Marinara sauce dribbled down his chin. I examined my own sandwich, wishing I had a knife and fork. 'Just go for it,' North said. 'There's no un-messy way to do it. But after your first taste, you won't care.' He was right. The ingredients by themselves were pretty unremarkable, but somehow together they became oh-my-gosh-you-have-to-try-this delicious.I wished for a second that Lux were running so I could mark this sandwich as my favorite. Then again, Giovanni's meatball sandwich, like North's matcha latte, weren't on anybody's menu, so its flavor profile couldn't be cross-referenced against my consumption history or added to my preference hierarchy. (p 122-123)

Now to track down a meatball sub to make.

I started with my Cook's Illustrated index and pulled out the spaghetti and meatballs recipe, planning to only make the meatball and sauce portion. Then I remembered watching The Barefoot Contessa make some fabulous bread for the garlic bread part and looked up her recipe. I was set!

Meatballs
2¼ c panko (6 oz)
1½ c buttermilk
3 eggs, beaten
2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground pork
6 oz prosciutto, chopped
3 oz Parmesan, grated (about 1½ c)
6 T parsley, minced
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1½ t powdered gelatin, dissolved in 3 T cold water
1½ t salt 
½ t pepper

1. Combine panko and buttermilk in a large bowl, stirring occasionally to form a paste (takes about 10 minutes). Spray two wire racks with oil and place in two foil-lined baking sheets and preheat the oven to 450ºF. 
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and use your hands to thoroughly (but gently) combine the mixture. Form 2 in round meatballs (about 2 oz each), placing each on the rack as you go. 
3. Roast until browned, about 30 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through.
4. Place sauce of choice in a large dutch oven and place browned meatballs in the sauce. Cover and let bake at 300ºF for an hour.

My notes: I halved the recipe and got 21 meatballs. I'm not including the sauce recipe because I recommend using your own favorite sauce, whether that comes from a jar or you make it yourself. This one wasn't 'saucy' enough for a sandwich, so I don't want you to be disappointed. I used french bread instead of ciabatta, as I knew I'd be making subs, and it worked just fine.

It was nice and messy to eat!

Book recommendation: Free to Fall by Lauren Miller
Recipe recommendation: Meatball subs
New product recommendation: LaCroix Curate

aftereffect

Part two of the seventh card swap! Here's what I got and how I used the elements:

From Lila:

I struggled with how to use these elements, as nothing I imagined executed properly. Finally, I pulled out my dies and decided to puzzle piece the honeycomb die with the two papers, using the flower and tulle as an accent piece.

From Mandi:

I'm not quite sure where I got the inspiration, but loved how the string looked as a circle, so I didn't even unwrap it to try different layouts. I couldn't get the quote box to fit, so it sadly didn't make it on the card.

From Kathy:

This card was the first one I designed--as soon as I opened the envelope, I knew I wanted to use this Tiddly Inks image. My printer, however, had other plans, so it was the last one I was able to complete. I couldn't get the string worked in, though I tried a couple of different ideas.