Great Things!

Indeed!

Mozart turned three this weekend and we had his Fire Truck party as requested.  We'd planned on having the party at home, per usual, but found out Home Depot hosts birthday party's a couple weeks ago, so I called 'em up to see if they were available when we wanted and the only thing we needed to do was pick the theme.

Seriously.  That's all we had to do.  I said fire trucks and she said, "Cool, would a Rescue Plane craft be ok?"  Uh, yeah! Cool!  I went back to Mozart and he then changed his theme to be "Rescue vehicles with fire trucks."    This was a good because, while I'm sure I could have fashioned a fire truck cake, I really didn't want to poison the children with a Red Dye #40 cake.  Mozart agreed to a "fire rescue scene" for his cake.  So I got to work.  I used the same recipe as his owl cake, which, admittedly takes a bit longer than your typical non-freezer affairs, but it was just so good that every time I made a cake TW would say, "Oh, yes, she's an excellent cook, but nothing will top the OWL CAKE."  So yeah.  Had to.  Not because it was asked of me, but because I gotta show what I got from time to time :D

So Thursday night I got to work.  Went shopping.  Spent entirely to much money.  Changed the landscape of the cake from round to square pans because they didn't sell the sizes I needed in round locally.  Went to a second store for food dye (I threw it all away last year because I was disgusted with the chemical dyes, but then I couldn't come up with viable options for real colors, so I caved). Baked three cakes and a batch of cupcakes.  Set them to the freezer. Made the frosting.  Made the daycare edition cupcakes for his party the next day:
 

And put the crumb coat on the main cake:


....before falling into bed.  I went to my job as any zombie does the next day and set to work when I got home.  First another batch of cream cheese frosting.  A double batch this time.  Made various colors. And set to the landscape:


I hadn't a plan for the burning building when I was in the baking process, so I ended up fashioning it out of graham crackers.  I did a second crumb coat for good measure, then applied the grass, and of course, the underground was made of Nutella.  Finally, I decorated the fire station, and put a crushed graham cracker and cocoa gravel down on the road before applying the rescue vehicles.  But all said and done, I'd say, a pretty fine Fire Rescue Scene cake:


The kids loved it (as did the adults)...


Oh.  And not so insignificantly, Home Depot does a BANG UP job on birthday parties!  This is what we were greeted with:

That's right, not only did they decorate and provide a craft, but they really went all out ~ that piece of art hanging over the chair there in front of the fire truck place mat, and under the suspended fire truck, was a hand-painted workman's apron for the little man.  Each kid got the choice of doing 1,2, or even 3 crafts (Pirate Ship, Race Car, or Trojan Horse Piggy Bank), and while they didn't actually have any Fire Rescue Plane kits left, they were able to give Mozart one that was already built.  So we did our crafts, and had a blast.  Mozart tested out the roadway for the ambulance:


And we served up the cake:


AND THEN the FIRE DEPARTMENT showed up!!!  Mozart gave all the firefighters hugs, and then got to explore the TWO trucks they brought, and THEN he, and the other kids, got to practice ACTUALLY USING the fire hose!!  It was a truly amazing day.


So all of that was Saturday.  We'd been telling Mozart for several weeks now that he needs to be potty trained when he turns three because he's not a baby anymore and that we're not going to buy any more diapers.  Despite all of that we were meeting a great deal of resistance to the whole potty training thing.

But you know what?

Sunday he got up and peed on his potty.  Put his undies on.  And stayed dry ALL DAY LONG!
Monday, he went to daycare in big boy pants, and stayed dry ALL DAY LONG! (he did wear a diaper for car transport)
Tuesday, he went to daycare in big boy pants, and stayed dry ALL DAY LONG! (without aforementioned diaper in the car)
And today he also stayed dry THE WHOLE TIME he was in big boy pants!  He did have a diaper towards the end of the day as he hadn't yet pooped (today was the 4th day), but then tonight, after MUCH ADO, he POOPED ON THE POTTY!

Yahooooo!  We are going to the pizza house tomorrow in celebration.

Back to reality...

Ah, vacation.  It is good.  Alas.  It is over.

Not sure I mentioned that we were going - it kinda snuck up on me, and then it was a whirlwind getting ready and we were off on our way.  We went to the Cape and it was awesome, awesome!  I might do another post with photos.  Ok, I will do another post with photos - I finally got that new SD card for my phone and I took many, many photos.  So, so wish I had a real camera, but I just know I'll be getting one for my birthday *hint*  *Hint*  *HINT*

We got back last Saturday evening and were immediately tossed back into reality.  Prancer's birthday (um, who gave that kid permission to turn 8?) was Sunday and we generally hold a party for him, so not wanting to fail on that count, we put our birthday hats on and pulled a party together.  I spoke with him the night before to see about what kind of cake he might like (should have done this weeks before, but everything seems to be very sneaky these days).  He said Neapolitan - to match his requested Neapolitan ice cream.  Ok - THAT, I can pull together in a heartbeat.  I did use a box mix and store-bought frosting, but I used some of my freezer jam and thickened it up for the filling.  I went to the store in the morning got the above-mentioned, hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, potato chips, candles, plates, napkins and balloons.  Came home and put the cake in, thickened the sauce, sliced tomatoes, onions, washed lettuce, made chip dip, and cut watermelon, and set up the backyard with balloons, streamers, presents and food ~ Thank GOODNESS for good weather!   TW ran to get a tablecloth that I'd forgotten and a couple extra chairs, made some punch, then set up the music. I stuck the cake in the freezer as TW went off getting Prancer and his dad, and Cake Master and Lashes showed up with more presents.

Prancer was ecstatic!  He climbed up on this little play structure we have and announced, several times, that this was the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!  Now, he says this every year, but it still feels good.   While I was disappointed that I didn't have the cake ready for his arrival, he was thrilled because that meant he was able to help put it together, "And sample everything along the way."

After we'd eaten, Prancer helped me place the candles and questioned whether they would stay lit. I said, that of course they would.  Hehe.  Of course they didn't, but he had a great time making a big show of pretending to blow the candles out, which was probably more fun.  And then FINALLY he got to eat the cake and ice cream properly, which, of course, meant that he could get to the business of his presents!  Ah, the bliss of an 8 year old.

Neapolitan Cake - vanilla cake, strawberry filling, and chocolate frosting.

Later that afternoon, I went over to my first Lia Sophia party - I won't go into the details, but let's just say that it was a bit more excitement than I thought I was getting into!  I did end up winning a lovely necklace, and ordered another for TW *SHHHHHH!* and then it was home to bed, and up for work.

But the excitement wasn't over because right after work we got to see Peanut!!  Her family comes out to visit the area quite often to see relatives and, thankfully, us and the foster parents of her brother as well.  We had such a wonderful time seeing her.  She is 9 now.  And if I can hardly believe that Prancer is 8, it is even harder to grasp that she is 9 and becoming quite a lovely young lady.  Once again she said that wants to come and live with us - that's always hard.  But now what I think she'd like is for all of the people to just live in one giant house.  Her parents really are doing an excellent job raising her up.

So after our visit with Peanut, then life really did get back to the normal work, food procurement, and food processing.  Tuesday we got milk from the farm.  Wednesday we got our fruit CSA.  Thursday we our veggie CSA.  Today, I made cantaloupe popsicles, apple sauce, and roasted beets.  I found a recipe for Moussaka that I think I'll try - sounds soooo good, and aside from the olive oil and spices can be entirely locally sourced!  Reality is pretty good sometimes, too.

Amazing.

 

We had Mozart's 2nd birthday party this morning.  It all kind of snuck up on us.  I mean, I knew his birthday was coming, but I think I was in denial.  And full force denial apparently, because while I had put some small ponderings into what I'd do for a cake, I wasn't really inspired.  He likes carrots, so I figured carrot cake.  He likes trains and tractors, and the train option seemed easier, so I figured I'd do that.

I bought the ingredients yesterday morning, but kept putting it off.  Finally at 7:45 pm, I could do so no longer.  The mixing went well, as did the baking.  So I thought.  I put the cakes in the freezer  for 45 minutes like I did with his cake last year because I was so impressed with how that came out and started the frosting.  Got into watching Rachel Maddow, and while the cakes were out of the freezer, I still hadn't arranged them or started with the decorating.  I was only going to set it up and do the crumb coat, so while it was nearing 11pm, I figured as I began to arrange the loaves in the shape of the train cars, that I'd still get to bed by 11:30. 

And then I cut one of the loaves in half.  And the middle ran out.  It was not just gooey on the inside, it was the same batter that I mixed in the bowl.  I followed the recipe exactly, but I forgot the very crucial step of sticking the cakes with a toothpick to ensure doneness.  Fool. 

(You'll notice that I am not including this recipe for your enjoyment - it is clearly way off.)

In a panic, I posted on Facebook for advice and then immediately did as much online cake rescuing research as I could.  My advice, from who else but Cake Master, and from Dr. Google coincided.  I cranked up the heat 25 degrees higher than the recipe called for and put it in for 15 minute and then checked it, and put it back in for two more rounds of 10 minutes.  That's 35 minutes extra baking.  The original recipe called for 30 minute!  *le sigh* 

So it was midnight before I set the cakes to cool  for the night.  No crumb coat - they were still steaming.  So instead of having the regular birthday spiel with a decorated cake to present, we had a let's-decorate-this-train-cake party. I do not have photos of the decoration process, but it was a great collaboration.  While Cake Master and I frosted the cars, the Wife ran out to get some last minute things. *

The boys helped pick the colors, sample the decorations, and add cargo to the cars.  It was a big hit.  Mozart was beside himself with excitement over the whole thing.  I mean he was excited when the nekkid undecorated cake came out, but when the colors, WHEELS, and cargo got added, WHOA!!

So all in all, even though we were rather ill prepared - especially if comparing to last year - and even though we completely forgot candles (Grammie ran out to get those), it all turned out amazingly well.  We all enjoyed ourselves and most importantly, Mozart had a blast.   And, I've got a head start on next week's party when we invite Prancer and Goose over!  

* Post note.  You will notice a decidedly "Thomas the Tank Engine" theme here.  Neither the Wife nor I like to support licensed characters in general, but Mozart simply adores Thomas - which he pronounces Tomas - and this morning when I was pondering what he should wear, he had an opinion.  No, he had an obsession, to wear his Thomas pajamas.  I could not talk him out of it.  Nor could I even talk him out of putting a shirt on under or a sweatshirt over the t-shirt of the jammies.  So as Thomas paper-ware was readily available, and she knew it would make him happy (Understatement. Clearly.), she caved. 

Look WHOOO's One!

Giving a HOOT at the Boy's 1st Birthday!

Cupcakes sent to daycare...

Alright, so here we go.  The Boy's 1st Birthday was a while back and I really must say that I outdid myself. His actual birthday was on a Thursday, which means that he went to daycare that day (note to self: always take child's birthday off, you deserve it like mad, and you'll miss him all day long).  So, as any good Mama does, I made cupcakes the night before.  Banana with cream cheese frosting.  And they got excellent reviews.

While I was making those banana cupcakes, I got to thinking about the cake for his party. We'd already decided on an Owl theme, and had ordered the entire get-up, pinata and T-shirt included, for the event, so I wanted to make it a masterpiece.

I quite enjoyed the cupcakes, but looked up banana cakes just to be sure...

I found the Best Ever Banana Cake recipe, and I was sold.  Off I went, collecting lemon juice and buttermilk, which I don't usually put in my banana breads (I simply used a banana bread recipe for that first batch of cupcakes), and cleared space in the freezer so the process of sealing in the moisture would not come up against any complications.  In case the link doesn't work, here is the recipe from Rhonda *J* at Food.com:

Ingredients: (Serves: 16 Yield: 1 9x13 pan)  (I tripled both the cake and frosting recipes).

1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe 

2 teaspoons lemon juice 

3 cups flour 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

3/4 cup butter, softened 

2 1/8 cups sugar 

3 large eggs 

2 teaspoons vanilla 

1 1/2 cups buttermilk 

Frosting 

1/2 cup butter, softened 

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

3 1/2 cups icing sugar 

Garnish chopped walnuts (mmmm, nope)

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 275°.  (Yes, it seems low, but it really did work)

2. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan. (Or 3, if you're me)

3. In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside. 

4. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. 

5. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.
6. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.
7. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. 

8. Stir in banana mixture. 

9. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

10. Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist. (I questioned this step, especially when it came time to making room in the freezer, but now I truly credit it for the delightful-ness that was the finished product).

11. For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. 

12. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. 

13. Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth. 

14. Spread on cooled cake.

15. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired (I did not desire).

I did as instructed.  And although it was well into the night by the time the cake came out of the freezer, I still had to devise a pattern.  During the freezing process, I did many a Google search (and this is where I first learned of the glory that is Pinerest) to find all sorts of Owl Cake Designs.  None of them were exactly what I wanted though, so I just improvised.  With the first two round cakes I made the body and the head.  I used the pieces from the wing shaping and where the neck might be to form the ear tufts and the feet and then used the third cake to build up the wings and the belly for more definition (I used some of that cream cheese frosting to stick the layers together) before giving the whole thing a crumb coat:

Two cakes, and you start to see the owl.

Add 3rd cake for definition, then crumb coat

The crumb coat may seem like an extra step, but really, it is very important (I learned this from my sister-in-law, who baked our wedding cake with divine perfection) as it lends the ability of actually manipulating the frosting to do what you want it to, rather than getting all full of crumbs and having the cake fall apart before your eyes.

Now the real fun began.  This was the next day, of course, as I had long since crashed (I started the baking Thursday night, the party was Saturday).  So, Friday morning, I had the wife go out and buy up the entire stock of Nutella.  That's right.  Nutella.  See, I thought, why should I try to mix the perfect blend of brown for the owl feathers, when I can have Nutella at the ready? It is already just the color I want, and what goes better with banana than Nutella? Um, nothin'.

So I set out, armed with cream cheese frosting, Nutella, food coloring (for beak, eyes, feet and leaves), and pretzels (a respectable bird needs something to stand on).  I studied photos of real owls and owl cakes alike.  And finally, again in the wee hours of the morning, I did it:

                                            

Ah, but I was not finished.  This was, after all, the Boy's 1st Birthday Party.  And no 1st Birthday Party is complete without a personal cake that can be devoured by the guest of honor.  With my triple-recipe action, I made a tiny heart-shaped cake and also a half-dozen cupcakes (again), so that I could make that personal cake for the Boy and have some leftover treats for us.  But then I thought better and decided to send his little friends off with their own cupcake owl as a favor.

The party favors.

Pint-sized cake.

And after that I was utterly exhausted.  Completely wiped out.  So I put them all to rest for the night.
                                          

Everybody get some sleep now, big day tomorrow...

Next day, the test came.  If the Boy likes it I am happy.  If the guests like it, I am thrilled.


He was excited...













And, I guess he liked it!!

                                  

And for the record, the guests liked it too :D