Cake Boss

A friend and I were asked to teach a class at church on using fondant (can you hear Buddy's voice). This is the cake we made for the occasion. We made the fondant from scratch with a recipe I hadn't tried before and it ROCKS! Perfect texture and pliability without being sticky and.....it tastes really good too! (a note to my sister-in-law Tanya: you have to try it! I promise it is better than the marshmallow recipe.) We made multiple batches of the fondant and messed one of them up thus it turned out more like gum paste. We decided to try it out but didn't really like the results, the cracking on some of the dark pink and green was the unfortunate result but being pressed for time we didn't have the opportunity to replace it. The tissue paper looks a little awkward in the photo but we fluffed it and tucked it and in the end it looked nice for the presentation.

Fondant

1 Tbs. gelatin

1/4 c cold water

1 Tbs almond extract

1/2 corn syrup

1 Tbs. glycerin*

2 lbs. powdered sugar

shortening 2 Tbs.

1. Sprinkle the gelatin into the cold water and let it soften for 2 minutes.

2. Heat for 30 seconds in microwave.

3. Add the almond extract, corn syrup, and glycerin. Stir until well blended.

4. Put 1 1/2 lbs. of powdered sugar into a large bowl.

5. Pour in liquid mixture and stir until smooth. Very smooth!

6. Powder your counter with some of remaining sugar. Pour mixture onto counter.

7. Keep hands well coated with shortening as you work with the dough! Knead in remaining powdered sugar until you reach the desired texture, not sticky. (I ended up using more sugar than called for.)

If not using immediately wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. Being that fondant is basically just sugar it will last for a while if stored properly. When you are ready to use it put it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to soften it up again.

*Glycerin can be found in the pharmacy and is not generally used for human consumption, however, it is safe to consume in small quantities and it is the secret ingredient that allows the fondant to maintain pliability. Wilton sells some specifically for this purpose and it can be found with their other cake decorating accessories at your local craft store. If your store doesn't carry it you can find it online at the Wilton website for a mere $1.99 -not a bad price for a super secret ingredient!

A few things I keep meaning to post....

I originally wrote this on March 26:

One night, a few weeks ago, we went out to dinner with some friends. They were driving so we got ready, put our coats on, and wait on the couch. Once they arrived we climbed in the backseat and drove to the restaurant. We waited for little while before our table was ready. We finally took our coats off once we sat down to the table, maybe 45 minutes to an hour after having donned them, and there hanging on the back of Chris's coat was a hanger. How he hadn't noticed it before I have no idea but there it was dangling from the back of his coat. We got a pretty good laugh out of that.

I cut everyone's hair last week and now Aubrey and Taylor have bangs! Aubrey's swoop to the side and Taylor's go straight across. They both look very cute. I resisted cutting bangs for lots of reasons but after they had tried doing it themselves I finally caved and did it for them. It's just hair and I should let them express their personality by allowing them to change their hairstyle if they want to, right!?

Aubrey has become obsessed with skinny jeans! and boys! Yikes!

Yesterday, as Talia played in the wet lawn with flip-flops on, she looked up at the overcast sky and asked me when the sun would come out. Today she ran to the window and upon seeing the snow (that we thought was gone for the season) covering everything in a blanket of white she exclaimed, with true surprise "It snowed? While it was dark out? It's like a miracle!!"

Not too long ago Talia was sitting on Chris's lap looking intently at his face she asked "Dad, why do you have feathers in your nose?" Time for a nose-hair trimmer.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Today I was treated to the classic Mother's Day tradition - breakfast in bed. Grilled veggie omelet, oatmeal, orange juice, and hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, all served on a silver platter by four beautiful singing little girls bearing gifts. Everything was perfect. But somehow by the end of the day I was cleaning up puke and caring for sick little girls while trying to get rid of a migraine and deal with my own upset stomach issues. My headache is now gone and the sick little girls are finally asleep. Sickness, this seems to be a Mother's Day theme for us. I am not complaining, these moments make each Mother's Day memorable - if life went smoothly, life would be boring - and I was reminded all day why I am important to my family and just how much they need me. I couldn't be more grateful to be a mom.
Happy Mother's Day!!!