Resurrection and Cake

Last night, I resurrected some posts that got jacked up in the Blogger whatever-that-was a couple of weeks ago. That was fun. I was already having issues without all the technical difficulties going on with the blog. Apparently my Backpost Series threw some added wrenches in the mix. Oh well, some good words were lost, but others have been found. It's all good.

In other news, both my kids had birthdays in the last couple of weeks. I bought a cake for one and made a cake for the other. Funny how having a birthday on the weekend changes things, huh?

I'm trying not to beat myself up about the whole bought a cake thing. I work full time and have a very full life. Of course I'm going to have a hard time baking a cake during the week. I baked cupcakes for daycare, but pulling together a cake on top of that just ended up being too much for me. I'm not afraid to say and write for the world to see (haha) that I'm not superwoman. I can't do it all. So the boy got ice cream cake and chocolate chip cupcakes for daycare.

He's 3. It's cake. He was happy so I am, too. My husband thinks I beat myself up about this stuff too much. I think he's right.

My daughter's cake was a bit different since her birthday fell on the weekend. I had time to make up a cake without having to pull an all nighter. She wanted strawberries and oreo cookies, so I produced this:

Along with the ones on the outside, I added strawberries and oreos to the inside of the cake, too.

I was delicious (if I do say so myself!). We all had a hard time stopping at one piece.

And the best part about the whole thing is that it was super easy to make. I used a box of vanilla cake mix and made it up as directed. Before adding it to the pan, I mixed in 1 cup of oreo cookies and about a half cup of strawberries (it could have used more, I think). After that, I poured the batter into the pans and sprinkled more oreos on top.

The pink frosting I used was Pillsbury Strawberry flavored frosting. It had too much artificial strawberry flavoring in it for me, but the kids loved it. Definitely going to make that one again.

And, since I mentioned the cupcakes, here they are:

The other kids at daycare think I make the best cupcakes on the planet. We should totally make more desserts for kids. They totally appreciate it and will show you by making a big fuss about when they can have more. It's a good feeling. :)

What have you been making lately?

Insomniatic Jam

It was a productive bout with insomnia about a week ago. Not so much tonight. Oh well, I'll just eat the jam instead of make it this time. :)

Strawberry Freezer Jam made at 1:00 am

It's tradition! May wouldn't be May without freezer jam.

Brownie Pecan Pie

I wish I could take credit for this brilliant idea, but I saw it on TV one late, insomniatically charged night. Some chef was helping this woman with 1600 kids make a homemade dinner and this was their dessert. It looked so easy that I had to try it.

Here's how I made it:

Ingredients

• Box of brownie mix
• oil, water, eggs as directed on the box of brownie mix
• 1/2 cup more water
• Pecans
• Pie crust

Directions

Combine brownie mix, oil, and water (all of it!) in a bowl and pour into the prepared pie crust. Put the pecans on top and bake in the oven as directed on the brownie mix box, but add about 10-15 extra minutes. It maybe more or less depending on your area so keep an eye on it. When it starts to look like brownies do when they're done and/or a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean then you can take it out of the oven.

Play around with it. Let me know what you do. I think this would be good with some raspberries or maybe even some coconut  flavoring? Hmm....chocolate goes with so many things...

We Love it Outside

My family loves it outside so much that we took a trip to the river to cook some hotdogs and roast marshmallows. We explored and ate our first s'mores of the season. It was fantastic.

I love summer.

Backpost Series Post 3: April

Ah, April.

The beginning of melting snow and warm months. The sun feels really nice after the cold, dark winter. Also, the moose use our property less in the summer. Added bonus for me! :)

In the last installment of the Backpost Series, I'm sharing the month of April with you.

Check it out!