When Kids say They're Bad...They're Bad!

Through my obsession with cooking shows I've learned one thing, you always try your dish before you serve it to the judges. Or as a baker, you always test a recipe before you make it for someone. As a teacher I have a great group of guinea pigs who are more than willing to try anything I make.

When I found a Cookies and Cream Cupcake recipe I thought there was no way it would not be delicious. So for Valentine's Day I made my homeroom students some treats, and luckily there were a few left over, so I had to try one. As I ate it I thought, "This is bad!" (But of course I continued to eat the whole thing, just what I needed calories and carbs from something that didn't even taste good) It was dry, hard, and just plain yucky! The kids confirmed my thoughts yesterday, kids are honest and they had no problem telling me they didn't like them.

Oh well. You bake and learn. At least they were beautiful!!!!

Me Eat Cookie!

Hands down my favorite Sesame Street character was Cookie Monster, most likely because he reminds me so much of myself. So when Geoff's co-worker wanted a Cookie Monster cake I was more than happy to give it a try!

The cake making included a few disasters. First of all, the birthday boy has an egg allergy so it was my first attempt at an egg free cake. It went alright, but I had no way to judge if it tasted good...I'm not sure what egg free baked goods are supposed to taste like. Then my habit of multi-tasking got the best of me when I was on using FaceTime on my phone while cleaning up the kitchen after a night of baking and the cookie monster portion of the cake went right into a sink full of dish water.

It all worked out great. The Birthday Boy loved his cake. I re-did cookie monster using nothing other than a cookie. And most importantly, I had a blast going back to my childhood looking up sesame street pictures online...because after all, I bake because I love it!

Cakes for a Cause

Last fall I was approached by a family friend and asked if I would be interested in donating my services to the Nativity of Our Lord School auction. It was an easy decision...a reason to make more cakes and also a way to help out...I was more than happy to say yes.

Cakes for a Year was auctioned off in early November and since then I have had the opportunity to make three cakes for a wonderful local family. I look forward each month to stopping at their house to drop off the requested cake. This month's cake is a birthday cake for the man of the house. I hope he enjoys it and I hope the family enjoys their remaining 9 months of cake eating as much as I enjoy making them.