And Now This One….

All cakes and pies are homemade by yours truly and I don’t do any fancy decorating. Just good cakes, pies, and cookies that are made with lots of love.

Did you know that when you rush to bake or cook when you are stressed your food has a higher chance of tasting nasty? The reason is the love is missing. At SweetieCakes, all items are always homemade , always with love.

I have my first client and two jobs from him! And, another job for July. I’m going to stick with it this time and I’m so excited. I’ll post picks of my work as I go along. Wish me luck love!

But I did decide to update you on some pics of my little person. She is growing!! This is from Easter Sunday.

I was googling and found a great article about this subject. One mother was busy working that the doctor’s office didn’t even know who she was when she came in for the child’s appointment. Wake up call! Another said that this is like materinity leave but different. Its a break from work but later in the child’s life. She goes on to say that as a newborn, she just sat and stared at her baby for 3 weeks. Now, that she’s at home and he’s 8, she’s able to interact and play. This mom said it feels like she’s getting to know her son because its different now than when he was a baby.  She is able to be at home at what she feels is a critical time and yet still keep your desire to go back to work.

The way I see it, a lay off is really a great way to reconnect with your family and yourself. You look at the things you used to do, what you want to do and how you want to make changes. It’s also a time to really refocus.

Romans 12:2 says “Be not conformed to this world..” and yet it is so easy to do so.

Yes, I’m in the house and have been for days minus very brief excursions.

Yes, the furthest I have been since Thursday is Costco which is all of 15 minutes away.

Yes, lunch at the Costco concession was the best ever after eating and cooking 3 meals a day at home for the past 5 days.

Yes, I have only been out of the house twice.

Yes, I have been doing some things that need to get done.

No, I am not bored. I have a two year old.

Yes, I will update my blog but only when I have something to update. I can sum up the past week with only this post.

Yes, it took a President from Chicago to come to DC for us to get this ridculous snow.

Yes, the snow storm has several names. My favs are Snowmageddon and Snowpocalypse

 And, no, the internet never gets boring.

Now that I found a cake, what kind of icing? I had a cream cheese bar to use, too, so I figured cream cheese frosting. I didn’t have a recipe so I scoured the net for one and came up with the one below. It is not too sweet and a great compliment. Overall the cake is really good and the Hubs told me that this is the best chocolate he has had so you know its a winner.

Black Magic Cake
Source: Hershey’s

It was fun to take a look back. Here are a few:

Mommy, Grandma and Me (I'm guessing 1997-1999)

Remember the Big Wheel?

High School Graduation Lunch, June 1994

North Carolina Barbecued Turkey Wings
The Washington Post, February 2007

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
•  6 (3/4 pound each) turkey wings with joint
• 5 tablespoons corn oil or canola oil
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, poultry seasoning and onion powder in a small bowl. Use your fingers to rub the mixture all over the turkey wings; cover and refrigerate overnight.When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Trim off and discard 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch of the pointed wing tip. Cut through the connecting skin between wing and joint for more even cooking. Spread the oil on a large rimmed baking sheet, and arrange the turkey wings in a single layer on top. Seal tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the foil carefully, to avoid being burned by steam, and pour the vinegar evenly over the wings, then sprinkle on the crushed red pepper flakes. Reseal with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and discard the foil; drain and discard the oil and accumulated drippings from the wings. Change the oven setting to broil. Return the wings to the oven and broil for 2 to 4 minutes, until they are slightly crisp.

Butternut Squash Ratatouille
Source: Chef Anne Rosenzwig
Makes: 10-12 servings

2 medium butternut squash, peeled, halved, fibers scooped out, cut into 3/4 -inch cubes
3 teaspoons canola oil
1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 -inch dice
1  cup leeks, cleaned and cut into 1/4 -inch dice
1 cup zucchini cut into 1/4 -inch dice
1 cup golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 -inch dice
1/2 cup shallots, chopped
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth (I used chicken)
2 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Place the squash in a roasting pan and toss with 2 teaspoons of the oil. Roast until just tender, tossing from time to time, about 25 minutes.

Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in a large, nonstick skillet. Add the roasted squash and the carrots and cook for 3 minutes. Add the leeks and cook for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini, apples, shallots and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the vegetable or chicken broth, salt and pepper simmer until the vegetables are tender but not too soft, about 15 minutes, Serve warm.