Happy Birthday, Clay!

On August 14, 1958, a bouncing baby boy entered the world, and likely cried, “Mother!  Where’s my coffee?”

Okay, I jest but only a bit.  That is actually what his Grandfather Sparks said every morning to his Grandmother Sparks when he woke up.  She would dutifully hop out of bed and go get it for him.  Every morning.  No matter what.

Occasionally, Clay tries that with me (only in fun, though), to which I reply, “Out in the kitchen, so go get it yourself.”

Then I paddle off and go make him coffee.

Especially today; it’s his birthday.  Or, I would, but he’s still in Georgia.

Clay, because it’s your birthday, I’ll send you a cup of coffee.

Cricut Coffee cup

Thankfully, he was home last week, so we celebrated then with chocolate cake and a game of Shanghai Rummy. Clay had the highest score, so we declared him the official winner, despite the fact that Daniel actually had the lowest score.  Daniel always seems to win our card games; think I best check up his sleeve next time.

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Still, I wanted to do something special for Clay today; for without that fateful day in 1958, I’d never have found my one, true love.

So, Clay, this is for you:

Today is your birthday.

Cricut Crocs Rule Tub

Do something fun for yourself.

Cricut Crocs Rule Ship

Take a grand adventure.

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Spend time with those you love (or can at least tolerate).

?Cricut Crocs Rule Girl

Enjoy a delicious meal.

Cricut Crocs Rule Float

Take time to relax.

And while your years (and gray hair) may say “55,”

Cricut Crocs Rule Drive

You’re still driving in the fast lane, Baby!

?Cricut Crocs Rule Hatch

Here’s hoping it’s your best year ever!

(I must confess that these panels are from a larger card/book Clay actually received in 2011; however, I know he won’t mind my sharing it with you, and the original text was different. It was created using the Cricut Crocs Rule cartridge, and made a wonderful backdrop for the card.  You can see the original card, in its entirety, along with the original text here, August 2011 Monthly Challenge: Create a Scene. The coffee cup card was created using the Cricut Winter Frolic cartridge.)

Have a wonderful birthday, Clay!

IMG_1691

 

Love,

Shari

Red Velvet Cake Recipe

The Great Cake Bake – Day 1: Red Velvet

In every cook’s/baker’s life, a little disaster must fall from time to time. Mine was right in the beginning, when I found the small bowl for my ancient Oster mixer (which I love and still use regularly) had been broken. Thankfully, I rarely use it, so moving on.

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When it came time to decide what type of cake we’d have for the wedding, Red Velvet Cake was an obvious choice since the primary color for the wedding is red.

Besides, is there anything more luscious than a moist, tender cake with a hint of chocolate?

Yes, there is, actually! A RED luscious, moist, tender cake with a hint of chocolate.

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Please pardon my drool.

I had never made a red velvet cake from scratch before, and if I’m being totally honest, I’ve made very few from scratch. Before we began eating healthier, I’d just use a box mix and doctor it up.  Everyone always raved about my chocolate cake, and I just failed to mention it wasn’t some secret recipe; just a box, with a few secret ingredients.

I would need something special, interesting, and unique, so I scoured the Internet and old cookbooks. I lucked out and found one at www.divascancook.com, where you will be able to see the original recipe.  It sounded amazing, even with a cup of coffee, and amazing is what I’m looking for in a wedding cake.

The first time I made it, I found it too oily. In all fairness, I am not sure if it was the recipe or if I simply zoned out and measured it wrong. I removed 2 tablespoons from the original recipe and tried again. Voila! What came out was a perfectly delectable, moist, tender cake.  However, I don’t think it was the recipe; it was likely me being too loosey-goosey with the measurements.

In the first round, I also found that despite the oily feel, the cake stuck to the pan. I used parchment paper in the bottom of the cake pans the second time, which resolved the problem.

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Overall, this cake is incredible on all counts: texture, eye appeal, moisture, tenderness and, most importantly, taste. Your mouth waters as the whole house begins to fill with the smell of this cake. It even brought the guys out of their rooms to see what was baking.

Right out of the gate, we have a winner!  The other recipes had better be pretty amazing to even come close to measuring up to this one.

Red Velvet Wedding Cake
from www.divascancook.com

IMG_1719Ingredients:

    • 2 cups water
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (*see note below)
    • 2 cups sugar
    • 1 cup vegetable oil (I used 1-3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons)
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 cup buttermilk (**see note below)
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
    • 1/2 cup of prepared plain hot coffee (NOT optional!)

*I used regular cocoa powder in the initial baking.  When I added it to the mix, it clumped.  When I did the second baking, I sifted the cocoa before adding it to the mixture, which resolved the problem.  I also used a dark cocoa in the second baking, and the cake was still wonderful, although I thought it somewhat lost its reddish color and looked more like chocolate cake with a hint of red.

**When I decided to bake all these cakes, I ran out and bought a gallon of whole milk (organic, of course) and gobs of eggs. Then, I read the directions.  So me.  Every single one of these layer cakes calls for buttermilk! So, I put 1 Tbls. of lemon juice into the 1-cup measuring device. The whole milk was added to create 1 cup. Once you’ve added the lemon juice, let it stand 10 minutes; the milk will begin to curdle and you’ll have buttermilk. I recommend using buttermilk for the richness and flavor you don’t get with a substitute, but this will work in a pinch (or in the case of over abundance of milk).

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 325 degrees.

2. Grease and flour cake pans. I used 2 8-inch pans.  Line with a greased sheet of parchment paper.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt.  Set aside. IMG_1728

4. In a large bowl, combine sugar and oil. IMG_17295. Add the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and red food coloring to the sugar/oil mixture and stir to combine. IMG_1731IMG_1737

6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients a little at a time, stirring just until mixed between additions. IMG_1738

7. Stir in the coffee and white vinegar. IMG_17398. Pour the batter evenly into the cake pans.

9. Bake 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not over bake! The cake will continue to cook as it cools.

10. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to help loosen the sides; invert pan onto a cooling rack.

11. Let cakes cool.

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Or, you can do what the boys and I do, and just eat it warm, without any icing.? It is that good.

What happens to the cake next? You’ll have to wait to see!

Love,

Shari

The Great Cake Bake

What in the world is the Great Cake Bake?

It’s the selecting, mixing, baking, tasting and judging of an assortment of cakes for the wedding in January.  This is not a lesson on how to decorate a wedding cake, but that may indeed be another topic, another day.

It might also be just an excuse to eat too much fat and sugar, but I’ll never tell.

And, it’s another item off my to-do list, which, I admit, is shamelessly missing check marks. No sense in bothering with those strict timelines most weddings require, because let’s face it, I’m more of a “fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants” kind of gal.  After all, the wedding isn’t until January and it’s only August.

However, priorities and details must be made. Cake is a detail that is a high priority.

Most of my friends and family know I’m an amateur (barely) cake decorator, so they expect a cake. But, not just any cake. No, that simply won’t do.

Isn’t there some rule that a bride should never bake her own wedding cake?  Rules, schmules.

However, in the off chance the wives of old were correct, perhaps I should not tempt fate (again).  Besides, as the bride, I’ll be too busy doing other “bridely” things to bake and decorate a cake, right?

Deb and I spent our time together last month playing with fondant. I hear she’s been practicing and has some goodies to share next week when we get together again.  (Yes, additional sweets is what we need next week!)

This way, Deb will be able to take care of the cake, and the whole “curse of the bride” thing will be averted.  Phew! That was close.

It’s a good thing we are taste testing this month since we are not meeting next month. I believe we’re going to be at Pat’s to do flowers and decorations in October, and who knows where we’ll be in November and December.

So, if my calculations are correct, we will have only 3 working days in October, 2-1/2 days in November and December, giving us a grand total of ‘8 days to prepare for the wedding!

WHAT???? That cant be! I’m not ready!

I need a list.

So, join me for the next week or so as I bake the cakes, and see which one is the big winner.

Checklist, please!

Love,

Shari

 

Great Cake Bake - Jen's fingerprint?

 

 

P. S. Hey, is that Jennifer?s fingerprint on that piece of cake?

Congratulations Clay!

I received an email from Jennifer, gently reminding me that I had not posted pictures or any congratulatory words regarding Clay’s recent graduation from law school, let alone that he actually earned TWO degrees in the span of the typical three years of law school. Clay Diploma

I smiled to myself as I thought about writing something and posting photos. You’d 1) need to know that Clay turns 55 in a couple of weeks, and 2) he began taking the bar exam this morning, and 3) well, you’d just need to know Clay. The man never stops.

 

While most people in their 50’s are seriously putting their thoughts into retirement, Clay began law school, thus fulfilling a lifelong dream of being a “lawyer.” 100_0494

As I pondered that thought, I realized that there are some life rules that Clay would want to share with our children and grandchildren (from my keyboard to God’s ears that they’d even figure out what girls are first).

 

Life Rule #1: It ain’t over until you’re dead.

 

Every single day you wake up on this side of the grass is a blessing, a gift. Don’t waste any of them.  It is never too late to do anything your heart desires.  You’ve heard it a million times in your life, but it’s true; try not to wait until your in your 50?s to start living.

 

Life Rule #2: Your words have power; choose them wisely.

 

One day, in response to something Clay asked (and who knows what that was), I told him that if there was anything that disappointed me about him, it was that he never went to law school.

 

Apparently, he took those words to heart.

 

He said he wanted to pursue whatever steps it took to use his C.P.A. certification to practice in tax court.

 

Again, me and my big mouth: “Why not just go to law school?”

 

Life Rule #3:  Be careful what you wish/ask for because you just might get it.

 

See last sentence in Life Rule #2.  Nuff said.

 

Life Rule #4: There will always be setbacks and obstacles in any endeavor; meet them head on and don’t back down.

 

Shortly after the required testing for attending law school, our first obstacle came along: I fell quite ill, and no one could figure out what was wrong with me. As the months passed, we continued to make plans for him to attend law school in San Antonio, but when we still didn’t know what was wrong, he offered to pass on law school.

 

Absolutely not!  End of discussion.

 

Life Rule #5:  Failure is not a crime, unless you give into it.

 

If you get up every single day, you will fail. It’s a fact. Get used to it. It’s not that you fail, but what you do with the failure that will define your life.

 

Clay’s first semester was not at all what he hoped it would be, and I think he may have considered quitting.? Thankfully, quitting is not in his vocabulary.  (After all, he didn’t give up on our getting back together, and that took 25 years!)  He stuck with it and things went much smoother after that semester.

 

Life Rule #6: Alter your plans if necessary.

 

Clay was already on the fast track to finish a semester ahead of everyone else in his class (no surprise there), but decided that he’d also like to earn an additional degree, the L.L.M., which is the law degree equivalent of a Master’s degree.  This would require that he move to Georgia for a year, complete the final 7 hours of law school, plus take an additional 12 hours for the first semester.

 

Oh, and also continue to run his C.P.A. firm.

 

I admit this was not one bandwagon I jumped on right away, but in the end, I supported his decision and he moved to Georgia.

 

I won’t even go into what a fiasco the moved turned out to be, but Clay turned the experience into another law degree, so it ended well.

 

Life Rule #7:  Take time to celebrate your accomplishments with those who supported you and love you.

 

Sadly, Clay was unable to attend his J.D. graduation in San Antonio in December, so his diploma was mailed to him.

 

However, for his L.L.M. graduation, the folks, the boys and I drove to Macon to watch him receive his diploma. It was a wonderful day, and we could not be prouder of him and his accomplishments.100_0491Clay honored Bill with a Stole of Gratitude (the orange scarf-looking thing around Bill’s neck).  Clay and Bill share a love of all things academic, affording them a special bond.100_0474

Clay, we are all so very proud of the things you’ve accomplished, and will continue to be amazed at the things you will accomplish.

 

We love you!

Love,

Shari

The Oatmeal Breakfast Trio

Before Winter weather actually left us, we were having 3 different kinds of Oatmeal split 3 ways for our daily breakfast together.  Jen was also in the midst of trying out the new camera/video recorder I gave her.

In this video, we were making Pumpkin, Banana Bread and Salty Brownie

The pumpkin version did not turn out like we had anticipated but here are the ingredients for the Banana Bread  and the Salty Brownie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 mashed ripe banana

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup Almond Milk (you could use coconut milk instead)

1/4 teaspoon Vanilla

1/8 teaspoon of Molasses

For the Salty Brownie, add:

4 teaspoons of Cocoa

Large pinch of Himalayan sea salt

Prepare as follows:

Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a single-serving oven approved dish (ramekin type) with non-stick spray.

Mix all the wet ingredients then add in the dry ingredients.

For the Saltie Brownie, sprinkle on the salt.

Bake for 18-25 minutes. Longer time will give you a more traditional brownie texture, but 18 minutes will give you a fudgy, doughy brownie

Thanks go out to The Oatmeal Artist (http://www.theoatmealartist.com) for all the inspiration.