I had a major craving for sweets today. I have been trying, desperately, to monitor my dessert intake, for I've resigned myself to the fact that my paunchy tummy will never disappear, even a little bit, if I continue to gorge myself on the sweet stuff. So I thought and thought on how I might remedy this situation. And decided to bake a cake. See, in theory, if I bake a cake from scratch, there is a lot of time and effort, blood, sweat and tears into it (gross, eh?!) and I'm actually working out as I make it. That, and the end result of a homemade cake is so rewarding, I will commit myself to only one slice of the masterpiece and donate the rest to my children. Who will in turn love me forever.
What I have yet to mention is that this cake-baking quest was shared by my two-year old, Gabe. Ever made a cake with a two-year old? Well, here's how it goes:
Me: Do you want to bake a cake with Mommy?
Gabe: Yes, I bake a cake!
Me: You can help me stir things in.
Gabe: Yes, I knowa stir tings!
I start creaming the butter and sugar together. I am enjoying the entertainment my son provides as he slips on my silver cuff bracelet and his sister's pink lambie bib.
Gabe: I stira yet?
Me: In a minute. We've got to put in eggs.
Gabe: Where eggies come from?
Me: Chickens. Lots of chickens.
He begins making chicken noises. Then barks like a dog and moos like a cow, so those species don't feel left out.
I add in my eggs, one at a time, making sure the yellow-orange yolkiness is all blended in. Gabe finds a turkey baster and begins blowing air into his face.
I add the vanilla.
Me: Are you about ready to stir? I am going to measure flour.
Gabe: I like flowers.
He begins to stir. And giggle.
Me: You are kind of making a mess.
Gabe: I not a bad boy.
Me: No, you are not.
I measure out three cups of Swan's Down Cake Flour. You must have this in your pantry.
Gabe: What's that??
Me: Cake flour.
Gabe: I like-a cake. We make-a cake!
I start pouring the flour in, bit by bit, while he stirs. He dips his nose in the flour. He giggles harder, and I assume the responsibility of stirring from here on.
Gabe: I taste it?
Me: Nooo, there's raw eggs in here, you could get sick (as I dip out a fingerful for myself and wink as I slide the bowl over for him to do the same).
Gabe: Good cake.
Me: Thanks. Hopefully it's good when we bake it.
I pour our concoction into 3 nine-inch pans, greased and floured. My other son joins us, and is very annoyed that he was not included in the process. I remind him that he has been outside, throwing snow at himself.
I slide the pans into the oven.
Gabe: Where da fwosting?
I dig up a recipe for chocolate frosting....
There you have it....in case you ever wondered how that might work.
The consideration for this blog has triggered another brilliant idea: since I am trying, desperately, as aforementioned, to monitor my eating habits, I realized something very important. I realized that I need to be held accountable for my food. Being at home with children does not really execute this task. Children love to eat junk. And therefore, they won't tell anyone if you eat junk with them. So I decided to post my eatings here. For all of you to see. And critique. And marvel at.
I sorta have to give credit to the movie, Julie and Julia (great flick!)...and I'll say with some reluctance, we'll do this for 365 days...although I won't be using Julia Childs' recipes each day. I'll use a conglomeration of many different recipes. My own, my favorite chefs', and some nights, I will warn you...we are gonna order pizza. Or Chinese. Or go to TGI Fridays. But I will share all of it with you. My goals are these, for me and you:
-We will become more aware of what we put in our bodies, for better or for worse.
-We will learn to plan out healthy meals, and we will take pride in our creations.
-We will occasionally splurge and make a great dessert, just so we can feel like June Cleaver for a day, and when we do, we'll do it in a frilly apron and high heels. Or sweatpants.
I hope you'll feel inspired to post your own favorite meals, or simply let me know what you think of mine. Or maybe you'll decide to cook with me. Either way, thanks for reading and enjoy the blog.
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