Another Year, Another cake

I make cakes for all occassions.

But recently, it was time once again 

to make a cake for my pal Elijah.

Last year, we went with a Toy Story cake.

This year's theme was Thomas the Train.

Here is my blank canvas after baking the cake

and covering it with white frosting.

I printed off and cut out this picture from the internet

as my inspiration.

Then I traced around it with a toothpick

to make an outline to follow.

 Next I grabbed a drinking glass and pressed it into the center

to make the circle for his face.

With my outlines in place,

I just had to start making colored frosting and filling it in.

 Here's my work in progress.

 I took a time-out to slap the borders on -

 and then continued filling in my design -

 and outlining everything with black frosting.

 I used the bottom of a frosting tip to make the circles for his eyes

 and when I finished the whole thing, it looked like this -

Hope you had a great birthday Eli!

Pineapple Orange Salad

If you need an easy summer salad

that is perfect for picnics or barbeques -

here's one for you.

So quick and simple, it's ridiculous.

Just boil the jello and puddings for about 5 minutes until thick.

Then pour that pint of whipping cream into a bowl

and beat until thick.

Then grab the jello/pudding concoction and the whipped cream

and mix them together

Toss in the mandarin oranges

and crushed pineapple

and chill until serving.

That's all you've got to do

to bring a delicious fruit salad to any summer gathering.

Told you it was easy.

Pineapple Orange Salad
1 package orange jello
1 package cook and serve tapioca pudding (NOT INSTANT)
1 package coook and serve vanilla pudding (NOT INSTANT)
1 can mandarin oranges
1 medium can crushed pineapple
1 half pint whipping cream
3 c. water

Bring water to a boil. Add the packages of jello and pudding and boil until thick, approximately five minutes. Allow mixture to cool. Whip the whipping cream add to the cooled mixture. Drain mandarin oranges and add to the mix. If the salad is a little thick add some off the pineapple juice, otherwise drain and add crushed pineapple. Chill salad until serving. 

How to Lose Those Last Few Pregnancy Pounds

Barf your guts out for approximately 12 hours.
I now weigh less than I did before getting pregnant.
Thanks, stomach flu.

Watching Runners - for now . . .

It was time once again for the Fargo Marathon.

Walt helped me cheer on runners last year in the rain.

This year was no different,

except we brought Grandpa -

and Grandma and Ruby.

We hit up my favorite local coffee shop, Moxie Java,

and then hung out right in front of the store

as both the full and half marathon runners would pass right by.

Grandpa took Walter down to the street

where they stood right at the end of a water point.

Walt liked watching all of the runners dash by drinking water

and throwing their cups down onto the street.

I absolutely LOVE watching marathons

and will always come out to cheer on runners,
regardless of the weather.

Having run a few races myself,

I know how motivational the crowd can be when

you're tired and ready to be done.

 I only managed a 5K with Walter last year,

but this year I'm setting my sites on a 10K in October.

Watching the marathon was just the inspiration I needed

to lace up my running shoes after a long hiatus due to pregancy.

It will probably be tough going at first,

but I'm excited to get started!

Blooming

Last spring we planted 2 Rhododendron bushes.
One went in by the pole
and the other out at the corner of the house.

 Sadly, the one Adam is planting in the photo above didn't make it,
but we still have the cute little one by the sidewalk.

The card that came with the bush showed beautiful blossoms,

however, last year all we saw were green leaves.

But look how beautiful it is this year!

 Gorgeous!

 Not only do I love my Rhododendron,
but so do bumble bees!

I guess I don't mind if they hang out by these flowers,

as long as they stay away from my Walter!

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

Last weekend we took the kids out to 

Fargo's 13th annual Kite Day.

Walt didn't know what to think at first.

  

But as he watched

 the kids and kites everywhere

 

he decided he was ready to give it a try for himself.

 His cousin Lexi was there to help him out

 and Auntie Brooke was there to hang with Ruby. 

For once, there wasn't a lot of wind in town,

so it was kind of tough going at first.

Then they enlisted the help of Kaitlyn -

and had a little more luck.

In fact, Kaitlyn managed to get it up and running.

 But Walter was determined to fly that kite.

 

He knew who to get for help -

Between the four of them and a little a gust of wind

they managed to get that kite up in the air!

When Walter finally took his turn flying it, 

he couldn't have been happier.

Coffee Cake

In  celebration of surviving my first full day back at work,

I came home and made a coffee cake to bring back on day two.

Here are the ingredients for another delicious recipe
courtesy of P-Dub.

It calls for 3 egg whites,

beaten until stiff.

Then set that aside and grab your mixer -

Cream together some butter and sugar -

before taking turns adding in the dry ingredients and milk.

Mix until your batter looks like this -

Lastly, fold in those beaten egg whites

to finish off your batter

and pour it into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.

Now it's time to make that crumbly coffee cake topping.

Gather some butter, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon,

and mix it together with a pastry blender -

until it looks something like this.

My topping isn't as crumbly as it's supposed to be because I cheated and nuked my butter a little instead of using softened butter because I didn't plan ahead. Therefore, my topping mixture is a little smoother texture due to the melting butter I used.
Also, I didn't put the pecans in mine
because they just aren't my favorite nut.

Sorry pecans.

Anyways, grab your topping and your cake -

and sprinkle the topping all over the top of the unbaked cake.

Then pop that baby in the oven until it looks like this!

A lot of the topping melts down into the cake so there is cinnamon sugary goodness throughout the cake.

I'm not going to lie - it is super delicious.

Seriously, bring one of these to the office - people will like you.

Pioneer Woman's Best Coffee Cake. Ever.
FOR THE CAKE:
1-½ stick Butter, Softened
2 cups Scant Sugar
3 cups Flour, Sifted
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1-¼ cup Whole Milk
3 whole Egg Whites, Beaten Until Stiff
_____
FOR THE TOPPING:
1-½ stick Butter, Softened
¾ cups Flour
1-½ cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1-½ cup Pecans, Chopped

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat egg whites and set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined. Don’t overbeat. Fold in beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula. Spread in a well-greased 9 x 13 baking pan. In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm.