Mother's Day 2012!

Every year for Mom's Day, I've made it a tradition to make breakfast for my mama. If you haven't figured out by now, baking things for people is one of my most favorite things to do, and who better to do it for than the woman who birthed me??

Through the years I've done pancakes, baked eggs, fresh fruit parfaits, and some sort of drink featuring Agave juice, which was a bit strange and not very delish. This year, I once again decided to do pancakes. I tried to go a bit healthier route, and make whole wheat pancakes. I often substitute applesauce for oil in my recipes, so I felt like that would be a great idea for my pancakes. I didn't feel  comfortable substituting all of the oil with applesauce, so I went halvsies. Was it a good idea?

No, absolutely not.

The first few stuck to the griddle, and didn't seem to be cooking properly in the middle. I cooked them as much as I could, added a bit more oil to the batter and tried a few more. Those turned out a LITTLE better, but I still new that they weren't my best. Mom, being the wonderful mother that she is, still said how WONDERFUL they looked and tasted and she ate a few. Being made out of whole wheat, they were pretty hearty cakes and each of us could only handle about 2. I thought they had a pretty good taste, but they just looked SO weird!

Mama's "special" cakes

Even though I wasn't happy with this culinary excursion, I wasn't going to let that get me down, because I had BIG plans for a cake, which I'd build later that afternoon. My Ron Ben Israel "inspirashunnn" was this lovely cake, which you will probably see at my wedding someday:

Completely adorable, right?? YES! I just think it's the most precious thing in the entire world, and I decided that the colors would be perfect for mom's day! So I baked my cake, adding lemon and a little yellow food coloring to one layer, and then strawberries and a little pink food coloring to another layer. The layers turned out super moist and lovely, and smelled wonderful baking. I decided that buttercream frosting would be too heavy, so I went with a mixture of vanilla pudding and good ol' fashioned Cool Whip. Nice and light for a warm, almost summer day! Easy, right?

No. Not at all. I guess the morning's pancake fiasco should've warned me that the rest of this day would not go smoothly.

The first problem came when I began to build the cake. For some reason, a few of my layers turned out smaller than the other ones. I don't know WHY I didn't just make extra batter and make all the layers even. Or I could've just made 3 thick cakes and cut them all in half with my cake leveler. Both are great ideas, but I did not do them. Needless to say, that first layer was very tiny, and probably not the best support for the rest of the cake. And the "frosting", although yummy, was kind of like slippery basketball shorts-if you've ever sat on someone wearing those, you slide right off. Probably not the best choice for a 6 layer cake.


But I kept building, and then a baker's worst nightmare happened-one layer broke in half.

REALLY?? After ALL that I have gone through today, THIS has to happen??

Yes, yes it did. But I kept on going, determined that come hell or high water, I was going to build this darn cake. (At this point, I might have said a few choice words...just being real). I finally got the entire thing built, and this is an aerial view:

The calm before the storm...

The real problems arose when all was assembled and the weight of the cake really began to bear down on the other layers. It was my middle vanilla layer, poor lil' guy. Here's a side view...the good side, that is:

The storm draws nearer...

You can image the calamity that's about to ensue.

Instead of a peaceful "presenting of the cake ceremony", it was more like: "MOM! Hurry up and get your butt in here before this dang cake falls on the floor!!" Really touching, I know.

It's a bit painful to recall this incident, so I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

I don't know if she was pretending to eat it, or screaming because it was starting to gangsta lean.

Precious mom.

Definitely fake smiling as my cake crumbles before my eyes...

The first and fatal cut.

And the cake came tumbling down.

As you can see, it was a day full of baking mishaps for me, and my perfectionist side was weeping uncontrollably. But when it comes down to it, this day isn't about the presents or the food, it's about celebrating a very special woman, the one who gave me life. The one who still occasionally does my laundry (even when I tell her not to), and the one who cleans up after our cats. She does so many selfless things, I can't even begin to name them all. More importantly, in recent years, she has become one of my dearest confidantes, and I love any time that I get to spend with her. I suppose I really wanted this day to be perfect in order to thank her, in a very small way, for all she's done for me, but I think she really and truly appreciated the effort I put into everything and had a WONDERFUL day.

Thanks, mama.

-xoxo

Heritage.

A 4 year old Danielle with her grammys. And her photo bombing uncle Tom.

This post is dedicated to the two women to whom much of my talent and love for all things baked can be attributed to-my Grandma Davis and my Grandma Wagner.

For as far back as I can remember, I have loved everything these women made. I can remember Christmas Eve at Grandma Wagner's (whom I fondly refer to as "Graham Cracker"), carefully helping her roll out, cut out and later decorate sugar cookies. Any part of the mixing process she let me do made me feel SO very important, and she always let me lick the beaters. She had to be fair, so she'd also give my brother a beater. I'm sure we had debates about who got more icing on theirs. I also loved to put sprinkles on the cookies...what little girl didn't love a never ending supply of frosted cookies to put sprinkles on?? I'm sure the fact that the sprinkles reminded me of glitter probably had something to do with it...

As for my Grandma Davis, holidays at her house stand out to me the most. She always made this very simple, but very yummy corn dish. Almost like cornbread, but more moist. Corn cake? I don't know, but I'm sure many of you have had it at your family gatherings. What in the WORLD makes it so delicious? I'm guessing lots of butter and milk or cream. Whatever it was, I knew I could always look forward to it every Thanksgiving and Christmas.

After she passed away unexpectedly in 2006, family gatherings were never the same. I'm sure we've all experienced similar feelings, because most of us have lost loved ones. For my family, my Grandma was the "glue that held everything together." She was always reliable, always there, and most importantly, always loving. Even 6 years later, things still aren't the same. I don't know how many times I wish that I could call her to ask advice on a recipe, or just to drive over to her house for a visit. She had experienced so much LIFE (much of it wasn't easy), and was so real to me. I was just beginning to appreciate that about her when she passed. If I stop and think about it, I'm saddened greatly by the fact that she has already missed some big milestones in my life, and will miss many more. But yet I'm comforted by the fact that her memory isn't far from me. Every time I bake a cheesecake I'm reminded of her, because that's where my recipe came from. I'm so very grateful for the years I had with her, for those times when I would ask if I could have a bowl of "Life" cereal & she'd made me give her a kiss first, and her special nickname for me-"Lover." I wonder what she would think of me today? Hopefully I'm turning into a young lady that would make her proud.

The most important thing I have learned from both of these beautiful women isn't how many cups of sugar there are in a cake recipe or how to properly mix cheesecake batter-it is how to love. My Grandma Wagner pours herself into each and every family dinner, and although she's in her mid 80s and gets tired more easily these days, she still makes special occasions lovely and brings a little treat to every family gathering (if it's not hosted at her house). Grandma Davis would always encourage me to get something from the fridge or offer to fix me a plate of something, even if we'd only eaten a few hours before. Their love transcended their baked goods and filtered down into each and every person they came into contact with and both women were/are about as humble as you can get.

As I bake and carry on their legacies, I try to pour that same amount of love and care into each and every thing that comes out of my kitchen. I strive first and foremost to honor God with the gift he's given me, but I strive also to honor those strong women who have taught me so much, and whose love continues to influence my life each and everyday.

Choose to love today. 

A Year of Yum...3rd and final installment!

Ok, so you might be tired of the yumminess by now, but I promise, this is the last post reviewing my year of baking adventures! Christmas is my absolute most favorite holiday, one of the reasons being is because I'm constantly baking and giving things away. There's really nothing like the look on someone's face when you surprise them with a delightful treat. I fully believe that acts of service if one of my strongest love languages God has given me, and one of the ways I can do that is by baking. He continually blesses me in that area and gives me new opportunities to minister, and spread a little homemade sweetness along the way.

Enjoy these last few pictures...I hope they stir up memories of the wonderful Christmas you had with your family!

THE best birthday present I could ever receive. I can't even tell you how much I love my lil' Pistachio!

Date Nut Pinwheels..I used the extra sugar cookie dough I had left over to make these little guys and they turned out alright!

Sugar cookies! I improved upon my methods from last year. These were a big hit at Baires!

I had SO much fun making special cards to send to friends. I think my favorite was the whale anniversary card for my good friends Zach and Becki. :)

Just a little cowl I knitted for my restaurant mama Marcela. I wore an apron like the one on the card all during December, thus earning myself the nickname "Santa Baby." She loved it!

Another Baires favorite-Gingersnaps! Soft and moist, topped with a drizzle of sweetness!

Probably the prettiest cheesecake I've made...White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl, with a rich dark chocolate crust.

Not a typical wintery dessert (perfect for the non-typical winter we had), but this is Lemon Pound Cake I made for a birthday.

Marcela made it lovely with some wine soaked pears and whipped cream!

Little heart shaped Chocolate Raspberry Cakes I made to surprise two of my newly engaged friends.

One of the best purchases I made before the baking season began...a must have for every baker with a tiny kitchen!

A fun birthday cake in honor of Marcela's son's 9th birthday! It was quite late when I finished and almost wrote "Packers" in the end zone instead of "Patriots"...that could've been bad.

Cupcakes! Who doesn't love a strawberry vanilla cupcake, with buttercream frosting and gold sprinkles??

Attempt #1 at caramel...not the color I was hoping for at all. Luckily I was able to use it to fill my Brown Sugar Salted Caramel cupcakes!

Attempt #2-much better! I poured it over top of my Salted Caramel Cheesecake, which has become a favorite at Baires.

Sweet lil' Red Velvies for a friend's birthday!

Ooey gooey caramel...I'm all about repurposing baking failures!

And last but not least, amongst all the sugar and calories, a healthy treat! This is an original vegan cookie recipe, based loosely upon the oatmeal I eat every morning. On the left is a Cran Apple cookie, and on the right is some sort of Blueberry Peach concoction. 

Well friends, that's it for my "Year of Yum"! Thanks for sticking with me and walking through my tasty year. I'm SO excited, because my business cards just came in, so now people will have all of my information (including a link to my blog) on a precious little card! Yay! I do have to say that many of these recipes are NOT original, but almost all I have adapted and change in more than one way or another. I will have a blog post coming soon citing all of my sources, so if you happen to stumble upon this blog and see one of your recipes, please know that I am working on giving the credit where it's due!

It's my goal to be extremely diligent about updating my blog, where I will go into more detail about some of my favorite recipes and tricks of the kitchen. I consider myself to be the "Queen of Substitutions and Food Combinations", so I'm also going to use this as a venue to share of my favorite healthy substitutions and show how I can make an ordinary salad into a delicious creation that you'll want to eat all the time.

I'm SO very excited for this upcoming summer, and the various baking opportunities God has been placing in my lap-weddings, grad parties, and other fun things. I feel very blessed, and I need to send a HUGE thank you out to those who continue to love and support me, and encourage me every step of the way. I don't know where my baking (and maybe acting) will take me, but I know that I don't have to worry, because God already knows. I'm just going to continue to sprinkle love into whatever I bake and use the gifts God has given me to benefit others.

Enjoy the life you've been given, and never stop loving.

-xoxo

2011- A Year of Yum (Part 2).

Whole wheat zucchini bread.

Here are a few more delicious creations for you to feast (heh heh) your eyes on if you'd like. I got a new camera some time in the spring, so I hope you'll notice that the quality of the pictures improved. I'm still working on the framing of the photos and making them look interesting-hopefully they'll just keep getting better and better!

Enjoy.

My most favorite thing about the morning: epic oatmeal. It's full of things that are good for you!

Yogurt fruit pops, made with blueberries and strawberries. Perfect summer treat!

Applesauce! (One of the many appley dishes I made...)

Picking apples from our local orchard was a new experience for me, but it's now going to become one of my fall traditions!

Apple chips...sadly they didn't turn out as crispy as I liked but were still yummy.

Mmmm.

Potato stamp!

The finished product!

Veg burger made with quinoa. I also figured out a way to make a perfect shaped burger. Just pop them in these mini pie pans and freeze them. Voila! A homemade burger whenever you need one!

My attempt at homemade pumpkin spice creamer...definitely needs to be perfected.

Ratatouille!

Mini maple pumpkin pie, with a candied walnut topping!

Up close and personal.

My version of a margherita pizza. Whole wheat crust, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and feta cheese!

Apple spice cake with maple frosting, topped with candied walnuts. SO fall, so delish!

All wrapped up and ready to share!

Hey there vegan rosemary sweet potato bread!

The larger version of my pumpkin pie, which helped me win a local contest (and lots of fun Pampered Chef goodies!)

Sadly, it was not without injury that I won. Note to self-never try to scrape off excess caramel from a wooden spoon with your fingers.

My first cake from cake decorating class...a little rough.

My final cake, fit for a gender party!

One of the aprons I cut, dyed and sewed for my boss and I to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness!

A genie outfit I made for my boss for her Halloween party. This was a true test of my repurposing and sewing skills!

This is now one of my most favorite fall recipes (and a favorite at Baires too!) Pumpkin Cheesecake, topped with candied walnuts.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cake, topped with a spicy Maple frosting!

Some sort of pumpkin bread, topped with oats and blueberries, I believe.

I love fall...the sounds, smells, and especially the tastes! I think one last installment of my "Year of Yum" should cover my most favorite holiday-Christmas! Stay tuned for some recipes from the most wonderful time of the year....


-xoxo