Peeling apples:
Cutting apples:
Sneaking bites:
Simmering apples:
Rolling out pie crust:
Picking the perfect pie plate:
Loading up the pies:
Basting with apple cider:
And enjoying the fruits of our labor:
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Apple Pie: From Orchard to Table
In October 2008, my daughter Jilly and her best friend Rachel came to visit. Rick and I took them apple picking, where we loaded bags with Honeycrisp apples. Then we brought them home and got to work.
Peeling apples:
Cutting apples:
Sneaking bites:
Simmering apples:
Rolling out pie crust:
Picking the perfect pie plate:
Loading up the pies:
Basting with apple cider:
And enjoying the fruits of our labor:
Peeling apples:
Cutting apples:Sneaking bites:
Simmering apples:Rolling out pie crust:
Picking the perfect pie plate:Loading up the pies:Basting with apple cider:And enjoying the fruits of our labor:
Halloween Gingerbread House
Here's a gingerbread house I made with my grandkids in October 2008. We started with a pre-fab house, bought at Target, and added lots of our own candy (and a green coconut lawn) to make it extra spooky and festive!
My helpers joined me:
Spooky:
All done!
My helpers joined me:
Spooky:
All done!
Baby Shower Cake
In September 2008 I made this cake for a baby shower in Marshall, Minnesota. It's decorated with baby and bath toys:
Monday, October 27, 2008
Maren's First Birthday
When my granddaughter Maren turned one in December 2007, we had to put all of the Christmas decorations away right after the holiday to get ready for another kind of celebration!
Here's the table, before four kids and six adults descended upon it:
The cake (a vanilla pound cake with vanilla buttercream frosting), decorated with The Backyardigans characters, M&M candies and party blowers:
The birthday girl and the baker get ready to dive in:
M-m-m-m-m! Delicious! She has a serious sweet tooth just like the rest of the family.
Here's the table, before four kids and six adults descended upon it:
The cake (a vanilla pound cake with vanilla buttercream frosting), decorated with The Backyardigans characters, M&M candies and party blowers:
The birthday girl and the baker get ready to dive in:
M-m-m-m-m! Delicious! She has a serious sweet tooth just like the rest of the family.
Isaac's Fourth Birthday Cake and Cupcakes
My four year-old grandson Isaac is obsessed with all things Pokemon and Pikachu, so it was no surprise that he chose Pikachu for the theme for his October 2008 birthday party.
We got inspired by Pikachu for the cake, covering a chocolate pound cake with white chocolate frosting and filling between the layers and decorating it with yummy chocolate buttercream Pikachu stripes.
We recreated Pikachu's face on cupcakes, using white chocolate buttercream and candy for the eyes, cheeks and ears: 
Here's the boy and his cakes (and his muse):
We got inspired by Pikachu for the cake, covering a chocolate pound cake with white chocolate frosting and filling between the layers and decorating it with yummy chocolate buttercream Pikachu stripes.
We recreated Pikachu's face on cupcakes, using white chocolate buttercream and candy for the eyes, cheeks and ears: Here's the boy and his cakes (and his muse):
Kanani's Second Birthday Cake
What did my granddaughter Kanani get for her second birthday in March 2007? A baby brother! She also got this Best Birthday Confetti Cake (yellow cake frosted with vanilla buttercream and decorated with pastel non-parielles):
Jilly's Bridal Shower
In February 2006, our friends Annie, Beth, and BJ hosted a bridal shower for my daughter, Jillian. I made cake - lots and lots of cake. There were seven cakes in total, all 3-layer 6" cakes, which we sampled as a shower game to help Jilly decide which flavor she wanted to serve at her May wedding reception.
Here's a picture of all of the cakes:
Lemon-Lovers White Chocolate Cake and Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake:
Strawberry-Pecan-Coconut Cake:
Caramel Cream Cake and Chocolate Peppermint Cake:
Anniversary Cake (almond-lemon-coconut-flavored cake):
Tropical Carrot Cake:
For the luncheon we served spinach and chicken crepes, feathery orange rolls, and a green tossed salad:
So which cake did Jillian choose for her wedding reception? None of them! Hers was a chocolate-themed wedding, so we had to have a chocolate cake, but Jilly and her fiance Carl wanted coconut too. I made them a cake of my own invention - a Chocolate-Coconut Cream Cake which was a rich and fudgy chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache filling topped with a coconut cream filling, frosted with more whipped chocolate ganache and embellished with chocolate shards. It was decadent!
Here's a picture of all of the cakes:
Lemon-Lovers White Chocolate Cake and Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake:
Strawberry-Pecan-Coconut Cake:
Caramel Cream Cake and Chocolate Peppermint Cake:
Anniversary Cake (almond-lemon-coconut-flavored cake):
Tropical Carrot Cake:
For the luncheon we served spinach and chicken crepes, feathery orange rolls, and a green tossed salad:
So which cake did Jillian choose for her wedding reception? None of them! Hers was a chocolate-themed wedding, so we had to have a chocolate cake, but Jilly and her fiance Carl wanted coconut too. I made them a cake of my own invention - a Chocolate-Coconut Cream Cake which was a rich and fudgy chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache filling topped with a coconut cream filling, frosted with more whipped chocolate ganache and embellished with chocolate shards. It was decadent!
Winter Wedding Reception
This January 2006 wedding reception included what has become the choice of several brides - Terry's Classic Wedding Cake (white cake flavored with almond, lemon, and coconut flavorings and frosted with coconut milk buttercream) :
A buffet with veggies, fruits, and light appetizers:
A team of dedicated workers bring all aspects of the wedding reception together:
A buffet with veggies, fruits, and light appetizers:
A team of dedicated workers bring all aspects of the wedding reception together:
Bryce's Sixth Birthday Cake
We hosted a backyard carnival when my grandson Bryce turned six in May 2006. I made his favorite cake, banana with chocolate buttercream frosting, and covered it with fondant circles. 
Chloe's Fifth Birthday Trifle
My granddaughter Chloe turned five in October 2006, and she was lucky enough to get a to-die-for Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle instead of a birthday cake. This trifle is a huge hit with grown men and five-year-olds everywhere: 
Baking with Kids
One of my favorite things to do is bake with my grandkids. Here I am with my son Ethan's little girls, Chloe and Jamila, at their Wisconsin home, making Halloween Sugar Cookies:
And Chloe likes to bake (and lick the bowl) when she visits me too. Here she's helping out with some Easter Sugar Cookies:
And Chloe likes to bake (and lick the bowl) when she visits me too. Here she's helping out with some Easter Sugar Cookies:
Easter Egg Nest Cake
It's a tradition in our home to have an Easter Egg Nest Cake as the centerpiece for our Easter dinner. The flavor of the cake changes, but each year this cake is slathered with 7-Minute Frosting, sprinkled with flaked coconut, topped with more coconut in the form of a grass green "nest", and topped with candy "eggs."
Isaac's First Birthday Cake
My grandson Isaac turned one in October 2005 and I baked him my favorite - a Chocolate Velvet Cake slathered with Rich Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. 
He dug right in!
And he asked for more! A boy after my own heart!
He dug right in!
And he asked for more! A boy after my own heart!
(Gr)Annie's Birthday Cake
This is a Caramel Apple Spice Cake that I made for my best friend, Annie, in October 2005:
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