A Baking Tip

What in the world is this, you ask? Well...as you can see it sure doesn't look that great. This picture is to show that my very nice friends ate almost all of it anyway. Below is what stuck in the pan...


It looks like one of those bread bowls you get at delis-you know, the ones that have soup inside, then you can eat the "bowl" when the soup is gone. Well, this "cake bowl" was-or was supposed to be-a Chocolate Chip Cake. I got the recipe from a friend of mine, and I had made it two different times before and it came out great! Alas, I made a mistake this time...

This recipe calls for sour cream to go in the batter. Ok, no big deal, right? Well normally I buy fat free sour cream when we use it on potatoes or tacos or whatever (since I love to glop it on sometimes, I figure I should use the fat free variety!). This time I was in a hurry at the store because it was a Tuesday, the night our small group meets; and this week it was at our house and I wasn't completely ready for company yet. In my haste I wasn't thinking that I needed the sour cream for baking, so I grabbed a fat free one.

Big mistake!!

I knew from experience that anything fat free messes up the consistency in baked desserts, but I didn't even remember that until I had mixed the cake batter and baked it (this cake takes almost an hour). Only when I tried to gracefully shake my cake out of the bundt pan did I remember my mistake; instead of sliding out gently, my cake-well, the inner circle of my cake-literally plopped harshly onto the nice platter you see in the picture above.

Of course the hostess in me was expecting about 10 people to show up at any minute, and I freaked for about five minutes. I angrily shoved the ruined cake and the coated bundt pan into my large microwave to hide it until I could clean it up later. Frantic wives and husbands who have had a long day at work don't mix, so we had a few tense minutes there. Fortunately I realized I had a couple of packages of cookies I could put out in place of my disaster cake; but I still hate that I react that way to things that are really no big deal.

Anyway...nobody would have even see that cake if one of our friends hadn't asked me if he smelled "brownies or something". So, the blob on a platter came out, everyone saw the bundt pan, and everyone liked the cake! It really tasted good; you're just supposed to be able to eat it with a fork.

So, what did I learn to always, always, always remember? Use the fatty stuff when baking! No fat free anything if you're making cake, cookies, muffins or whatever. Oh, and take pictures of your baking "uh-oh's". They provide nice entertainment down the road-once you've gotten over the oopsie, that is.

I Promise I'm Still Here

A couple of pics from our family photos recently taken by Jeorgi. She did an amazing job! I have many favorites, but don't have room to put them all here. (They are on Facebook) I LOVE this one of me and my sweetheart.



It was lightly raining when we first got to the park so we had to have an umbrella pose. (If you click on the pics, you will see a much larger version.)



It feels like I haven't updated here in forever-especially since my last post was completely silly (that's me!).

Let's see...what's been going on the last few months? I've been to 2 weddings; been to Gatlinburg, Memphis, Jonesboro and Little Rock. I have turned another year older and also celebrated a 20 (yes, TWENTY) year anniversary with my dearest friends. I have been to birthday parties and a baby shower. I have seen some really good movies, and some really ridiculous ones too.

I have read books and that list includes some of the ever popular Twilight series. I have become addicted to iPhone games. I have tried to be more organized on a daily basis; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I have had dinners and lunches with family and friends. I have seen fireworks and at least one firefly (why don't they like Murfreesboro?).

I have been both heartbroken and happy, and in those times I have tried to really grasp the meaning of resting in my Savior. Overall, I know I am eternally blessed. I have a loving Father who is always with me. I have a wonderful husband who is very sweet and supportive. I have a great family that loves me. I am in a church home that I love. God is good.