Texas sheet cake

Was it your New Year's resolution to come up with more recipes that incorporate Dr. Pepper and 4 sticks of butter?  I mean who's wasn't?!  If so then I have the cake for you!  If not please immediately avert your eyes.
 I had no intentions of starting the year off with such extreme calorie overload but was left with no choice.  It happened on a Tuesday when I received the Wheaton magazine.  I was casually flipping through the pages when a lovely smiling face looked up at me.  Oh, she's cute I thought.  And then I read that this girl, I think her name is Jennifer, graduated from Wheaton and went on to become a highly respected chef in Chicago.  She was actually voted best pastry chef of the year in 2011.  On top of all that she worked at Charlie Trotter's (the now closed but highest rated restaurant in the city) and now works for Rick Bayless at Topolobombo.  If your not a foodie this means nothing to you but basically she served this recipe at her staff parties for famous chefs.  I was so intrigued by the recipe I had to give it a try.  I can't even imagine how it came about or how her day looked in the kitchen when she dreamed this up.  Let's see, "what this recipe needs is more marshmallows and some Dr. Pepper."  Anyway, long story short....if you want to gain five pounds this week let's get cooking.

Lightly butter and flour a standard haf sheet pan (she says a 9x13 would work too)

Then set aside 1 cup of Dr. Pepper 

Grab a saucepan (mine was too small) and melt

2 sticks of unsalted butter

4oz. of marshmallows (15 big marshmallows)

3T of cocoa powder (I used Ghiradelli's)

1cup of Dr. Pepper

While that is melting over medium heat sift together:

2 cups all purpose flour

1tsp baking soda

2 cups sugar

just mix gently with a rubber spatula

In another bowl whisk

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

The first mixture is almost melted....

Perfect

Pour the above mixture over the dry ingredients

And then fold in the egg mixture gently until it's just combined

Pour the mixture into the pan and bake at 350 for about 19 minutes (I probably did mine 21 minutes) until the cake springs back in the center when touched. Let it cool.

At this point I started drooling a little and forgot to take any pictures of the rest of the process.  Which is unfortunate because here's where the recipe goes from crazy to ridicudonculous.
For the icing:
Comine in a saucepan:
2 sticks of unsalted butter (now it's a party!)
6 T Dr. Pepper
3 T cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla
Heat on medium until barely simmering.  Take off the stove and whisk in
1 pound of powdered sugar. (no she ding dong didn't!)
Whisk to dissolve then stir in
1cup chopped pecans toasted until fragrant (about 5-8 minutes at 350) (see it's healthy!)
You want the icing to be warm when you pour it over the cake because it sets really fast.  I also forgot to take any pictures of the finished product but here are the five remaining on my counter and they're still yummy.  It's got a really unique flavor and texture.  The cake is fluffy but it tastes a lot like fudge.  It would be great for a crowd.  I've served it as dessert for three separate dinners to rave reviews.  Enjoy and I'm sorry!

Ten for Tuesday

1. Ben sold his beloved Jetta this weekend.  It was a bittersweet moment as he's had this car his entire adult life.  It took us on many a great roadtrip and was Ava's first ride home from the hospital.  You should see Ben in action buying and selling cars.  I think he missed his calling as a trader on craigslist.  I got some very stern looks when I showed a little too much enthusiasm about the plug in the backseat.   Don't even get me started on the little telephone button on the steering wheel.  Who knew?!   

I am no longer invited on future car buying ventures.

2. Sabrina gets a little lovin from the boy

3. What do you do when you accidentally buy phyllo dough instead of puff pastry?  You make taco roses instead of empanadas.  I got a few confused looks at dinner but they turned out to be a hit.  Look for my next cookbook, Meat Roses.  Hmm...I may have to rethink that title.

4. You know your kids are on too many medications when they're giving their stuffed animals an inhaler.

5. Somebody's got 2 loose teeth!  It is such a weird feeling to look in your child's mouth and see teeth out of place.  I don't know who's more excited, me or Ava.  I did some investigating and the tooth fairy has really stepped it up since I was a kid.  Apparently I need to buy some fairy dust and gold coins.  Stay tuned!

6. Ian's current obsession is chop sticks.  Who knew they had so many uses?  He's the only three year old I know who can open a door with two sticks welded together.  Of course he still refuses to feed himself but I figure this is progress.

7. Meet our new family member.  Furby is one crazy toy.  It is not unusual to find me holding her while cooking dinner, just trying to calm her down.  One casual observer stated, "I think you guys need to have another baby." 

8. Ian had his 3 year check-up yesterday and he's a little on the skinny side.  The doctor said it's just because he's in the 95 percentile for height.  He also said that if his poop sinks we're all good.  Well you learn something new everyday.  Mom's everywhere be on the lookout for floating poops.  Non-moms, I'm sorry, you came to my blog on the wrong day.

9. I finally got the chance to volunteer in Ava's kindergarten class and was pleasantly surprised by her lovely classmates.  They welcomed me at the lunchroom table and told me that Mrs. Scott was going to put me to work.  Luckily I know how to wield a stapler with the best of them.  I also learned that snow comes from God flushing ice down his toilet.  Just FYI.

10. And while we're on the subject of toilets...this one is pretty self explanatory.

Hope you found the wacky in your Tuesday!

Adventures in waterfalling

  The beauty here never ceases to surprise me.  All we needed was the promise of some sunshine to throw our hiking boots in the new station wagon and head east on I-84.  We passed our first waterfall in five minutes of hitting the trail.  Ava found the icicles of her dreams and Ian recited the entire Going On A Bear Hunt book from memory.  Today was a good day.

The glow of the trailhead

The first corner surprised all of us

Ian hitched a ride after about ten feet of walking

Ava decided to brave the bear cave

A waterfall of broken icicles

If it was eighty degrees warmer I would have jumped right in

Taking in the views

Just one more puzzle piece laid down in this beautiful corner of the world

genetics

Things my children inherited from their Dad:

cinnamon skin

a wacky sense of humor

musical ability

and almond eyes

Things my children inherited from mama:

um...

um...

um... oh yeah,

bedhead

this one's for Gigi

Ava has a very special relationship with her Gigi.  Every couple of weeks they exchange letters with little tidbits about the going-ons in their lives.  Every once in awhile Gigi includes a dollar with her letters which excites Ava to no end.  But the most special part of their correspondence is the artwork.  With each letter they send a drawing.  Now Gigi is a watercolor artist and has done some amazing work throughout her life.  She's traveled all over the world with her paints and captures her vantage point beautifully.  When Ava gets a letter in the mail I cannot even describe her face.  "What do you think Gigi drew?"  She says it in an almost whisper voice on the edge.  

Yesterday Ava asked to do some painting so we got out the easel and she painted some flowers.  "I think it's too big to send to Gigi, " she said sadly.  We took a picture to send instead.  

She's also decided that her signature on each painting will be a handprint.  I think it's genius.  So thank you to Gigi for being an inspiration to my little girl.

Tahiti and the fruit ninjas

Is it too soon to start dreaming about far off places where the sand is home base and the sound of the ocean lulls me to sleep?  Yep, I thought as much.  We've been dodging many a crises since this new year began and I'm self medicating with summer fantasies... and this cinnamon pull apart bread which rocked my week.  (ps. if you do make it, for the love of all things maple, please drench it in pioneer woman's cinnamon roll frosting.  You can thank me later...unless your planning your bikini vacation in February and in that case we can't be friends).

Don't think the cup of sugar that you sprinkle on the dough is a typo.  It is absolutely necessary.

In other news, does it take anyone else a full two hours and a triage just to put their kids to bed?  I think we are in serious need of a super nanny intervention.  Let's go through the check list shall we?
bathtime (an epic event within itself)
pick up rooms
comb hair
brush teeth
floss teeth
flouride rinse (since Oregonians believe that putting flouride in their water is a conspiracy)
flouride tablets (see note above)
tylenol
cough syrup with codeine
albuterol
cream for exema on Ava's hands
vaseline for chapped upper lips
wart medication for Ian's finger
jammies
stories
prayer
song
dream lights
hot tea
sweet back to bed voices
jammied feet at the top of the stairs
threatening back to bed voices
tears
more tears
create a mock rainforest in the bathroom for Ava to sleep
repeat step 23 every 3 hours

You would think this ritual would create a state of exhaustion and confusion throughout the day but no, they are up right at 7am ready to take on their secret identities as "Apple Dapple" (who can kill you with any apple he chooses) and "Tutti's Frutti's" (who can turn into any fruit she wants and make fruit salad at a moments notice...not exactly the super powers I would choose but to each his own.)

I think I'm the only one not functioning rationally as I somehow let them talk me into skipping school and eating lunch at Krispy Kream.

Who us?

Tonight I'm implementing a 3:30 veggies only dinnertime and hoping all are in bed by 8pm.  Wish me luck!

2012...last call

We are home from our whirlwind Chicago trip and I'm left answering the age old question, "Does Christmas really happen if you get some kind of bathroom shackled food poisoning four hours before you're supposed to board a plane and your husband is left to pack everything your family needs for ten days and accidentally forgets mama's beloved camera charging on the windowsill?"  Well yes it does actually.  But not without a significant amount of whining and pouting and begrudgingly using her father-in-laws perfectly adequate, but not quite up to certain snobby standards, Sony on the occasional outing.
Did I mention I saw a nativity set for sale at the Costco outlet store that was missing baby Jesus?  Seriously what is the world coming too?
Anyway, after a few days of trying to regain my balance and energy, we had another fabulous holiday being spoiled by the world's best in-laws and today I had to awake to the tragic reality that there isn't a fridge stocked full of foods and a volvo suv waiting to take me to my restaurant of choice.  It is indeed back to reality but this winter I'm armed with blues fighting gifts from my backup dancers.  I've got fruity lotions and peony candles, a kickin rubber bracelet and the biggest bottle of Vitamin D known to man.
I am prepared.
Ok, back to the shots...in reverse order just to mix things up.

Our last morning there we decided to end our trip in style with our favorite breakfast spot.  Ian tasted his inaugural hot chocolate and will never be the same again. 

This girl loves to sweet talk her Nai Nai 

You're not going to be able to drink all that yourself, right?

In perhaps what was our strangest New Years Eve ever we did our wranging at the North Shore Chinese Christian church.  A six hour marathon of dumplings, games, singing, glow sticks, and tray after tray of brownies.  The cousins were enamored by all the activities and I finally beat Ben at scrabble.  It was a good night.

My second family.  You can put us anywhere and we can make a night of it.  Love times ten.

Uncle Matt taught Ian how to play Uno and prescribed antibiotics for his pink eye all in one night.  He is a man of many talents.

Yey Yey treated us to Monsters Inc. in 3D.  Ian barely moved the whole time.  He is such an observer and it was a lot to take in.  He thought the whole experience was pretty awesome.  I couldn't stop laughing at my little man in those glasses.  Happy 1st movie day sweet boy!

Jenni and I fit in a play date and made the most of our three hours.  Highlights:  perusing cook books, baking brownies, watching the girls bond, visiting Blackberry Market (awesome), planning anniversary trips, and just being together. I don't think we could have fit more giddy into this pic.

The girls hit it off.

I drove Ava around Wheaton's campus and snapped a photo in front of their new sign.  Just in case she becomes a future alum and wants a lookback shot. :)

Before we left we fit in a little sparkle and shine with the Terwilliger family.  Joy all around.  The kids loved their new animal blankets!

Jaime and I getting our snuggle on.

All growin up...sigh

puppy boy

Even with nasty viruses and busy travel days, vacation was everything I was waiting for and all I needed to reel me in to a new year.  Four days in and I'm full from my heart to my belly.  I've tossed around a few resolutions but am holding fast to the things that need to stay exactly the same.  God is so good and He has been faithful to our family in the smallest details.  I can't tell you how many places I see water gushing from rocks.  He is and always will be my every expectation and reward.  Happy 2013!