Birthday Cake Recipe and What I Learned for the Next Time

So three other moms and I decided to join forces for one big birthday bash for our children whose birthdays were within several days of one another.  We opted to do a taco/nacho bar for food with each mom providing a cake or dessert as well for the birthday kiddos.

This is my crazy busy time of year with birthdays and activities, so I decided to make a no-bake birthday cake for something different and easier.

It didn't turn out easier only because I decided upon it at the last minute.  I created my own recipe and went from there.  If I make this cake in the future, it actually is quite easy and quite adaptable as well.  Here's what I did to make this Espresso Icebox Cake.

Ingredients:

6 Cups Heavy Cream
24T Powdered Sugar
Cold (but freshly made) Espresso
Wafer Cookies (I used a combination of butter wafers and almond thins)
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Syrup
Heath Bits
Whoppers

I made a LOT of homemade whipped cream, though I didn't use quite all of it.  I made the first batch which used the first 4 cups of Heavy Whipping Cream.   Using my stand mixer, I whipped it until it formed soft peaks.  At that point, I added 16T of powdered sugar and approximately 1/4 C espresso.  I whipped the mixture together.

Next, I used a springform pan and layered the cake.  I started with a cookie layer, then whipped cream, then cookie, then whipped cream, etc.  Next I refrigerated.  It should be refrigerated overnight.   I started this late, so I didn't have time.  Therefore I put it in the freezer for awhile, then the fridge.

When it was time to leave for the party, I removed the springform pan.  Next I made the rest of the whipped cream and frosted the sides of the cake.  (Here's where i had leftover whipped cream).  I drizzled the dark chocolate over the top, then added the Heath bits.  I put the whoppers around the bottom just to create a decorative edge.

A few things I would have done differently.

I would have made a chocolate ganache to drizzle over the top, but I just didn't have the time to that this time around.  I also contemplated drizzling caramel sauce.  That would have been yummy.

I would have ONLY used the butter wafers.  They were the tastiest.  However, when i went to the store, they didn't have what I was planning to use (chocolate wafer) & so I wasn't sure the best way to improvise.  I ended up buying 3 different types of cookie and using them all!  When eating some leftovers of this today, I noticed I didn't like the texture when i bit into the almond thins and tasted an almond.  It was OK, but just slightly off to me.  So next time:  butter wafers!

Also, I contemplated doing a raspberry whipped cream.  This would be so yummy if it were made with chocolate wafer cookies & raspberry whipped cream.  I may do that one of these days "just for the heck of it."

The fun thing about making this sort of creation is that you really could adjust the flavors so many different ways.

And very interesting to note that it definitely tasted better today than it did yesterday.  So i think being able to refrigerate overnight is key.

Anyway, I wanted to share this recipe because it is all my own!  

Now I am feeling full because I just ate some leftovers.

Sentimental for the Old Days

originally posted oct 1, 14

This evening I was stopped at a traffic signal next to a small blue car. I glanced over and saw the male driver with a smile upon his face. From the corner of my eye, I noticed an infant car seat in the back. I smiled as I thought of the days of early parenthood. I looked at the car again. This time I noticed that the mother was in the backseat with the baby. I could see just a little bit of curling brown hair sticking out over the seat. The mother was talking and smiling as she looked at her beloved child. The look upon the father's face was of complete happiness.

After Counting to180, She's Out

Originally posted on Bubblews, 8/20/14

The littlest of my littles should have fallen asleep before her head even hit the pillow. The girl has been tired, tired, tired since this afternoon. She had a full afternoon playing in the sun at a friend's pool. As we drove home, she nearly drifted to sleep. However, we arrived home just in the nick of time to keep her awake.
Then she had a meltdown after dinner, again, EXHAUSTED. She recovered with a zing!
Next came the five minutes until bedtime tears. She cried. I held her. She was so close. So close.
We snuggled close into bed. I waited anxiously for that deep breathing that signals sleep. Yet, wait, what happened? The girl was suddenly smiling and happy and AWAKE!
Another two hours passed. The next thing I know, the energized three-year old began counting. She reached 180 with glee!
Where does a girl get such energy?
11:10pm, she finally drifted off to sleep.
Now I am awake.

Conversations with Ella

The One Word Edition, originally posted on Bubblews on 9/1/2014

This afternoon we were talking about Ella's upcoming dental surgery. We have wondered at times if she has an underlying pain that she doesn't complain about, but that bothers her. And we jokingly say that this is why she is so moody all of the time.
Seriously, she is my most "spirited" child. She throws fits the likes of which most of you have never experienced.
I have been saying that she will miraculously be constantly cheerful after her upcoming surgery.
Today, I said to Ella, "Ella, one of these days you are not going to be grumpy all the time."
She responded, "When?"
The best part of her simple response was that she seemed to genuinely wonder WHEN she would not be a grump anymore. It was priceless

Why Do We always Break Things?

Recently, I wrote a post about how my house is like the Bermuda Triangle. Things get lost often. Another annoying thing about my house is the way this seem to be broken.... often. There are always cups, bowls, plates, etc that end up breaking. It is not even always the fault of my children, though most of the time it is.

About two weeks ago, I broke our new beer mug and a favorite bowl of mine because I was trying to move a cutting mat. I had no idea that it was touching something that was touching something that was touching something. It was like a house of cards that all came tumbling down.

Tonight, my daughter was attempting to reach a plate which was beneath a mug in a cabinet. The mug and plate proceeded to fall to the countertop and landed, along with a whole stack of other plates, atop a glass measuring cup and wine glasses. Needless to say, glass shattered. A mess spread everywhere.

Why does it seem that we break EVERYTHING?

This post was originally posted on Bubblews by me on June 20, 2014

originally published by me in july 2014 on Bubblews

Sunny lakeside days
Coconut oil in the air
Grainy sand between my toes
Tanning bodies, skin to bare
Live bait and fishing poles
Conversations with my dad
Evenings angling at the lake
Some of the best I had
Afternoons at my country home
In the sun, with a book
Baby oil and iodine
To achieve that Coppertone look
Baseball games fill the night
To watch or to play
KC Royals on the radio
In their Eighties heyday
A symphony of cicadas
Sweet sounds of the night
Spiders and grasshoppers
Giving me a fright
Farmers with their tractors
Golden bales of hay
Working the fields of their livelihood
Every sunny summer day
Though the memories are hazy now
And the details have begun to fade
The stories I must tell to mine
My childhood happiness conveyed
Photo Credit: my own
+Poetry +Jillybean1222

An Ugly Soul, A Poem

A body submerged in anger
A soul teeming with hate
A head with thoughts so ugly
A virulent storm unwilling to abate

Why has this beating heart
Become so bitterly cold
Why has the kind spirit decayed
Why is the goodness rotting with mold

The warmth that once persisted
Evaporated with all of life's good
Replaced with such intense hatred
Unable to understand or be understood

Loving others seems improbable
Loving self is impossible
When did one become despicable
In this world so unpredictable

originally published by me on bubblews in October 2014

A Goodnight Poem

The room is finally quiet so I can finally think
Yet my brain seems to be sleeping or on the brink
A poem deep and meaningful I wanted to write
Instead I'm yawning in the dark of night

My creativity must be waning along with the moon
As the clock ticks, I see it will be morning soon
The peaceful time coincides with the time I must rest
So this goodnight poem may not be my best

Perhaps tomorrow I'll become inspired
I'll write something lovely before becoming tired
In the meanwhile, I think I am done for the day
So this goodnight poem is all that's left to say
Photo Credit: My own +Late-night-ramblings +Jillybean1222-poetry +Poetry

I originally published this in Bubblews in Sept 2014

Nolan's Wish

This was originally posted on Bubblews in September of 2014.

My son Nolan always had a desire to help those in need. If he saw a little kid at the park, he would help him get on the swing. If a puppy was running loose, Nolan would try to find the owner. If he saw a homeless person, he wanted to give them money or food.
When he was around eight years old, he decided that he wanted to be a barber when he grew up. His reason for this? He wanted to give free hair cuts to the poor. This kind-hearted boy believed that to be his calling in life, to help the poor.
Around the same age, he became acutely aware of the needy that we passed throughout our day to day routine. We live in an urban area where beggars stand outside bookshops, on street corners, within our view on a daily basis. He always wanted to help. He started asking us if we would drive around so he could give bags of food to them. He would put together a bag with a granola bar and an apple, perhaps something else. If he had spare change of his own, he would give it to them. It didn't matter that he didn't have much of his own money.
When Nolan died, we included the name of a charity organization in our city that's mission is to help the homeless and others in dire need. Many friends and family donated in Nolan's name. I've also had several friends tell me that they have given a meal to a homeless person to honor Nolan's memory.
Although Nolan's life was much too short, I do feel like he touched the lives of many including strangers who will never know his name.
I was inspired to write this post about my son after reading a post by &jmichaelvaughn this morning. Here's his post.
http://www.bubblews.com/news/8144874-a-homeless-veteran
Photo Credit: my own +Nolan +HOMELESS +Afternoon-ramblings

Poetry on the Fly

This poem was originally posted on bubblews in October of 2014.

So many times I sit down to write a poem. So many times the noise from my children prevents me from actually completing the poem. I'm sitting here with about five minutes to kill. It is not quiet, but it is quieter than usual. So I thought I'd write a quick poem.

The sunshine is resting today
As the clouds do their thing
Hazy, lazy, gray day
Drizzling, misting, rain

Dreary, a bit, but cozy too
Chilly outside, but toasty in
Jackets and boots and hats
The smell of fire burning

The sounds, sights, and scents
A resounding announcement of fall
Sleepy, restive weather
As I hear my blankets and pillows call

up and down

My mind is going in a bazillion directions this evening. I have started several posts, but my thoughts have been too distracted to put words to paper.
My mind is thinking about the Kansas City Royals baseball game that is happening right now. They are playing their first post-season game since 1985. That is pretty exciting stuff!
Then there is the fact that I have a party happening in my house on Sunday. Yet here I sit on my behind drinking wine.
Of course, I am thinking of the wine and how good it tastes to my tired taste buds.
The thought crossed my mind about how tough marriage can be as I think of several friends who are trying to hold it together.
Yoga has crossed my mind, as well as the fact that I should stop eating pasta so I can lose weight.
How can I not think of my whiny 3 year old when she sits next to me crying for all sorts of things? Parenting advice anyone?
There you have it, the too many thoughts, the too many directions.
Photo Credit: pixabay +Three-year-olds +Distracted +Evening-ramblings

originally posted on bubblews 9/30/14

Sometimes....

Today we went to a restaurant for lunch.  Our waitress made me slightly nostalgic for my days of waiting tables or even just working.  I had a career for awhile.  I was a senior buyer when I left my job to be a stay at home mother.   I seemed to come into contact with real people who I connected with.  I don't know.  It was just a feeling.

I've been having this feeling lately that I should return to work.  not just part time.  full-time.  back to life. 

A Poem, But Not My Own

http://www.bubblews.com/news/9781951-the-wayfarer

I really enjoyed this poem.