S'mores Cake

I volunteered (I would have totally died in the Hunger games...I volunteer for everything) to make a cake for a party next weekend. In my head I had a great idea, but wanted to try it out prior to needing to present it to 20 some people. (Best idea I've ever had.)

One of the girls hosting it sent me some pictures and I figured, "I can do that." She wanted a cake that looked like a S'more.

I used a recipe from Trophy Cupcakes for their S'mores Cupcakes, but decided to just use the same recipe and make it into a cake.

Since I own one cake pan. ONE. (And that is thanks to Shannon and Chris) I didn't have many options, but I am glad I ended up using the Springform.

Here are the directions on how to make Smores Cupcakes but since I took a !@#$ ton of pictures of the process, you got to suffer through those as well. Be excited.

Delicious cake batter

Ground graham crackers and butter. 

 Since I wasn't pressing them into cupcake liners, I jammed as much of the graham cracker/butter/sugar creation into the bottom of the Springform pan. Side note: Don't taste the graham cracker/butter/sugar or else you will eat 1/2 of it and need to break up more graham crackers to make enough to cover the bottom of your pan. Go ahead and ask me how I know this....

Before you put the graham cracker batter in the oven, sprinkle chocolate over it. It is DELICIOUS as a result! 

You toss in the batter after it comes out and voila! A cake! 

Be prepared for more random cake photos.....

Cake 2, I put some graham cracker batter on the top (because I had to make more for some weird reason *cough*cough*)

I have yet to perfect the art of making my cake come out flat so I can ice it without gaps. The only thing I have figured out is that once it is out of the oven, and cooled a little, but still warm, I put a cutting board on top of the cake with a little weight, and let it cool. I find that the other cake works really well as weight. :)

Flattened cakes!

At this point I thought to myself, "wow, this is going really well" and unbeknownst to me my subconscious thought , "now how can I royally screw this up?"

Enter the screw-up!

I was going to just throw Marshmallow Fluff in between the layers, but decided I wanted to try a Marshmallow icing recipe. HORRIBLE IDEA!! HORRIBLE!!

 It was like a river. I put the other layer on top of the cake and ended up turning the cake upside down for about half an hour in hopes that it would stop flowing. I scraped the edges and scraped the edges and hoped it would just stop flowing. I put the meringue icing on it and then hoped that it would help hold it in place. The stuff was like lava, broke through the meringue and the cake ended up looking like a DISASTER in the end. So words of wisdom...if you make this cake do not make marshmallow icing... DO NOT!

Cake - pre-disaster. I have no post disasters because I was so upset that it pretty much fell apart. It tasted good, but that's all it had going for it.

Vote for Adam here or Harvey...he's pretty cute too!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for this year!

Date Night

My husband took me out on our first date since June. Babies tend to do that to you, especially when you just move to a new town and don't know anyone yet. Also, when I'm a freak and am terrified of leaving him alone (well, with a sitter, but you know what I mean.)

We went to the movies to see Catching Fire, and then out for Thai. I had to laugh to myself when we sat down in the theater. When we went in Seattle to see the first movie of the series, we got there about 30 minutes early, and had to sit in the very front of the theater. AKA-WORST SEATS EVER. Tonight we got there about 10 minutes early, and had the place to ourselves. I think there were 12 other people in the whole theater. When we lived in Denmark we went to the movies on Thanksgiving (well, the 4th Thursday in November to the Danes) too. In Denmark they had assigned seats, and we got a couch. It was amazing.

A-N-Y-W-A-Y

Being married is funny. When we were dating 6 million years ago (or 9 years, whatever, I can't tell time anymore) we went through that "getting to know you stage." When you share your drink and your popcorn at the movies. Now, I might as well have put two holes in the sides of the popcorn bag, and tied that baby on as a feed bag. I "think" I offered some to my date. "Think." Opps. Maybe I need more practice going out. I DID shower and put makeup on, so at least I had that.

When we got home Bug was in bed already. I decided to peek in on him (because I missed him) and found him on his belly, nose to nose with the cat (who was on the other side of the crib. They looked like they were plotting some sort of take over, and it was hilarious. I wish I could have gotten a picture of the two of them. I sort of forgive Boone for opening the bag of cat food at 1 am. Sort of.


Vote for Adam Here!
(You can vote once a day)

Cookie Disasters

Martha Steward I am not.

Baby wearing Cookie Baking

EVER. I'm just happy that I keep this kid alive everyday.

My aunt sent me a sugar cookie recipe that was my (let me see if I can get this right) great, great, great grandma's. I remember the cookies BEING DELICIOUS when my grandmother would make them, so I said those magical 5 jinxing words, "How hard can it be?"

Apparently, I need to be a grandmother before I'm able to make these cookies!!

SERIOUSLY.  I'm about two cookie batches away from throwing the towel in and playing Scrooge! The dough starts out really sticky. I guess Karo syrup will do that hu? You're suppose to add flour to it while you're rolling out, but I added too much as I was rolling it out, and so now the cookies taste like flour and not like cookies. IMHO. My husband told me they tasted good. He's my husband, he has to say that...right?

You decorate the cookies with sugar before you put them in the oven. I'm thinking that a bag of Keebler cookies out of a bag and on a tray will be as good, right?

In baby news, Bug has been on some sort of sleep strike. He has reverted back to short naps and waking up all the freaking time. Seriously, it's such a good thing that he is so cute. I think it is the antibiotics playing a trick on him because he was sleeping through the night before he got sick. Hopefully he will go back to sleeping more than two hours at a time when he's done with them. It would have been easier for me if he would have continued to get up every two hours up, but getting three months of sleep was so fabulous and now I miss it again.

My two favorite guys

 Bug's dad always gets him ready for bed. (Well 6/7 days a week.) Tonight he wasn't having it (going to bed) so my two guys are passed out on the couch. My cat is not amused!

Oh! Don't forget to vote for Adam (or super adorable 87 year old guy, but definitely Adam!)

Museum Trip

I feel like I had a handle on getting ready for Christmas, and that has gone way out the window. Not that I need it to be perfect, but I have yet to make one stocking, one tree skirt, one more cookie. Also, I keep eating the cookies, so that is no bueno! UGH. I need another month between now and Christmas. How is it less than a month away?!  I don't know how this is happening. I also do not know how Bug is 7 months old, but I stopped aging 4 years ago. Weird.

Today we went to the Museum of the North to meet a friend for a play date. The museum is really nice, and they turned the auditorium into a Children's museum. Bug really likes it. There is lots to touch, and feel and put into his mouth. SO-MANY-GERMS! This kid better have an amazing immune system someday!!

It is Movember after all. 

Who doesn't love a giant Light Bright? 

Thanks for everyone for voting for Adam. I appreciate it. I will try VERY hard to no longer drive everyone crazy and asking for votes, but I will probably put the link at the end of each blog post between now and the end of voting. Seriously, who doesn't love the 87 year old WWII Veteran? Old men are adorable! I'm really good at getting people to vote for Adam right? SO, vote for Adam, and if you don't want to vote for Adam vote for the cute old guy. ;) So Vote Here!  You can vote once a day everyday. 

Vote for Adam!

Hi!

I nominated Adam for an award and he was picked for a finalist! I know that he won't tell anyone about this unless you mention it to him.  I wish that my writing conveyed how awesome he really is, but it doesn't. Regardless, they picked him and he is a finalist! You can (and you should) vote once a day everyday. You just need to click on the link before and then click vote below his name. Take a minute to vote (everyday :) ) and then feel free to share with friends!

http://www.stormykromer.com/living-legend-2014/

Thanks a bunch!
Brooke

Delicious Mistakes

A few days ago I made sugar cookie dough, got distracted, and couldn't remember where I left off (aka, how much sugar I had put in.) I did a test tray, and the cookies just didn't taste the way they were suppose to. I didn't want to throw out a double batch of dough, but couldn't figure out how to "fix" it. It just wasn't "right." 

This past summer at the Farmer's Market there was a man who sold Cookie Pies. They were DELICIOUS, so I figured I could give it a try.

I first thought I'd bake the bottom for a little bit first (bad idea.) I ended up throwing that out and trying again. 

Crust 1 of 2, maybe 3?

Our freezer is full of blueberries and cranberries that we picked, but I wasn't about to waste those on a pie if it didn't work out. Canned Cherry pie filling is pretty much my favorite thing in the entire world, so no twisting my arm there, and I threw a can in (next time I would put two, but didn't want to waste them if it didn't turn out.)

When I bake the cookies they only take 7 minutes, exactly, any longer and they are burnt and any shorter and they just aren't done. I started the pie out for 15 minutes at 350, but it just wasn't baking. I fiddled with the time some more, turned it down, and let it go longer, turned it up, turned it down. I don't remember a single thing that I did.

It came out of the oven looking like a pie, and for that I was excited. When I cut into it, it wasn't fully done, so I threw it back into the oven. FINALLY after not remembering a single thing I did (what a great recipe, hu!) we cut into it again.

I would add more cherries next time. It was SO YUMMY! If I wasn't doing stupid (which it's not, but when I can't eat a whole pie, it's stupid) Weight Watchers I would have just taken it with a fork and told everyone that it was poisoned. It was super yummy!!

Cherries are fruit right? I mean, there isn't THAT much cookie there, right? I need to make more cookie dough pies. YUM!!!

Happy "Monthday" Bug!

Bug is officially 7 months old today! Wow time flies!! I can't believe that he is 7 months. How does that happen? Seriously, he was a tiny, tiny baby and now, 7 months. He's going to graduate from high school next year. I just know it! I still can't find the slow down button.

Horrible photo of me, but LOOK HOW LITTLE!!! 

Each month we take photos on his "Monthday" I usually post one, but I take a bazillion. Here are "some" for your viewing pleasure. 

You thought I was kidding....a bazillion!

The Weather Outside is Frightful...

I won't actually call it frightful. It sure is beautiful out! I took these photos today around 1, while Bug was sleeping. The FedEx lady showed up while I was out taking pictures and told me I was nuts. It was "only" -16 at my house today, so there's that!

Bug and I ran to the post office to pick up a package, and the "boss man" was talking to someone about it hitting -60. There will be NO photos if it gets to -60.  I hope he was kidding...

I decided to look up the weather at Mount Everest to make myself feel better.... there isn't much difference when you look at the averages. BUT we have oxygen, so I'll take that!

I've named this tree "Charlie" 

It is just SO pretty! I wish I knew how to use my camera better (taking a class in December, so there is hope) but these don't do it justice!! While the cold is, well, cold, I would rather have that then the 30 degrees and rain for a bazillion days in Seattle. Well, give me another month, I might change my mind!! 

In other Bug related news, he has some EXCITING news for everyone!! (No. Not pregnant.) 

We have a crawler!His dad called me to Bug's room, and I started crying. He wasn't happy, but he did it!! I appologize for my high pitched squeals. 

 and then we had this! (It didn't upload right yesterday.) 

Don't worry! No babies were harmed in the making of this video!

He is such a fun guy! Man, do we love him! 

**Public Service Announcement** When I said "no one reads this" what I was TRYING (but failed) to say was "no one reads this when there are Bug pictures or videos. I know people read this, and for that I appreciate it!  ;)