Tag: Strawberries

What Kind Of Cake Do You Make For A 1 Year Old?

It’s Lucy’s FIRST birthday!  Lucy is our lovely grand-daughter that I have had the privilege of caring for the past year while her parents are becoming college graduates.  Like any caring parent they have carefully chosen healthy foods for her to eat. And like any strong-minded, confident person, Lucy has decided what she likes and doesn’t like.  Just started liking baby cereal a couple of months ago, been enjoying mashed black beans and avocados like they were chocolate with a bit of baby veggies or fruit thrown in.  She loves grilled cheese or quesadillas.  Scrambled eggs has been a favorite for quite a while now – with cheese is better.  Oh, and speaking of cheese – well, chunks of cheese are great.  You would think the child was born with an entire set of teeth – but to this day she only has two front top teeth and one front bottom.  But she can gum down a grilled cheese sandwich like there was no tomorrow.

I confess I have given her a couple of Vienna Fingers here and there (I have grandparent rights).  But the topic of birthday cake comes to mind …….

I really don’t recommend setting a LARGE completely chocolate covered cake in front of a 1-year-old ……. as seen in the YouTube video of a sweet girl named Lucy (no relation) – I have to admit it is very funny – but disturbing – watch it 😉

So, I searched and searched.  You don’t want the first cake experience to be totally healthy ( ***please – anyone with dietary or strong convictions on what you feed your child I really do respect that and am in no means mocking or telling you to do otherwise – as I’m sure you won’t tell me I’m wrong either***).  And you really may not want to totally give your babe an overdose of sugar.

I chose The Pioneer Woman’s Strawberry Shortcake Cake.  Lucy loves strawberries.  That’s my reason. Oh!  And I adore Ree Drummond – she truly is my current hero.  You can find the recipe on her website thepioneerwoman.com

As I type, the cake is in the oven, the strawberries are cut and “soaking” in sugar to extract the juices, the cream cheese for the frosting is softening in the delightful warm spring air (more like summer) and I’m thinking about eating PIE!  Peach raspberry to be specific.

But here is the cake – the finished product!

And the following is the process: The Recipe

The Ingredients

The “Resting” Orchid that is “resting” way too Long!

The Strawberries

I decided to use my hand blender on the strawberries since a toothless child was to be eating this.  Soaked really well into the cake!

The Frosting – the vanilla is a mexican blend – yummy

It weighed a ton!

Did Lucy like her cake – well, she was a “Lady” when she ate it.  But the adults – all six of us – LOVED it!  I highly recommend this recipe.  And for the next 2 days it got even better!

Enjoy.

cb

Speaking of Pie …….

Kirk's Inspiration
Gotta have a piece of the pie.

My youngest son, Kirk, suggested this pie to me. I love to come up with new recipes inspired by family and friends.  I’ll post the recipe further down.

Speaking of inspiration ……. I live in a mid west city that is just that.  The culinary aroma of Kansas City, MO is wonderful.  I’ve never seen so many different styles and types of food in one small area – maybe New York.  And because of the diversity here I believe it inspires even more diversity.  You can think I’m weird, I’m OK with that.  What I’m saying is that this area seems to send off a “vibe” of creativity that can boggle the mind.  I, myself, have come up with flavor combinations that I never would have tried in my last town.

Some of my inspiration here in KC has come from the likes of Christopher Elbow and his phenomenal flavor combinations in his chocolates.  Yes, i said chocolates! Best I ever had!  Blanc Burgers and Bottles inspire me with their combinations in their burgers! And then there is  Soda Vie – unbelievable flavors of homemade soda – particularly the Fennel flavor I had at a wedding.   It’s endless here I think. I have had my senses awakened the last three years and there is no turning back.

So about the pie my son inspired.  I call it Kirk’s KiBerry Pie.

The crust I got from The Pioneer Woman – Ree Drummond who apparently got it from Sylvia.

Sylvia’s Perfect Pie Crust

Added by Ree on June 19, 2009 in Desserts, Pies

Prep Time 45 Minutes
Cook Time		 Servings 1 Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1-½ cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
  • 3 cups All-purpose Flour
  • 1 whole Egg
  • 5 Tablespoons Cold Water
  • 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Salt

Preparation Instructions

In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)

When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.

With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.

Now, you want to bake this in the pan before adding the filling.

While crust is cooling combine:

1 package of softened cream cheese (8oz)

vanilla (about 1 tsp)

Granulated sugar (I did it to taste – sorry)

Heavy cream (Sorry again – I gradually added the cream til good consistency)

Combine til smooth and thick.

Put 1 layer of sliced kiwis and strawberries on bottom of cooled crust.

Pour filling over and top with more fruit.

Refrigerate and enjoy when completely cold.

Ta Da!

I am sorry for not having detailed measurements but i literally “threw it together” as my son spoke of this delectable combo.  I hope it works for you or better yet that you can improve it and win a contest and go to Jamaica or somewhere pie related.

I am a very creative person – meaning my mind is always creating – whether my hands carry it out or not is another story.  But boy, is my mind busy.  I love to bake and as I’ve mentioned in previous posts I love the whole concept of PIE.  It just puts a smile on most people’s face when you say the word PIE or the sentence, “I’ll bring a pie”.

cb

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