She Thinks I Can Do Anything

Grams reads a lot of blogs ... probably way too many. I have more than 100 blogs in my reader. There are about 15 of them that I always read and I have come to consider many of the bloggers friends, even though I've never met them in real life. The rest of them I scan and read if I'm interested.

One that I read every day is Cake Wrecks. It doesn't require a lot of reading, it's mostly pictures. It caught my interest because it features cakes by professional decorators that have gone horribly wrong.  They include misspelled words, misunderstood instructions, baby shower cakes that require cutting into a baby (think Steel Magnolias and the red-velvet armadillo groom's cake), and strips of bacon that look like poop. (Just to mention a few.)

Photo credit

Six days a week their posts feature a hilarious assortment of god-awful cakes which make me laugh. But on Sundays the feature is called "Sunday Sweets." Every Sunday they have the most beautiful collection of cakes. They are amazing, cute, beautiful, fancy, plain, and some of them are actually feats of engineering. I adore them. It's what keeps me coming back for more.

At this point I should mention that I am a Wilton certified cake decorator. I've never worked professionally, but I have taken the classes. When my kids were little I often baked and sold decorated cakes for friends and friends of friends. I took the classes when I was on maternity leave with our first baby, realizing that I would spend the next 20 or so years making birthday cakes. I've never regretted taking the classes. Being able to decorate cakes and cookies has saved me a lot of money over the past 30 years. I'm a pretty good decorator, but not anywhere near the level of the decorators featured on Sunday Sweets.

Last time we were in San Antonio, I was perusing my Google reader on Sunday morning, when Our Little Princess noticed the cakes I was looking at. She climbed up on my lap and we spent quite a while looking at beautiful cakes. She was quite entertained and it held her attention for a long time considering that she's not yet three years old. I thought it was a fun way to spend some time with her and didn't really think very much more about it.

Our Little Princess will be celebrating her third birthday in February. She and her mom have been working on plans for her birthday party. She absolutely adores the movie Tangled and all things related to Rapunzel. They have decided to use Tangled as the theme for her birthday party. As part of the discussion Katy asked her if she wanted a Tangled birthday cake. She replied that she did indeed want a Tangled cake and she wanted Grams to make it for her because she wants one exactly like the one Grams has in her computer.

These are the cakes she wants. Aren't they beautiful. I don't even have any idea how one would start to make Rapunzel's tower, as featured in the photo on the right. I know how the Rapunzel doll is made, but I do not have that kind of artistic ability.

Photos from Cake Wrecks

These cakes are so far beyond my limited decorating abilities that it's not even funny. What is funny is that she actually thinks I can do anything. I hope that lasts a while. Even if I can't live up to her expectations, it feels good that she thinks I've got skills.

Grams Made Sopapilla Cake

Grams has found that one of the joys of substitute teaching is the teachers' lounge. In most schools you'll find that this room is a refuge from the noise and clatter of classrooms filled with noisy and demanding children.

Teachers are a sociable bunch. Someone is always bringing food to share. I've been fortunate enough to be on several campuses when the PTA members hosted appreciation luncheons for teachers. Sometimes it's catered, but more often it's potluck with dishes brought by parents. Whichever it is ... it's always delicious and always appreciated.

This recipe came from one such luncheon. The PTA furnished the meal and the teachers contributed desserts. My very good friend, Brenda, who teaches second grade at Wood River Primary School, made Sopapilla Cake. Coincidentally, Brenda's parents are our next-door neighbors. I've known her since she was a teenager. Last weekend, we attended her daughter's 18th birthday party. She is a beautiful and talented woman who has raised an amazing daughter. She's also a great teacher!

If you've never had a sopapilla, you should eat one at your next opportunity. It's a fried pillow-like pastry made from sweet quick-bread pastry dough. It's usually coated in cinnamon and sugar and often comes with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. Seriously, if you see it on the menu at your local Mexican food restaurant, order it.

But, in case you don't have the opportunity, this is an easier and quicker alternative. Brenda's original recipe called for a little more sugar and I added the vanilla extract. It was a big hit at the Vanecek family Christmas party Saturday night.

2 cans of crescent rolls
1½ cups of sugar

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese (room temperature)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 stick butter, melted
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll one can of crescent rolls on bottom of pan 9” x 12” baking pan. Mix both packages of cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar and vanilla extract. Spread mixture on top of crescent rolls.

Roll the other can of crescent rolls on top. Pour melted butter on top. Mix remaining ½ cup of sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.