February 19, 2007

Ellie Tales, The Graham Cracker That Wasn’t and Cake Balls… What Balls???

I figured I would share my failed attempt at making graham crackers from scratch. It sounded like a good idea and the recipe seemed easy… What a mess! The dough never set up properly and as you can see the crackers came out all misshapen. Plus, after all the sticky, messy work, they didn’t taste anything like a graham cracker – AND – what they did taste like (couldn’t tell ya), didn’t taste good! A cracker better left to the pros.

I did have a few successes this past week. We were baking up goodies to give on Valentine’s Day – yes, we… Ellie was a big helper, she sat in her high chair and colored while I baked, occasionally offering her opinion or asking for a cookie!
I tried a Cake Ball recipe that I had read about on somebody’s blog. This ‘cake ball’ sounded interesting to me (have you ever heard of ‘em???), so I found this recipe and gave it a try. Who knew a yellow cake mix, a tub of chocolate fudge frosting and some bittersweet chocolate from Trader Joes could taste so good. And, they are good, as goofy as they sound. Also found the best oatmeal cookie recipe ever… click here to find it for yourself . I made these changes: 2 tsp of vanilla, ½ cup shortening w/ ½ cup butter, I left out the cinnamon and used walnuts instead of pecans. They are my new favorite cookie, and if you put them in the freezer, they taste great frozen! And finally, I made ciabatta bread from scratch. I used this recipe and it turned out great. You just have to think a day ahead of when you want to bake because you have to make a sponge that needs to ferment for 12-24 hours. The bread did come out pretty, and was soft and chewy. I didn’t get a photo, I froze one loaf right away and then we ate the second before I could snap a picture. Isn’t it crazy that I photograph the food I make? I think so, but it’s sure fun to share with you!

Ellie has been as cute as ever this past week, even though she’s getting her molars. She had a bad day (didn’t sleep the night before) but for the most part she’s been happy. Poor girl has a non stop runny nose and these teeth are hurting her. She keeps pushing on her checks or leaning on her hand. We’ve been giving her ice to chew on and her frozen teething rings during the day; at night she gets a nice dose of Motrin to get rid of that pain and let her sleep – that Tylenol just wasn’t cuttin’ it! We have been hunting ladybugs in the backyard daily; they are quite plentiful in the grass right now, we must have some good bugs for them to eat! She likes letting the ladybugs crawl on her fingers and hands and then she waves and says bye when they fly away. She’s also been waving and saying Hi to the airplanes and birds that fly over our yard… such the hostess!! She got her first box of Sees chocolates from Granny on Valentine ’s Day! And, boy did she like ‘em. We let her choose one piece, which she did, and she ate it slowly and deliberately – actually enjoyed her candy. Usually she just shoves stuff in her face and swallows, so this was a sight to behold!


Well, I’ve rambled enough. Had to close with this photo... I just LOVE the piggy tails!!
Hope you all are having a good week! Will post again soon!!!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Let's see if this gets back to you!! Your pictures of food are making me hungry!!! I'm gonna try those scones!!!

Hugs and kisses! Mom