More Christmas Cookies

Peanut Butter Kisses cookies

Swedish Wafer Cookies

Cookie overload. Sugar cookies still needed decorating.

Some of the decorated sugar cookies.

Bouquet for Isabel's teacher.

Sugar coma

After 8-hours of baking & cleaning.

Christmas Cookies: Gingerbread Men (and a few Ladies)

Harry Potter Book Cake

I'd purchased a book cake pan off Ebay over a year ago. The idea was to make a Harry Potter book cake. I'd seen many ideas/pictures, and being a HP freak, I really wanted to try it.

Slightly too-soft MMF

I made he mistake of making the scarf the day before.  I hardened, which I wanted it to, but then I realized I could not then shape it to the book, so it cracked at the sections where the colors meet.  Oh well, lesson learned for future use.

Owl Baby Shower Cake

I made this cake over 4 days for our pastor and his wife, who are almost ready to welcome their second child, Isabela Grace, into their lives.  Combined total of 12 hours, tons of eggs, sugar, flour, marshmallows, and love later, I presented the cake as my gift to them at the shower.

Hulk Smash

This post should really be titled "Kaaren Smash."

I had one day to make a cake. Well. two days but I work one day, so like a day and a few hours of the next evening.  I was asked to make a Hulk cake for a 4 year old's party, in 2 days time. It seemed easy enough and I really liked the lady asking me for it for her grandson, so I decided to do it all in one shot. Mistake.

The cakes, which I thought were cool enough, were NOT, in fact, cool enough and melted the MMF I had made.  I was COMPLETELY upset and embarrassed.   I could not make more MMF or bake more cakes. I was out of time. I came *this* close to calling my friend and telling her she needed to go to a grocery store and get one.

I put the cake in the fridge to cool down and worked on it the next day, patching it (literally, patching it with extra pieces of leftover fondant) and trying to get it presentable.

I texted my friend and told her it was horrible.  She texted back that she loved it.  I sighed.  She can't see how bad it really is.

She came the next day and picked it up. She told me how great it was.

Then, nothing.  For two days, nothing.   I was in a panic. They hated it.  It tasted horrible.  They're too embarrassed to say anything.

Almost at the end of day two, she calls me for a couple of reasons; one being a church thing and the second being:

(paraphrased)

"Oh my gosh, Kaaren. They loved the cake.  Everyone loved the cake.  My mom said it was the best cake she's ever tasted.  It was such a hit!  All the boys loved it and the birthday boy could not stop staring."

I had patched up the cake in this picture below, but had not yet made the border around the top of the pants, nor had I made the number 4 or the mini-Lego Hulk out of fondant. I just forgot to take a final picture.

My friend is a photographer, so I am hoping she will send or post pictures of the cake at the party soon.

More PPG..

..because I purchased a cake pan on eBay and wanted to try it out.   Old-fashioned, 5-hour star-tip piping.

Dora & Diego

My sister-in-law contacted me last week.  "We're coming down Easter weekend. Can we get together for K's birthday?"  Of course!  "Where can I order a Dora cake?" she asks.

Uh.  Me.  Hello?  :)

"I'll do Dora and...the monkey. What's his name again?"  I ask.  "Boots."

Then I get another text: "She'd like to know if you can add Diego, too."  Of course I can.

I spent the next few nights not only prepping this cake, but getting the Good Friday cake ready.

Dora's cousin Diego and his Rescue Pack, which was attached to his back later.

Dora (feet not attached yet.)

Boots

My sister-in-law, her husband (my hubby's brother) and their two daughters were down Thursday & Friday at a hotel in Orlando and then drove up Saturday (K's actual birthday) to spend the night at our place and celebrate.  When they arrived, I was STILL putting the cake together.  I had their two young daughters help cut out and arrange the flowers on the cake for me.  They were shy at first, but then really opened up to me and loved helping out.

Happy 4th Birthday to our Adorable Niece K!!

Easter

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, for a meeting with our Grow Group (church small groups) this past Good Friday.

Cake was GONE in 5 minutes.  

One boy said "This is the best carrot cake I've ever had."  One of his younger brothers said "I don't like carrot cake!"  He had seconds. He would have had thirds, except his mother interceded.  :)

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice...

Our Gal's 10th Birthday Cake.  
Design by Debbie Brown.

Cookies for Church

This is the second year that Spring Break coincides with the Women's Retreat at church. For a second year, I am providing the desserts.  Brownies, 96 or so cake pops and these 4 dozen cookies.

Lego Super Heroes

My husband and kids are fans of the Lego Super Hero games on the PS3; both Marvel & DC.  I decided for my husband's Christmas Day birthday, I would make him a Lego cake.

We were going to be out of the state, at my in-laws for Christmas, so I made some Lego guys beforehand, and was going to  make the cake there.

The cake, on the other hand, was too moist, I forgot my cutters and had to do it free-hand.  It was a hot mess.

Of course, every loved it, but they had to; they're family.  

Happy Birthday to my Christmas-Baby Hubby