Gorgonzola Tomato Salad: Riding without training wheels

I am finally done with training wheels.  I'm finished teaching Children how to ride without their wheels. Son learned how to ride on his own, without his two helper wheels a couple of days ago, and I'm thrilled to be done with this phase of life.  Now everyone can ride their own two wheelers and it's one less thing I have to worry about teaching them.  

Each time I've taught Children how to ride, it's been difficult, because there is fear in learning how to balance.  There is fear about falling and there is fear of failure.  They each wonder if they won't be able to actually ride the bike.  Each child dealt with these fears in different ways.  Daughter #1 closed her eyes, clenched her teeth and faced her fear head on.  Daughter #2 calculated her fear against the benefits, and adamantly sat on the sidelines refusing to do it.  Son kept on wanting to try, but needed continual reassurance that someone was right nearby to catch him, should he fall.

And each child managed to overcome his or her fear and learn to ride.  I did have one rule for all of them, and it was try it 10 times before they could give up.  Daughter #1 kept on trying it way beyond the 10, and mastered it quickly.  Daughter #2 and I fought for every single one of those tries - each one was a battle of her screaming and my cajoling her and reminding her, reassuring her and finally forcing her to finish her 10 tries. (She was riding by try 11.)  Son only wanted to try 2 times, but I explained that no one could learn it in two times, and that each time it would get better.  Each try for him was a look of fear on his face followed by whines of reluctance and complaints of how he didn't like his bike anyways.  

And it made me think about different fears that I have.  What do I fear?  And what can I try over and over again 10 times and see if I can't overcome my fear?  After all, I've asked Children to do it - what can I do?  It came to me.  I want more practice praying for the impossible.  I've had experience praying for healing for others, and praying for things for other people - but I want more practice praying boldly for me.  I want more practice asking God boldly for what it is that I want.  I don't want to fear failure, lack of faith, or disappointment.  I want to practice asking boldly.  10 times as it were.  So I've begun this prayer.  10 times to ask for what it is that I think that I cannot ask for.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

In the meanwhile, I challenge all of you who are scared to cook and scared to try new things to try this simple salad.  You can't mess it up, I promise.  If you're invited to a bbq in the next couple of days or to a potluck dinner where you know the host is cooking up some nice steak or tri-tip, bring this.  

Gorgonzola Tomato Salad
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
1 lb cherry tomatoes (a variety is lovely)
½ cup finely chopped red onion
½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Slice cherry tomatoes in half. Place in bowl. Add chopped onion and cheese. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over. Toss and season with salt and pepper.

If you are taking this to a potluck, place tomatoes, red onion, and cheese in a bowl. Add olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper right before serving.

Printable recipe

Chocolate Banana Pancake with Cream Cheese Frosting or Chocolate Ganache: I sweat.

Husband has made several comments in recent weeks about my lack of posts.  I just haven't posted much.  In fact, I think this month, I posted only 33% of my average monthly posts. Husband said, "Your readers are going to forget you."

Have you forgotten me?  I suppose I can't blame anyone, because quite truthfully, this month, I think I may have forgotten myself.  How can I expect other people to remember me, take note of me, read me, when I can't even remember to do that for myself?  The month of June has physically and mentally been one of my harder ones, where I have been slammed with work, pushed to the edge with commitments both at Daughters' and Son's school as well as church, and personal demands to take care of Father's birthday and my family in general have pushed me well beyond what I consider my normal limits.

The thing of the matter is however, I hate for people to see my weakness.  I hear it all the time, "How do you do it all?"  and my response, with a smile is always, "Oh, I don't do that much."  Never let them see you sweat has always been my motto, but these days, my sweat shows.  I'm worn down, I'm tired, and I'm cranky.

So here is my confession.  I've not had a good month.  I've been exhausted and tired and overworked.  And the smile that you've seen on my face has often hidden the clench of my teeth and the fatigue of my spirit.   As much as I'd like to think that I CAN do everything, I know that I can't.  I took on too much, tried to do too much, and didn't leave enough time for me - for me to pray, to rest, to think, to relax, and just to remember who I am.   So the blog had to take a step aside, as I tried very very hard to just complete everything else I had taken on.

Thankfully July is a much smoother and easier month, filled with tons of gaps where I am usually slammed with things to do.  I intend to cook slower, cook new things, and try out new things that I normally don't get to try out.  I want to have time to create new dishes, explore new things (there is this char siu recipe I'm going to try), and all in all - just go back to space where I can rest a bit more.  I want more time with Children, where we just all lie down in a space and read, or ride bikes or relax in the sun.  I don't want to freak out about their math, their piano practice, and their table manners.  I just want one month, July, of a relaxing summer.

I see a month full of cake and fun summery potluck type foods.  Let me start you off with this one.  This is a banana chocolate cake, baked in a pan that you can transport easily and serve tons of people.  I've tried it with two different finishes - a chocolate ganache topping and a cream cheese frosting topping.  Both have met with rave reviews, but I'm slightly leaning towards the chocolate ganache because it is easier, and it just tastes yummy.  It's gilding the lily, but who doesn't like a little extra chocolate on their banana.

Chocolate Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 9x13 cake, serving about 15 people

Chocolate Banana Cupcake
Ingredients
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, taken out of the fridge same time as butter
2 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 6 medium)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

Method
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 9X13 pan. Set aside.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using paddle attachment beat butter at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar and beat at high until well blended, about 2 minutes. At medium speed, beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract and mix at low speed until blended. Add the flour mixture at low speed in three additions, alternating it with the sour cream in two additions. Avoid over mixing by using a spatula to mix the batter at the end.

Pour mixture into prepared 9X13 pan. Bake for 40 minutes until toothpick or tester in the center comes out cleanly.  Allow cake to cool completely before frosting or pouring ganache.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
1 cup of butter, softened
8 oz of cream cheese, softened
3-5 cups of confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method
In a large mixing bowl, mix butter until it is softened and uniform. Add cream cheese and beat together until it is uniform. Add 3 cups of sugar to the mixture and mix. Add vanilla extract. Add more sugar if necessary. Mix again until mixture is creamy and spreadable. Add more sugar if necessary, otherwise prepare to frost cake.

Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped (In a pinch you can use semi sweet chocolate chips)
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Method

Place chopped chocolate in medium bowl.

Bring cream just to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Pour over chocolate.

Let stand 1 minute, then stir until ganache is melted and smooth.

Let ganache stand at room temperature to cool about 15 minutes. Pour ganache over cooled cake. Allow chocolate to set up on cake for another 15 minutes.

Printable recipe

Still figuring out how to do everything and still have my cake and eat it too/

SKY Vacation Bible School Snacks: Healthier Ways to Snack at VBS

A year ago, I was the snack coordinator for my church's Vacation Bible School, and I took the snacks in a healthier direction.    VBS snacks tend to rely on cheap ways to give children less than wonderful snacks, which makes sense, as some churches do Vacation Bible Schools as part of their outreach and do not charge money.  I know that different companies that put out VBS curriculum are under the pressure to give ideas for cheap and easy ways to provide many children snacks.

Fortunately for me (and Children), my church has no such constraints.  Our church gives the Vacation Bible School a budget, and so we are covered for any snacks we purchase and need to buy.  This year, as snack coordinator, I once again had some money to go out and provide good food for the children.  I did use the curriculum provided by Group  but adapted them (some very heavily) in order to make it fit my idea of sensible food.  Here is what I ended up with.  I apologize in advance for poor food photography, as I was extremely under the gun to produce snacks for 75, and so sometimes taking the picture was the LAST thing on my mind.

I had wonderful helpers this year, who helped wash and cut fruit, helped assemble each snack according to my insane specifications (ever tried laying out blueberries in the shape of a heart) and happily learned all the new dishes and then went home and tried them on their families.  (I think the "cooking" lesson was the real motivation for the help.  Just kidding.)  

Sky Dive Diner - Vacation Bible School Snacks

Day 1 - Sky Surprises - Popcorn

Bible Connection: "People judge by the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."  1 Samuel 16:7

Food Connection: It looks like popcorn, but when you go deeper inside your cup, you'll see something different.  

Popcorn with a surprise at the bottom of the cup.  The curriculum suggested putting various candies at the bottom of the cup.  I decided to just go with something different underneath the popcorn, going with the Party-In-Your-Mouth popcorn ingredients.    I put seaweed on the bottom of each cup, a layer of rice crackers above that, and then finally topped with popcorn.  No one could see that there was anything but popcorn but it was clear once you began eating.  Truthfully the kids were VERY surprised to find seaweed on the inside, saying things like, "Why is there seaweed in my popcorn?" but once they began eating it, no one complained.  You can put other stuff underneath the popcorn like pretzels or raisins, but I went with the rice crackers and seaweed.  Each child needs about 1 cup of popped popcorn.

Day 2 - Troubled Hearts - Rice Cake Treats

Bible Connection:  "Don't let your hearts be troubled, trust in God."  John 14:1

Food Connection: A blue heart symbolizes a troubled heart, and a red heart signifies God's amazing love, which is always there.

I decided to bring back a snack I did last year, which was the rice cake snack.  I changed things up a bit, and had my helpers make the blueberries in the shape of a heart, to talk about our troubled hearts.  The red strawberries were cut in half and looked like hearts.  The final bit of love came in the form of honey drizzled over the entire thing.   You need for each child, one rice cake, 2 tablespoons cream cheese, 1/4 cup blueberries and 1/2 a strawberry, with the green taken out.  for 75 children, in order to have extra fruit, I used 10 lbs of berries.  (8 lbs strawberries, 2 lbs blueberries.)  You can use far less fruit if you'd like, but I bought extra for the kids and it was all consumed.

Day 3 - High Flyin' Fruit Floats

Bible Connection:  "But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.  They will soar high up on wings like eagles." - Isaiah 40:31

Food Connection: Watch the fruit floating on top, like an eagle flying on a breeze!

The original snack had ice cream floats as the snack, but as I'm not a huge lover of massive doses of sugar in children, I decided to go with a fruit based version.  I used orange juice, seltzer water, and fresh fruit.  I used 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup seltzer water, and 1/4 cup of berries.    This snack was lighter in terms of heft and bulk so I also made huge piles of the popcorn mix to serve on each table to eat with the fruit floats.  

Day 4 - Inseparable Fruit Swirl Parfaits

Bible Connection: "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love."  (Romans 8:38)

Food Connection: Layer the granola, fruit, yogurt, honey and give a quick stir.  No matter how hard you try, you cannot separate them into individual layers again.

I decided to do yogurt parfaits, and I made 3 batches of Honey Maple Granola (15 cups total.)  For 75 kids, I used almost 12 cups of the granola, 4 quarts of Fage Nonfat Yogurt, and 10 lbs of fruit, and 1 cup of honey. There was extra to go around so kids had seconds.   

Day 5 - Barbell Bites

Bible Connection: "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or discouraged.  For the Lord your God is with you where ever you go."  (Joshua 1:9)

Food Connection: Grapes and pretzels and cheese and pretzels create barbells, reminding us of how we are strong with God."

My helpers and I constructed plates of two kinds of grapes, and two kinds of cheese cubes along with a handful of pretzel sticks.  I asked everyone to make barbells out of their grapes and cheese with the pretzels.  The kids had lots of fun making this snack, but I will be honest and say that they did not eat this snack with as much as relish as the prior four days.  Interestingly enough, this is the single snack that I followed exactly as the Group curriculum outlined.  

BabbaBox Giveaway Late Notice

Sorry folks!!  To say that life has gotten a bit crazy in recent days and weeks would be an understatement.  So I missed out on announcing my BabbaBox winner!  Thanks to the cool widget Rafflecopter however, it closed down the entries and made choosing the winner even easier.

So here is the winner....


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lydia Lee, could you please email me your pertinent mailing address so that I can send you the box! (joanne UNDERSCORE choi AT yahoo DOT com.)

And don't forget everyone, even if you didn't win, you can still get 20% off on your Babbabox!  Use Code WOM20OFF.

Curried Couscous with Charred Onions: Wrapping things up

Life has been reeling at breakneck speed due to the wrapping up of the school year.  This is a flurry of birthday parties, end of the year activities, as well as tons of volunteering that is required.  There are graduations as well as graduation parties to attend, and I will only say, I'm already pooped.

But I still need to feed the kids, and so I've been cooking very very simply, trying to find the easiest thing that everyone will eat.    As Children all love couscous, I found a box in the back of my pantry and began cobbling a dish based on things that I had at home.  I wanted something slightly exotic with spices, I wanted to use up the rotisserie chicken I had leftover, and I wanted to find a delicious use for some thinly sliced onions that were already in the fridge.

This is the result - a slightly exotic, slightly sweet, totally delicious quick and easy dish.  It's not a one pot dish, as you do have to char onions, but if you don't count the pot that you bowl water in, it's really only 1 bowl!!  Kids gobbled it up, and I passed it around to anyone who was hungry and it was met with really positive.

So here it is - my leftover/pantry/crazy mommy dish.  Super easy, super yummy, super way to wrap things up in the fridge.

Curried Couscous with Charred Onions
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups dry couscous
½ cup raisins
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups boiling water
½ cup chopped cilantro
½ cup chopped scallions
1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
sprinkle of salt

Rotisserie chicken meat, shredded (optional)

Method
In a large bowl. mix together olive oil, couscous, rasins, curry powder and salt. Pour over mixture 2 cups of boiling water. Stir couscous water mixture quickly, and then cover bowl with a lid. Allow couscous to steep for 5 minutes. Remove lid, and using a fork, fluff up mixture. Add cilantro, scallions, and lemon juice. Season with salt if necessary.

Heat a fry pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil, onions, and salt, Cook onions, allowing them to slightly char, stirring often.

Serve couscous with shredded chicken (optional) and charred onions on top.

Printable recipe

BabbaBox Giveaway: Teaching is still in the heart, but it doesn't hurt to have a box.

The wonderful folks at BabbaCo contacted me recently and asked if I might want to do a product review and a giveaway of one of their Babbaboxes.    I had heard of BabbaCo earlier when I stumbled upon them during a late night web surfing marathon.  Of course I immediately said yes, as I wanted to get one to see how it worked for my own children.

Current ages of children are 8,6,4.  I wanted the BabbaBox to work for the entire age range of my children.  When the box arrived, the kids were eager to rip it open and tear it apart.  I needed photographs so I made them sit on the stairs as I tried to capture the box itself.  Children were screeching with excitement in the background as I tried photographing, as anything that comes in a box, to them, is already completely spectacular.

As we opened the box, Daughter #2 (age 6) immediately went for the book and read it cover to cover.  Daughter #1 (age 8) gravitated towards two of the crafts - a paper mache night light (very cool) as well as a project that involved sun print paper.  Son (age 4) grabbed the binoculars and immediately began reeling around the house trying to figure out the use.  Then there was a flurry as the different item changed hands, and the inevitable chorus began.

"WHEN ARE WE GOING TO DO SOMETHING WITH THIS?

I grimaced, as I thought of the many list of things that I had to accomplish, but tried to calm myself and said, "We will do this altogether and see how much we can learn about the sun, moon and stars."

Over the next few days, we had an opportunity to try out different things inside our box.  The binoculars came in particularly handy when we had a full moon a couple of days back.  Son also used them to examine the hummingbird nest in the background as well as to magnify my face as an experiment.  I used took the opportunity to explain that binoculars were created so that things that were far away could appear bigger and clearer.

We also did the paper mache, which was probably my least favorite thing, not because it wasn't a wonderful project, but I HATE glue messes.  Daughters and Son got very involved in it however, and loved the paper mache messy aspect of it.  I stood on the side, reminding them that we were trying to create a model of the moon for a night light, to which Daughter #1 stated, "But this is oval, and the moon is round."  I countered with, "But this will give us a very nice approximation of the moon as well as a good representation of the surface of the moon.  The moon's surface is not smooth."

As a teacher, this very much reminded me of a "lesson plan" that had many different props and resources provided, almost like a curriculum unit you could buy.  It was really wonderful having the box at my ready, but with the flexibility to pick and choose what I wanted to do on a given day.  I didn't cover the box in one day, and instead did bits of the box over the period of 10 days.  When there was a lull in activity, I would ask the kids to get the box, and we would find something new to do in it, or review something that we had done before.  Daughter #2 really liked the book "Twinkle Star of the Week" which she read several times over the course of our box.

On some levels, the BabbaBox was a bit "young" for Daughter #1.  However, I used the BabbaBox as a jumping off point to have additional conversations with her.  We talked about the phases of the moon and the effect on the tides, since we had just come back from the tide pools.  I tried to make additional connections with her, about stars and the moon that we observed at night, using the BabbaBox as a starting point.  She definitely needed a bit more meat than was provided in the box, but I was able to bridge that gap for her.

Which brings me to my final point - the BabbaBox is a wonderful thing, designed to help you engage with your child.  It was created with that purpose in mind - resources to give you starting points and conversation points and activities to reinforce new concepts, but it definitely does not TEACH your child.  YOU teach your child or children.  You cannot give them the box and expect magic to happen - the magic is truly within you.  (Oh wow, that sounds corny.  )  The BabbaBox is a wonderful resource for parents, but in conjunction with the box, you will have to put in effort and thought into what you want your child to get out of it.

If you've got kids home for the summer, this would be an amazing resource to have some interesting projects to do with the kids.  They have different boxes for different months, so there is a guarantee of new and exciting activities.  Just for you, my fabulous readers, BabbaCo is giving Week of Menus its very own code for 20% off a BabbaBox.  Use WOM20OFF.

In addition, BabbaCo is giving me a chance to give away a BabbaBox to one lucky reader!  YAY!!!  I'm trying out this new giveaway widget, so bear with me if it seems to have some issues.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway entry time ends NEXT Friday, 12 AM, EST, so make sure you enter before then.  This contest is only open to those who can receive a BabbaBox within the USA.  (If you're from abroad and you have someone to send it to here, you're okay to enter.)

Good luck all!

Basil Lemon Israeli Couscous: A different kind of hangover

My head aches.  My eyelids are heavy.  Loud sounds annoy me and the cackle of children's laughter has been plaguing me all day.  Children's needs keep getting in the way of my own need to lie down and just sleep.  To call my condition a hangover would be quite accurate.

Only it's not a hangover from excess drinking.  It's a hangover from excess Downton Abbey.  After hearing others talk about the show for a year or two, I finally took the plunge and began watching, only I couldn't stop watching and I had to watch every episode (there are 15 that are an hour each) over a period of three days (bearing in mind that I have to take care of children, students, the house before I watch, which means lots of late night watching.).  Last night was my low point, as I began watching at 10:40PM and I finished at 3:30 AM.  I had it in my head that if I just could FINISH it, then I wouldn't be distracted any longer and I could focus on my life again, much in the same way that one wants to finish that last bottle of beer even though you know you've had too many.

Today, I'm hung over.  I'm hung over on too much Downton Abbey.  Motherhood and being a mother took a huge hit today as I was not a model parent.  I was far from one.  I barely survived the day of shlepping kids back and forth between birthdays and somehow managed to dig through my fridge and create semi-passable meals for Children.  I was only a mere shell of the mom I normally am for the hangover has taken over.

Forgive me dear reader, if I've let you down with my weakness and my TV drunkeness.  I promise that I will try not to let it happen again.  As a token of my repentance over my human weakness, please take this recipe and make it.  It's lemony, light and a perfect side to any chicken or meat dish.  I think it does taste best at room temperature, but it can also be served chilled.

Basil Lemon Israeli Couscous
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups Israeli couscous
1 ¾ cups water
1 cup fresh basil leaves
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
⅓ cup of olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
⅓ cup pine nuts, toasted (optional)

Method
Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and couscous all at once. Toast couscous in olive oil until toasty brown. Once couscous has toasted, add water and bring to a boil. Once couscous and water are boiling, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff with fork. Set aside to cool.

In a small food processor or blender, add basil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Blend together. Slowly add 1/3 cup olive oil until mixture is fully mixed.

Toss couscous with dressing and cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with pine nuts if desired.

Serve room temperature or chilled..

Printable recipe

In case you're in the mood for a bit of drunkeness as well.  Two seasons, 15 episodes.  Season 1 is free if you have amazon prime.

Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Lemon Peel: To Honor Someone

For JG - Thank you for all that you have done for us.

The preschool director at Son's school, who was also the preschool director for both Daughters, exemplifies to me an excellent leader of a school.  As the director of our preschool, her jobs are many, but it is in the details where I see her dedication and excellence as a leader.  I can wax eloquent about her leadership, her intelligence, her spirit and vision for the school, but it is in her action in all the small ways for which I will always remember her.

Everyday, when I drop off my child, she greets Son and me by our first names.  She smiles, says "Good morning" to every single person that walks in front of her.  I remember being frustrated when dropping off Daughter #2, for she would warmly greet Daughter #2, only to have Daughter #2 avert her eyes and shy away.  I would scold Daughter #2 and say "At least WAVE" to which the director always warmly said, "It's okay.  Each child greets in his or her own way."  Even so, every single day, without fail, at drop off she would greet Daughter #2.  There is something about seeing the captain of a ship, first thing, every single morning that just made things feel like the boat is steady and moving in the right direction.  Rain or shine, the director was front and center every single day.

One year, Daughter #1 was featured in a news article showcasing the school and the work it had done with senior citizens.  Daughter #1 had gone to a senior center, and worked with someone, creating gift baskets to give to those around the holidays.  I had completely missed the article, hadn't seen it, and the director asked me if I had seen it and went out of her way to send me beautiful picture of Daughter #1, hard at work with someone.  She knew my daughter's face, knew how to email me, and sent me such a warm and loving email.

Each year at the preschool, there is a teacher appreciation luncheon hosted by the parents.  I've always cooked and baked something for the appreciation luncheon since the first year I've been a parent at the school.  Last year, I happened to be nearby when parents who had cooked and provided food for the luncheon were walking by to pick up their dishes.  I watched her individually thank different parents for their dish, complimented the different dishes and warmly hug and smile at every single parent she could.  I also got a hug and a  "Your cupcakes were wonderful" and I remember thinking, how did she remember all those parents?  Because she cares, and it's clear that she does.  

It's therefore bittersweet, that this year, after 26 years of serving this school community, JG is going to retire.  I do not begrudge her retirement, for it is long deserved and well deserved, but my heart aches a little bit because Son has ONE more year at the school and she will not be the familiar face greeting us at the gate.

For the teachers luncheon this year, I volunteered my usual Tomato Orzo Feta Salad (this year made with toasted almonds instead of pinenuts) and for a change of pace, Chocolate Banana Cupcakes.  However, the organizer of the teachers' luncheon, JR, emailed me, asking me if I wouldn't mind baking a lemon cake instead.  The plan was to honor the director of the school with a lemon tree for her many years of service, and the theme of the luncheon was lemon and lime.  The only other request was that the words "Thank you Judy" be somewhere on the cake.  I hesitated for more than a few moments because layer cakes, as we all know, are not my strong suit, and it felt as if this was going to be something that was going to honor the director.  That kind of pressure and I do not get along.

However, because of my deep regard for the director, I hesitantly said yes.  I would come up with a new lemon cake recipe and figure out how I would pipe the words onto the cake. Friend SH came up with the idea of not having me actually do something on the cake (which I was very stressed about) and instead try and make a cake topper of some sort so I wouldn't have to stress.  I thought her idea brilliant and ran with that.  I made tiny bunting, used zots to attach it to bamboo skewers, and stuck them into the cake.  I liked the look and am very happy that I didn't have to write lettering with icing.  (Bunting here.)

The cake turned out deliciously, although I did tweak it in the second round (which is the recipe posted here) because I had some concerns about the overall structural integrity of the cake.  But regardless of the outcome of the cake itself, I was honored and blessed to be asked to make a cake for someone that I so deeply admire and respect.

Thank you JG, for your love and care of my children.  You will be truly missed at our school, but it is with best wishes that we send you to the next phase of your life.

The candied lemon peel, I used this recipe on Bon Appetit.  I halved the recipe (I had three smaller lemons) and it worked out very well.

Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Lemon Peel
Makes 9-inch layer cake, serving 12 to 14

Lemon Cake
Ingredients
2 cups regular sugar
2 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs (taken out of the fridge the same time as the butter)
1¼ cup buttermilk
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method
Preheat oven to 350. Spray two 9 inch cake pans with cooking spray. Cut out parchment sheets the same size as the pans and line pans and spray once again. Set aside until needed.

In a food processor, pulverize together lemon zest and sugar. (Doing so releases the lemon oils.)

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, blend softened butter and lemon sugar until thoroughly combined. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until well mixed, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure that everything is well blended.

Add half of flour mixture and mix until just combined. and add half of buttermilk and mix until just combined. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Add remaining half of flour mixture, mix until just combined and then add remaining buttermilk. Mix until just combined.again. At this stage, the less you mix the better for your cake. (too much mixing makes for a tough cake.)

Divide cake into prepared pans. Bake for 40 minutes, or until cake springs back when gently pressed with fingertips. Cool for 20 minutes, then remove cake from pans and cool on wire racks until completely cool.

Lemon Frosting
Ingredients
1 cup of butter, softened
8 oz of cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons lemon zest
5-6 cups of confectioners sugar

In a large mixing bowl, mix butter until it is softened and uniform. Add cream cheese and beat together until it is uniform. Add 3 cups of sugar to the mixture and mix. Add lemon zest and 2 more cups of sugar. Mix again until mixture is creamy and spreadable. Add more sugar if necessary, otherwise prepare to frost cake.

Assembly

Carefully line your cake plate with a few strips of parchment. This allows you to be slightly messy with the frosting but prevents your cake plate from being completely messed up. Place one layer on top. Place about one cup of frosting on top, and spread evenly over the cake. Top with another layer. Plop another cup of frosting on the middle and work from the middle outward, spreading frosting towards the edge of the cake. Slowly frost the sides by applying a thin layer of frosting with a knife, spinning around the cake. In order to prevent excess crumbs from ending up in the frosting, you can put the cake in the freezer to set it. Add another larger amount of frosting, once again working round the cake to fully frost the sides.

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