Chocolate Frosted Traditions
This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Electrolux.
When I think of my grandmother I instantly conjure up images of her from my childhood standing in her kitchen either at the sink or the stove. For my grandmother her kitchen was the heart of her home.
1932-2004
Daily her love and devotion flowed from out of that tiny kitchen in the form of biscuits, corn bread, sweet tea that would turn to syrup over night and a table that groaned under the weight of carefully prepared meats, select vegetables and sweets.
Everything my grandmother knew about cooking she learned either from her mother at a young age or she taught herself over the years. Her food came with traditions and created their own traditions. Christmas and Thanksgiving meant she would be baking her special red velvet cake and orange cake. Easter and other family occassions meant banana pudding and pound cake. No occasion went without her family favorite chocolate cake. My mouth waters now and closing my eyes I can almost smell the cakes coming from the oven to cool.
No other cakes could match the love and effort and pride she took in preparing her special chocolate cakes for us to enjoy.
My grandmother’s cakes could range from two layers to ten layers. You never knew what was in there until she cut and served the pieces. To this day I prefer chocolate cakes made with a dozen tiny layers if given a choice. It is the way I make many of the cakes I bake for my own kids.
My grandmother’s chocolate cake has become to mean more to me than just a cake served in my childhood. To my grandmother it had even more meaning. This is a cake she remembered her mother baking for special occasions. It was a cake she learned to bake at her mother’s side. My grandmother lost her mother to the ravages of ovarian cancer at the tender age of eleven. I will never forget asking her how she learned to cook and she would tell me stories of her childhood and her mother. It wasn’t until I was an adult and requested a copy of my great grandmother’s death certificate for my genealogy research that I learned she died of ovarian cancer. I found it shocking to say the least to read those words on the paper.
1903 – 1944
taken by ovarian cancer
When I was asked to be a part of the BlogHer campaign supporting ovarian cancer research I did not have to think twice and immediately replied. Since that moment I have pondered how and what to write to entertain you, to enlighten you, to encourage you to click the links and to participate in this campaign to promote ovarian cancer research. If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for your daughter, your mother, your sister, your aunt, your grandmother, your friend, your sister-in-law, your mother-in-law, the lady down the street with the pink hair curlers or the woman at the bank or the young girl who clerks at the grocery store.
On behalf of my grandmother and my great grandmother I am proud to support Kelly Rippa and Electrolux as they come together for America’s sweetest way to make a difference. Kelly knows how a sweet treat can show someone just how much you care. She has a way to care for a cause that is close to her heart: the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF).
You can help be a part of Ovarian Cancer research with a click of your mouse. Visit Kelly’s Cakery to decorate and send a special virtual cake to a friend, family member or loved one. For every cake sent, Electrolux will donate $1 to OCRF. Everyone who bakes a cake is also entered to win an Induction Range from Electrolux.
If you bake a real cake, make a photo and send it to me, leaving a comment in the comments section letting me know your cake is on its way. I will add your photo here so we can all have a sweet treat. Careful not to lick the screen as the scrumptious cakes begin to appear.
Grandma’s basic cake recipe is easy to remember and doesn’t require anything special.
Basic Cake Recipe
2 sticks real butter, softened at room temperature (do not melt it)
2 cups sugar, white granulated
3 cups sifted self-rising flour
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter and the sugar until the butter is light and fluffy and the sugar has begun to melt away intyo the butter. Add eggs one at a time. Beat well before adding the next egg. Alternate adding in the flour and milk until it is all incorporated. Add the pinch of salt and the vanilla extract and again mix well.
Butter and flour your cake pans (or you can use baking spray or line your pans with waxed paper).
Divide the batter equally into the number of layers you want to make. Pour each measure into the prepared pans and bake 15 – 20 minutes until done. Remove cakes and allow to cool before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. repeat until your cake layers are complete. You may choose to make one big 9 x 13 cake or a cake with two or twelve layers. Remember the thinner the layers the less time needed to bake them. When you get really good at making tiny layers you can cook them on the stove top in a griddle pan. For realz!
Chocolate Icing
1 stick of butter, softened at room temperature
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 cups confectioners sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Using a mixer beat the butter then add in the cocoa powder. Carefully beat in the cocoa – don’t dust yourself. Add the vailla extract. When well beaten slowly add in the sugar a little at a time. If the mixture gets too stiff before all the sugar is incorporated add 1 tbsp of milk. Don’t add too much or it will make your frosting soupy. The icing should be thick, creamy and spreadable.
Frost cooled cake layers. Serve with love.
Please click over here and visit all of the other wonderful BlogHer’s who are participating in this awesome support of Ovarian Cancer Research.
Creative Learning with LEGO® DUPLO® Building Bricks
This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Duplo
Steven is one of those all or nothing kind of kids. He throws himself head long and full force into playing. It is his enthusiasm for playing that holds me captive while I listen and observe while he creates dialog for action figures and makes the noises for machinery or animals.
I am often surprised by how very smart he is as a three year old. Even more so awed by the incredible range of his imagination. He often leaves me speechless as my chest begins to expand and I want to open my mouth and swallow him whole like he was a piece of melted chocolate on my tongue because my heart comes near to bursting and I don’t want to share his completely delicious little self with anyone else on the planet.
The day the Duplo® Fire Station Set came I almost hid it until afternoon. Isn’t that awful? Instead I dangled it like a carrot watching the excitement as he kept eyeing the box wanting to know if it is was time “to play with those Legos yet.” Blame it on my being a mean mom. It is the same way at my house at Christmas. We get our thrills watching the excitement and anticipation build until our kids are visibly shaking with excitement.
As much as he loves cars and trucks and tractors he love Lego. He inherited J. and Gracie’s Lego® sets last year. He and Steve play with Lego all the time building airplanes and big trucks out of hundreds of little bricks. I think you can imagine what the prospect of a brand new never opened box of the creative building blocks did to him.
He was completely beside himself when the Lego Duplo Fire Station box was finally put into his small hands.
He tickles me because he is so much like his Dad. He poured over the booklet intently.
“Steven,” I asked, “what are you reading?”
“The ’structions’.” Then he pointed out a specific page and how he was looking for those parts.
As Steve helped Steven to put together the set Steven quickly laid claim to the fire truck and the helicopter. While he helped Steve put together the pieces he also took turns playing with the two pieces that held his attention the most. He was completely taken with the lights and sound feature that accompanies the fire truck. The helicopter had many missions and landings before the landing pad was complete.
Having had experience with the smaller Lego® bricks Steven had no trouble at all putting together the larger Duplo® bricks. Not only is it creative play that exercises the mind and imagination but these building sets refine hand eye coordination and fine motor skills. The colorful bricks are also fabulous for re-enforcing color learning. Steve asked for a red, black or yellow piece and Steven was able to pick out the right color and put it in to place.
When he played with truck and helicopter he was so engrossed in how fast they drive and what the driver is saying or doing. He is a little bossy, too. He likes to tell you what your driver and truck should be doing to compliment his own play. He likes to direct your imagination into his play but at the same time he expects you to be spontaneous and inventive in your own right.
I love when he and Gracie play with the set. They begin to speak for the firemen figures in New York accents – as close to what southern accented children can get to a Bronx dialect. Hahahaha!
There is one other great thing about LEGO® DUPLO® building sets that I love.
Children can build anything they can think of not just a copy of the playset on the box. They are limited only by their imagination.
Playing with Steven brought back Steve’s own memories of his own early childhood of playing with Legos. He and his younger brother, Brian, spent Saturday mornings on the floor with their Legos, cartoons on the TV in the background and bowls of cereal for breakfast. I wonder if the makers of Lego knows how many memories and not just imaginations have been built with these tried and trusted building bricks.
Perhaps a new campaign idea? Lego. Building memories for 30+ years.
LEGO DUPLO encourages creative and imaginative play in children.
How do you handle your kids’ dental hygiene?
This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Sonicare for Kids
We are a family full of gadget and gizmo lovers. With a software architect dad and semi-geek mom how can our kids not love gadgets as well? They can’t. It seems my biggest gadget lover is my three year old boy. Not suprising! He has been asking to “check his email” every morning since he has been old enough to talk. He has even now begun asking for his own cell phone. Gah!
When I go into a store I have to walk very fast past the toy section as most moms do. I have to hurry past the aisles in the electronics department because he wants to not only play all the video games on display he wants to change the channels on the tv’s and listen to the stereos and print out a sample page on a display pc. The list is endless. But it doesn’t stop there. No, it doesn’t.
You know the health and beauty section at the departments stores? The departments with shavers, blow dryers, hot irons, curlers, nose hair trimmers and electric toothbrushes? Those departments cause a bigger stir than the toy department on most days.
You see, my three year old likes to brush his teeth. Alot. A whole lot. If the house goes quiet and he isn’t to be found he is in the bathroom. Brushing his teeth. Gargling. Using fluoride rinse. Making watery messes on the counter top. And the floor. But that isn’t all. He doesn’t seem to care if the tooth brush is not his. He’ll use anyone’s tooth brush if you don’t guard it with your life. Which makes it hard to charge your own toothbrush and have it ready and waiting for your own tooth brushing needs.
So, I tried to solve that by giving him one (or four) of the cheaper tooth brushes made for kids so that he had a selection to choose from daily. They play music and make buzzy noises but those do not satisfy the tooth brushing desires of my son. He knows those are for kids. He knows they aren’t the coveted King of all Toothbrushes that belong to the adult parents. He wants our Sonicare toothbrushes. He won’t take no for answer. (For better understanding see above where I wrote how he will use anybody’s toothbrush.) We have often left the bathroom is a mass of blubbering tears because he needs to “brush my teeths!”
When I first learned Sonicare had come out with Sonicare for Kids I almost squealed in glee. The heavens had opened and a light came beaming down on my bathroom vanity. When I was asked if I wanted to participate in a review program for the new toothbrush I truly did squeal with glee. When the product arrived in the mail and my son saw it was THE toothbrush he became more than a bit noticeably excited. When he realized it was The King of all Toothbrushes he was so excited his little body was almost vibrating with anticipation and joy. My halo appeared above my head at that very moment.
We took it to the bathroom, unplugged Dad’s electric razor and set it up to charge. All the while this little boy is chattering and telling me how he was going to brush his teeth every day followed by, “Actually, when I eat something I will brush my teeths!”.
Waiting for this beautiful toothbrushing appliance to charge required many trips to the bathroom to see if the little light was on. We had to look and make sure it was seated just so on the charge base. We had to check not once but four times that we had plenty of toothpaste to go with it.
During our wait time we read the instructional pamphlet so that we understood the brush had two heads and two settings to meet the needs of the child/children who would be using it. This feature was one that really impressed me. The toothbrush is designed with two settings for cleaning. One setting for children in the 4,5,6 age range and another setting for the 7 -12 age range. The brush heads are also designed to meet the needs of those varying aged mouths and teeth. Knowing how trusted the Sonicare brand is I shouldn’t have been surprised that they had covered the grounds so completely in producing a product that best suits a range of children in age and their needs.
Once the brush was charge we applied a small pearl of toothpaste and explained to Steven how this was a different toothbrush and he must check to be certain it is on the proper setting for his needs. Also? Do NOT press the button that turns it on until is it safely in your mouth. That part took a couple of tries but we have worked out those kinks. One thing I don’t like is the setting ‘button’. I would like it much better if there was a locking switch so that when set for the the younger age the setting cannot be changed by the child while in use.
He uses this toothbrush religiously. We never have to remind him to brush his teeth. He has no interest in any other toothbrush in the history of all his toothbrushes. Which makes me ask where was this toothbrush when I was raising a feisty little girl who hated to brush her teeth. A little girl who I often had to hold down and manually brush her teeth for her? I NEEDED this toothbrush a decade ago.
Here is a bit of our routine. Wake up. Brushing of the teeth. Have breakfast. Must brush teeth. Have a juice box mid morning. Teeth must be brushed. Have lunch. brushing of the teeth must begin ASAP! Afternoon snack time. The teeth are being brushes almost before the lunch is eaten. You can pretty much guess the routine for the afternoon and evening up to bedtime.
He loves this toothbrush. I love this toothbrush. I don’t have to remind him to brush his teeth. I don’t have to hide my toothbrush any longer.
The toothbrush handle comes with an interchangeable front face plate so that you can change the color of the instrument to suit the tastes of your child. I like this so much because you don’t have to hunt down a ‘blue’ tooth brush for a boy as opposed to more girlish color which boys don’t like.
I like that the brush has a timer. My son quickly learned to brush his teeth until the timer went off so that I know he has at least a full two minutes of brushing. One thing I am not sure about is the exact purpose of the odd noises it makes during the brushing time. It beeps and buzzes and make musical sounds during brushing. I suppose that is for entertainment but I would prefer if they were timed for 30 second intervals to indicate brushing time is running out.
I like that it has its own recharging base which means I don’t have to buy batteries.
Most of all I like that it is a Sonicare. My own experience has taught me that Sonicare is the leader in this type of toothbrush. I can’t imagine using any other. Each time you brush it is like getting a dental cleaning in your dentists’ office. Knowing that it is the Sonicare family but not using the kids toothbrush myself I can rest assured my son is getting the same performance and cleaning that we get from our own adult Sonicare instruments.
As a mom and an advocate of early dental intervention I have to give the Sonicare Kids appliance an A+.
When it is time to replace your kids’ current toothbrushes consider a new Sonicare Kids toothbrush. Let me tell you how!
You can enter to win a $100 gift card from Sonicare AND a chance to win a Sonicare prize pack from Blogher.com
Answer this question:
How do you handle your kids’ dental hygiene?
Then follow the instructions below for a total of 10 (ten) chances to win.
To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me How do you handle your kids’ dental hygiene? – or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) 10/15/2009 and will end 5:00 p.m. (PST) 11/15/2009.. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.
Rules:
* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-residents, 18 years of age or older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: Official rules
Check all the other BlogHer Reviewers and how other parents encourage good dental hygiene with their kids.
Thank you Blogher and Sonicare for having me as a part of your review team.
