Cake Walk

There was a fundraising event at D's elementary school today ~ Christmas in Whoville ~ that included a cake walk, photos with the Grinch in his sled, costume contest, surprise jar wheel, beanbag toss, 50/50 draw, popcorn & candy floss, carol singing and crafts. The volunteer parents really got into it and there were great costumes. D rocked her purple wig!

I made two cakes for the ever-popular cake walk. Man, what kids will endure for a free cake!

I just didn't have the energy to create a Whoville cake, so went with a peppermint candy design instead. I traced my 8" cake pan onto paper and drew out the swirly design. Then I cut a template out of a plastic page-protector sleeve (the kind you put in a 3-ring binder) with an x-acto knife and laid it on top of the iced cake. Sprinkled red sugar over the cut out part and then carefully peeled back the template (some icing repair was required in places). There was red sugar all over the kitchen, but it swept up well!

I was tempted to flavour the butter cream icing with peppermint extract, but was advised that "kids think that's gross", so just went with vanilla.

If you're into making a low-cal version peppermint ornament, check out pinksuedeshoe's post!

All Hallow's Eve

Here's how the kids went off to school this morning...

Hope you and your goblins have a bewitching weekend!! I just have some Bert hair repair to do...the dog ate it after school. Really! He did! He chewed Bert's red nose to shreds as well. AAAAArrrrrrggggghhhhhh!!!

The Gathered Threads were over today. We all did a fun paper project and made ourselves orts boxes, (you can see the one Dorothy made me last year in the photo here). Photos coming over the weekend...when exactly depends on how severe my sugar hangover is.

What's your fav candy bag item that you steal from the kids? I love Rockets, those little round sugar candies in pastel colours all tightly rolled in cellophane.

Squashy delight

Happy birthday B!!! It's very exciting. Not only is it another amazing day weather-wise (clear, crisp, sunshiney), but it will be the first day of fall pumpkin baking for me. I absolutely love pumpkin in all forms: carved into a Hallowe'en jack-o-lantern, pureed in soup, baked into a pie/cake/muffins/cookies, stirred into creamy risotto. I'm not that picky, really. Just give me pumpkin!! I've got several already lining the front steps of the house, ready for the kids to carve in a couple of weeks' time.

But for now, I'm off to bake one of these for B to have after our restaurant dinner tonight. I'm sure he'll share.



This cake is devine. It is a Martha recipe "Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Icing". Yum, yum, triple yum. I found it one day while googling pumpkin recipes and have made it several times with great success.

And speaking of birthdays, just look at the grin on Miss Fiona when she opened her Eiffel Tower pillow cover!

I'd say she loved it (and I'm so pleased - it's most excellent when someone loves your work as much as you do, isn't it?). That's why I gift it away.....to good, kind, appreciative homes, that is.

Happy Thanksgiving (if you're north of the 49th parallel) this weekend. We've received a lovely invite to spend the holiday with friends on Vancouver Island. I'll be back next week with a reveal of my mystery fabrics. They are almost as delicious as Pumpkin Cake with Burnt Butter Icing!!