goodbye summer...we will miss you...so, let's bake a cake!

School started for me today. It was strange spending my day with all adults I have grown accustomed to hanging out with kids. Summers spoil me that way.

Jake starts back to school on Thursday, and Ian has to go on Wednesday (something he is NOT happy about!). My hubby starts tomorrow.

As much as I love my job (I really, really do enjoy teaching 7th graders!), I will miss summer.

We had a great almost three months. No doubt about it. In fact, I will go as far as saying it was our family's best summer ever. Really. We spent a great deal of time traveling. I love that. We will absolutely be doing more in the future. Lots more! :)

The boys are having the hardest time with saying goodbye to their summer break. I am thinking part of it is the earlier bedtime now. :)

Yesterday, the boys wanted to bake an end of summer cake. I was definitely game. (Who needs a reason to eat cake??) I was thinking we'd use a cake mix, but the guys wanted to bake from scratch. So, I pulled out the old Fanny Farmer cookbook and looked for a simple-ish recipe.

Once we had the recipe, I gathered ingredients, and then I sat back and photographed my boys in the kitchen. (Actually, Ian did all of the baking. Jake jumped in when it was time to make icing from scratch.)

One of my friends asked me how I can allow the kids in the kitchen. She said she could never put up with the mess. Sure, the boys tend to make a big 'ole mess whenever they bake, but I have managed to teach them (somewhat) to clean up after themselves as they go.

I truly believe that the kids need to have the experience of baking and cooking. They learn to read a recipe. They practice measurement, and they have fun making mistakes and consequently, learning from them. Important life skills.

At any rate, back to the cake. Jake and Ian agreed that they wanted a yellow cake but couldn't agree on an icing flavor. Jake wanted white icing, and Ian wanted chocolate. So, they decided to divide the cake in half and ice each half they way they wanted. Perfect.

The end result, though not all that pretty, was delicious! Not bad for a first cake from scratch. :)

So, tell me, do your kids bake and cook with you? I'd love it if you'd share some of their favorite recipes. :)

(Thanks to Wilton for providing the Ultra Gold baking pan and mixing bowls. Review of the Ultra Gold baking pan is coming soon!)

FEATURE: In the Kitchen with Kids- Brownies

One of my favorite things to do in the kitchen is bake. Well, if I am being honest here, it is one of the only things I ever really do in the kitchen aside from putting away groceries, washing and putting away dishes, and getting a bite to eat. If my oven is involved, I am baking.

I haven't ever baked with my kids all that much. My youngest son does enjoy helping, but my older son has never baked with me. This feature "In the Kitchen with Kids" is all about spending time with my boys and learning to cook and bake together. Some of this will be as much a learning experience for me as it is for them. That's okay. I realize I am no expert.

We decided to tackle a baking project first since it is what I am most familiar with. Brownies appealed to the three of us since they are easy to make and taste incredibly yummy too!

Jake had baseball, so Ian and I did the baking (Ian did most of the work, actually), and we waited for Jake to get home to do the decorating.

First, we got our supplies together:



Then, Ian got to work. He cracked the egg into the Wilton Tilt' n Mix bowl:

Next, he slowly added the Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie mix:
Once the mix was in the bowl, he poured in the water and vegetable oil:

Then, it was time to whisk all of the ingredients together. (This is the part Ian liked least. He said it took too long.):

We poured the batter into the Wilton 9" Square Covered Brownie Pan (which we sprayed with Pam), and then put the pan in the oven to bake for 39 minutes.

Once the brownies had sufficient time to cool, it was time for the boys to decorate. Since they couldn't agree how to decorate, I gave each boy one half of the pan to decorate as he chose.

Jake wanted to use the Wilton Blue Sparkle Gel and Wilton Silver Pearlized Sugar. Ian chose to work with the Wilton Mint Brownie Drizzle Icing and Wilton Silver Pearlized Sugar.


The Wilton Pearlized Sugar Mess:


Enjoying the final result:
Although not everything went as smoothly as I had hoped (I forgot to warm the Wilton Mint Brownie Drizzle Icing prior to use, so Ian really struggled with the decorating. This got him frustrated, and I got flustered.), I still enjoyed this experience! It was fun spending time with the boys, and we had a few laughs in the process too. :)

Thanks Wilton for making it possible!

See you next time when we tackle baking cupcakes for the second installment of "In the Kitchen with Kids."

Disclosure:
The product(s) provided for the review were sent to me free of charge from the company or the PR agency. My opinions are my own and not by any means influenced by any other part.

Thanks WILTON! You ROCK!!

I am a lucky, lucky gal! Wilton sent my boys and I an AMAZING package of goodies to use for our "In the Kitchen With Kids" feature!! Check out all this crazy fun stuff!

As promised, our first project will be brownies. We are hoping to be able to bake after baseball practice. The boys will be very hungry then! :) This is what we plan to use:

Look for our first feature post either tonight or tomorrow! We can't wait to get started!

Thanks Wilton!

Disclosure:
The product(s) provided for the review were sent to me free of charge from the company or the PR agency. My opinions are my own and not by any means influenced by any other part.

UPCOMING FEATURE NEWS!

This summer, my kids and I will be spending a lot of time together in the kitchen. We will be baking- brownies, cookies, cakes, and more! We will also be cooking dinners. The cooking part will be the tricky one for me, as those who know me, know that Betty Crocker I am not! :) Even so, I am committed to this project. I will be posting here (Yes, photos too!) all of our successes and our flops. The boys are excited, and truth be told, so am I! So, keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming adventure series "In the Kitchen With Kids."

(Our fist project will be- brownies! If you read my review of the Bella Lucce Peruvian Chocolate Renewing Masque, you will understand why I am starting with brownies.)