A Yellow Cake and Chocolate Frosting Attempt

OK, so I’m not Martha Stewart. I decided to make a cake for my dad's birthday. I asked him what his favorite kind of cake was and he responded with "ummmm…. " My sister, the Cake/Pie Goddess, quickly jumped in with “Don’t you like carrot cake?”  If my mind really had gears, I would have felt them whirring – carrots, I’d have to shred them, does it have pineapple in it, should I make it gluten free, what about the frosting – cream cheese, buttercream?  Obviously, I’ve never made a carrot cake before and obviously for some unknown reason I’m afraid to make a carrot cake.  But as my dad does, he saved me from my own thoughts and said, “I like yellow cake with chocolate frosting!”

That I felt I could do.  So for my dad’s birthday I concocted my very first yellow cake and my very first chocolate frosting.  Of course, I had eaten both of these things before and even made the cake from a boxed cake mix, but I had never made my own from scratch.

The Cake/Pie Goddess was out of town, so I was on my own for this creation.  I found two great recipes on Martha Stewart’s website for yellow cake.  One was for Yellow Butter Cake and the other for a Simple Layer Cake.  I decided to go with the simple one for a few reasons: 1. Because it said it was simple and I figured I could handle that and 2. It called for less butter and less eggs, which I figured was a good way to lower fat and cholesterol intake.  And, yes, I know I probably just ruined cake for everyone.

Making the cake was actually pretty easy, especially using an electric mixer. I’m rather new to the electric mixer. Before I got married I never had one and just mixed everything by hand. What a work out! Now that I know how easy it is to mix things together with the electric mixer, I may be baking more!  As you probably know by now, I can’t follow a recipe.  I just can’t.  That’s all there is to it.  I substituted whole milk with almond/coconut milk.

All was well until the two 9 inch cakes were baked and cooled.  Getting them out of the pan was a real challenge.  I didn’t use parchment paper to line the pans as the recipe instructed.  (Maybe I should learn to follow a recipe after all!) Instead, I greased and floured the bottoms of the pans.  Oops!  The cakes stuck to the bottom of the pans and I had to reconstruct them by pushing the cake pieces together into giant cake blobs. (No pictures for this because it was way too messy!)

Enter Chocolate Frosting.  I made a half recipe of Martha Stewart’s Ultimate Chocolate Frosting, again using almond/coconut milk instead of real milk.  This frosting was surprisingly good!  I don’t usually like a strong chocolate flavor, but this recipe has changed my mind.  It had just the right combination of chocolate and vanilla to cause a perfect chocolate frosting addiction.  Not only was it delicious, but it became the perfect edible binding to hold the yellow cake together. 

The cake itself definitely needed the frosting's flavor.  It was missing something that I can't quite place.  Maybe it needed the extra butter and eggs in the other recipe or maybe I should have doubled the vanilla.  I'm not sure, so I guess I will have to make more cake to figure it out!

Martha Stewart, I am not.  My cake looked terrible, but it actually tasted great!  It was made with love, creativity, and happy birthday wishes for my dad.  Happy Birthday, Dad!  

7 Foods for 7 Days: Day 7

Broccoli.  Apples. Fried chicken.  Pizza. Nachos.  Garlic.  I miss them all!  It’s day 7 of 7 and I am hungry.  I am craving everything that I can’t have.  I don’t eat a lot of wheat bread any more, but above all else I want a simple dinner roll with butter slathered all over it.  Mmmmm…butter….

Almost there! No change for breakfast and lunch.  I will not miss peanuts. Peanut butter is different though.

For dinner I wanted to attempt to use all 7 ingredients, but I ran out of spinach!  I made a variation of Cuban Chicken.  I only made this recipe once and was disappointed in the preparation time to flavor ratio.  It took a lot of time to make a disappointingly bland meal.  My variation required cooking rice in chicken broth, using up leftover burnt turkey breast, cooking sweet potatoes  halfway in the microwave then slicing and frying in skillet, frying bananas in same skillet, layering everything in a bowl and then sprinkling with peanuts on the top.  And the husband’s response?  “Fried bananas!”

The husband's symbol for fried bananas

OK, so these are not the fried bananas at Tucano’s where this response originated from, but they were a sweet topping to bland rice, salty dry turkey, and the sweet potato

that I’m now having nightmares about. (I had a dream that I would never be able to eat sweet potatoes again and a horrible fear washed over me, but when I woke up I had no desire to eat sweet potatoes.  I’m tired of them!)  And that was the end to day 7 of 7 days of 7 foods.  We ate all the spinach, all the turkey, all the sweet potatoes, and we are down to one banana, half a bag of brown rice, and half a jar of peanuts.

On day 2, my sister the Pie Goddess asked “What is the point of all of this?  Is this another one of your crazy diets?”  Great question, Pie Goddess!  I responded with “No, this one actually has a point beyond the food itself.”  The husband said that the purpose of fasting is to get to a point that you no longer think of what you are fasting from, but you are able to think beyond it.  Enlightenment, anyone? I really appreciated his explanation.  I don’t know if this really counted as a fast and as you can see from my above cravings, I don’t think I’ve reached any kind of enlightenment or way of reaching beyond what I’m fasting from.

I think that Jen Hatmaker, the author of the book that inspired this journey, was able to focus more on God and His plan.  While I did find myself praying more and really thinking about the needs of others, I also found myself thinking about the 7 ingredients and how I could use them and feed my husband and myself without going crazy.  I think I may have focused too much on my own plan and not God’s, but I will make a conscious effort to pray more and plan less and see what happens.

I’m glad that I went on this journey.  I learned that I can make the most of just about anything.  I learned that I can be creative.  I learned not to take the things that I have for granted including any food that I have in my pantry.  I learned to embrace compassion and empathy while still remaining practical.  I learned that I’m not poor and that I need to stop using this word as I have been.  I learned that the body really is a temple and that we should care for it as best as we can, but I also learned that we shouldn’t be so restrictive that we forget to enjoy what we do have.  And to prove this point I may celebrate day 8 with a big bowl of ice cream!

7 Foods for 7 Days: Day 6

The key to making the 7 diet work is snacks!  I was going to enter the calories for everything that I ate by using Fitness Pal, but that it is going to take way to much work and I doubt it is of much interest to anyone.  Let’s just say that I attempted to eat more today to avoid the hunger pains.  I took a little bag of peanuts to work for a morning snack and I ate an extra banana at lunch.

Because there has been a chicken recall, I couldn’t make myself by any chicken even the brands that haven’t been reported as having salmonella.  Instead, I’ve been eating A LOT of turkey!  For dinner, I decided to try something different.  I made a small boneless turkey breast in the crockpot!  Before work I put the turkey in the crock pot with about half a cup of chicken broth and sprinkled it with salt and pepper.  I set the timer for 10 hours to give me plenty of time to get home from work and check on it.

When I pulled into the garage after work, I could smell it!  This was either a really good sign or a really bad sign.  I can’t usually smell whatever is cooking in the kitchen in the garage.  I walked inside and the husband said, “Take a look at it,” with a little grin.  I immediately cringed, “Did it burn?”  He just shrugged so I investigated.  The turkey had a beautiful dark golden brown coloring,

but the chicken broth and all solidified into a black char at the bottom of the pot.  I pulled the turkey out and set it on a plate so that it couldn’t cook or dry out any more than it already had.  The end of it was so hard that I couldn’t cut through it!

The turkey had to be salvaged because I’m running out of my 7 ingredients!  (I’ve been to the store twice this week just to buy bananas and I don’t want to make a third trip!)  Inspired by Thanksgiving yet again, I decided to make a simple gravy to moisten the meat.

Gravy

1 cup chicken broth

1 T rice flour

Lots of salt and pepper

I beat all the lumps out of the liquid and then boiled until it thickened.  Voila! Gravy!  I forcefully sawed the meat into slices and generously spooned gravy over the top.  “Baked” sweet potatoes in the microwave are so good that I made them again.  Dinner was saved.

Lessons Learned

Use more liquid when using the 10 hour setting on the crock pot.  Maybe try a bone-in turkey breast next time?  Above all, trust that everything will work out in the end.

7 Foods for 7 Days: Day 5

Today was a hungry day.  Do you ever have those days when just can’t seem to eat enough?  It was also leftover day, but I don’t think this was the cause of my hunger. I ate leftover peanut butter banana cookies for breakfast (yum!) and leftover fried rice for lunch.  By 9:00 I had to eat some of my lunch in order to quiet my growling stomach until lunch time. I attempted to buy banana chips from a convenience store for something to snack on, but they were made with coconut oil and sugar, so I put them back. By about 3:30 I was so hungry that my stomach actually hurt.  I somehow pushed through and made it home about 5:00 and even though peanuts and I aren’t friends any more, I grabbed a handful and devoured them.   At least they calmed the hunger pain.

Dinner was not very creative tonight.  I made thin turkey cutlets in the skillet and sweet potatoes in the microwave.  Nothing to brag home about, but it was food and I ate it without complaint!  For dessert I made peanut butter banana cookies again, but this time and I rolled the dough into little balls and put them in the refrigerator for a no bake treat.  The husband ate one and with a look of shock on his face, he put the ice cream container back into the freezer and asked if he could have two more

cookies instead!  Wow!

The cookies remind me of something my mom used to make.  As a kid who couldn't eat ice cream or chocolate, these little peanut butter, graham cracker morsels  were like heaven, a welcome creamy treat that wouldn't result in a rash.  I feel the same way abut the healthy cookies!

Maybe I should continue making sugar free healthy desserts even after my 7 days are over!  The good news is that I’ve lost a little bit of weight by eating a combinations of only 7 things and the pants that I had moved to back of the closet fit again.  The bad news is that my other replacement pants are a little big and then, of course, the  small fact that I feel like my stomach is eating itself.

I can't imagine what it must be like to feel like that all the time, not have the opportunity to grab a handful of peanuts, have the ability to look for something to snack on, or have the stability of a scheduled eating time.   I am grateful that I am able to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and still have the luxury to complain that I'm hungry.  

7 Foods for 7 Days: Day 4

Breakfast and lunch were the same as usual, so nothing to report.  I am getting tired of eating peanuts though.  Honestly, I don’t think they like me any more than I like them.  But it is already day 4, so I know that I can make it the rest of the week!

Dinner

I decided to let the 7 things inspire me and I came up with a delicious idea: fried brown rice with coconut aminos (my substitute soy sauce).

chicken and spinach!  I boiled the rice in water and chicken broth, browned the chicken in the wok, set the chicken aside, and then fried the rice in the same skillet so that the salty chicken pieces coated the rice.  I chopped up some spinach and added it to the mix with some salt and pepper.  I didn’t even miss the

Dessert

I had a rough day and I really wanted to bake something.  I know you’re probably thinking that I can’t possibly bake with only 7 things, but if you want something bad enough you’ll find a way to get it.  And so I got it!  I made up a recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Cookies inspired by the real recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies.  This is one of my favorite recipes because I haven’t followed it yet!  I always make substitutions and changes and the cookies always come out different yet delicious.

Peanut Butter Banana Cookies

1 banana, mashed

3 T peanut butter

1 T olive oil

¾ cup rice flour

¼ tsp salt

I mixed all of the ingredients together, let the dough sit for 10 minutes, considered not baking them and putting them in the refrigerator, but decided to bake at 325 for about 20 minutes.  They came out like soft little naturally sweet cookies, real cookies, not like puffy like cake cookies, or crunchy cracker cookies, but real cookies!  I will definitely make these again.

I’m glad that I decided to embark on the journey of 7 things because it has forced me to tap into my creativity and actually create something rather than just think about creating something!

7 Foods for 7 Days: Day 3

No variation on breakfast.  For lunch I made a delicious spinach salad with turkey a little olive oil and salt and pepper.  This what my usual lunch during the week is, so no real change here.

Dinner

First, I want to say that the husband had an opportunity to have dinner with a friend.  He declined because he said that he didn’t want me to have to do this by myself.  Thank you for being supportive, husband!

In my opinion, he chose a great night to be supportive.  I made turkey spinach burgers with roasted sweet potatoes.  I altered recipes that were in my collection to fit the confines of 7.  If you're not restricting you diet to 7 things, you might want to try Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers with Sun Dried Tomatoes

For a healthier alternative, you might want to try my version:

Turkey & Spinach Burgers

1 lb. ground turkey

1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

1 T rice flour

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Mix it all together in a large bowl.  Separate into four sections and create patties.  Flatten patties in a large skillet.  Brown each side and then cook until there is no pink in the meat.  Browning the meat adds an extra saltiness so that condiments are really needed.

When I usually make roasted sweet potatoes, I like to use a lot of spices.  In fact, I really miss chili powder and cinnamon!  If you too like spices, try out Sweet & Spicy Sweet Potatoes.  For a less spicy, more traditional flavor, try my version:

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 ½ T olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Put potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with olive oil.  Make sure it is evenly spread on potatoes and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake at 425 F for about 20 minutes.

The husband said that he would eat this any day, diet or no, so I guess that is a good sign.  Maybe I will keep making the healthy alternatives in the future!

Dessert

While the husband had low fat frozen yogurt for dessert, I had previously sliced a banana and frozen it.  It wasn't bad!  It was a little on the cold side, but it gave me some ideas for future ice cream!  

7 Foods for 7 Days: Day 2

I cheated. It’s only day 2 and I already cheated.  I thought this experiment was going to be easy. I thought that because I’ve been on so many elimination and restricted diets in the past that limiting my food to 7 (10 things, if I’m being honest) would be easy for me.  It’s not.  I will come back to this, but I wanted to be honest from the beginning and set the tone for the rest of this post.

Breakfast

I had my usual banana and peanut butter, but this time I sprinkled dry roasted peanuts on the top for some extra protein.

Lunch

My sister (a/k/a Goddess of Pie and Cake) was visiting.  She, my mom, and I usually go out to lunch and shopping when she is in town.  I was worried about going out to eat and trying to make this diet work especially with someone that I call Goddess of Pie and Cake, so instead I invited them over to lunch.  Surprisingly, they accepted and were completely willing to try my limited offering lunch.  Instead of feeling restricted by the 7 things, I was inspired.  Most of the things on the list remind me of Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday.  So…I decided to prepare a pseudo Thanksgiving meal.

The store didn’t have a good selection of turkey breasts that I could roast.  I guess July isn’t really the season for this sort of thing, but they did have turkey cutlets.  I prepared these in a skillet with a splash of olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.  I made “baked” sweet potatoes in the microwave and served it with fresh spinach.  The turkey seemed a little dry to me, but my family ate it and we enjoyed just hanging out with each other, so no complaints for me.

Dinner

Since the Goddess of Pie and Cake was in town, my dad invited us out for dinner.  I explained my 7 things that I could eat and he said, “You can still order chicken tacos with rice and potatoes!”  This was his plan and there would be no changing that plan.  I decided that spending time with my family was more important than trying to follow the 7 things diet.  The husband sincerely told me that it would be ok, “just ask for forgiveness.”

I ended up ordering the tacos with no cheese and two sides of rice.  I contemplated only eating the chicken out of the tacos, but thought this was rather wasteful considering the point of this experiment is to cut out the excess, not to waste the excess.  But God really does work in mysterious ways.  There was a woman who was sitting behind us.  She was talking to herself rather loudly about how her mother raised her to feed and clothe herself and if we didn’t believe her either she or her mother would kick our ass.  She watched as our food was served and made pointed comments about how she always ate rice to make herself feel better and then just muttered the word tacos.  Talk about awkward!  What does one do in this situation? I wanted to buy her a plate of food, but didn’t.  Have you ever gone to school knowing that there was a test that you didn’t study for, knowing that you were going to fail?  This is how I felt.

The woman told the waitress that she only had $6 and couldn’t pay for everything she had ordered.  I only saw that she had coffee and later exchanged it for tea, but my sister said that she had a plate of food when we first arrived.  I felt better knowing that she had eaten.  I was just about to go to the front and offer to pay for her food when one of the ladies at the table next to us went over to her and told her not to worry that the check was taken care of.  Thank you, God, for moving someone to help this woman.  After knowing that the woman had been helped and that she had eaten, I could finally eat my own tacos.  And, yes, I ate the corn tortillas and the lettuce and tomato without hesitation. 

Unfortunately, this woman needed more than food.  She told the good Samaritan that she had money, that she just forgot her purse.  Then she asked if the woman would ask the waitress to bring her 4 or 5 more tortillas.  The good Samaritan’s husband shook his head and they left.  I don’t know if more tortillas were brought to the table or not.  The skeptic in me can’t help but wonder if this same scenario would be repeated throughout the night only because at one point in the woman’s muddled conversation to herself, she asked “Why should I only eat in soup kitchens?”

I could discuss the necessity of mental health care, I could discuss the struggle that occurs within me to answer this question, I could discuss that the answer is always money, or I can simply end this post by saying that limiting my food intake to 7 (10) things is self-imposed and not really a struggle at all.